Amongst the 5 of us (Kim, Daniel, Barbara, Jim and Maria) we saw just about every type of coral reef and fish listed on the marine life guide to Bonaire. We spent some time trying to find sea horses which are a very beautiful orange color but did not have any luck. One of the most abundant coral fish we saw were the gorgeous Parrot fish. There were different variety of Parrot fish but the most common was the one with the most vivid colors - the Spectacled Parrot fish. These fish were found everywhere including along the shoreline. As we walked on the side walk of the street bordering the shoreline in the late afternoons we could see many of these fish pulling sea grass off the coral reefs, many of which had half their bodies sticking out of the water.

We had never seen such diversity and abundance of marine life concentrated around us. We swam around and followed schools of Angel fish, were followed by many different coral fish as we swam off Kikuyu which happed to be moored in "Sponge Bob Reef", and were closely scrutinized by fish that came so close to us we could see every detail in their bodies and even inside their eyes! This happened primarily to Maria as she swam off Kikuyu a few times during our stay. The short 5 days we spent in Bonaire were indeed fantastic. This little island is divers/snorkeler's paradise. It is fortunate that at least one island in the Caribbean set out to maintain its nature the way it used. However, they are fighting hard to preserve the island and to keep the algae from growing out of proportion. If you are interested in seeing pictures of the marine life in Bonaire, we found good ones at http://www.reef.org/resources/galleries/caribbean This organization (www.reef.org) appears to be a good one to support as their mission is to preserve the marine life.