I traveled to Bonaire (an island of the Caribbean Netherlands) for the first time in August 2019. I got to volunteer with one of my good friends and restoration coordinator, Garrett Fundakowski, at Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire, a non-profit coral reef restoration group! Learn more at their website: https://reefrenewalbonaire.org/

Bonaire is a scuba diver's paradise. You can shore-dive to the most amazing, healthy, fishy reefs I've ever seen. I just wanted to share some of my photos from this unforgettable trip. Shout-out to Kristin Anderson and Josh Farmer for letting me tag along on.

Beautiful coastline of Bonaire

I'm ready to go shore-diving!

One of Reef Renewal's nursery trees for Acropora cervicornis (staghorn coral)

A french angelfish!

Orange-spotted filefish

Kristin going over the reef wall!

So. many. fish!!

A spotted moray!

Eusmilia fastigiata (smooth flower coral)

A frogfish! These are so fun (and challenging) to find because they can blend in super well with sponges and corals. This one was thankfully failing at camouflaging.

A porcupinefish!

Orbicella faveolata

Josh and Kristin at Captain Don's memorial site

Kristin and the reef wall (depth ~70 ft)

A bait ball full of fish!

Naturally we swam through it. Kristin in the middle of the bait ball!

Josh in the bait ball

Porites porites

A peacock flounder!

Look at him!

Spot the scorpionfish!

A juvenile sea turtle!!! My favorite sea creature to see while diving.

He did not want to hang with us.

He did swim by Kristin so she could get a cool pic.

Goodbye!

Pseudodiploria strigosa (brain coral)

A green moray swimming by! Spooky.

A squid!

Garrett showing me the amazing natural patches of staghorn coral. I have never seen this much staghorn before!

A shy seahorse wrapped around a piece of coral.

Still so shy! I thought he was algae at first.

Another sea turtle! He hung out with us a bit more.

That side eye.

More staghorn coral patches!

Look at all that staghorn.

Me, super excited to be with a patch of natural staghorn coral, the species I study and am interested in helping restore in Florida.

Another frogfish that wasn't doing the best job at hiding! He's sitting on an Orbicella faveolata coral.

Dive site: the Lake (that sand patch in the middle, surrounded by a circular reef). Featuring Aimee Young, infamous frogfish finder!

Orange-spotted filefish

Colpophyllia natans - spot the tiny blenny fish in the middle looking at me!