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| Port Overview |
| Beach buffs, listen up.
Bonaire is an ocean paradise. Over 80 varieties of coral can be found in the waters off Bonaire's coasts. In fact, the Bonaire Marine Park encircles the entire country. The protected status of the marine life means the fish are unafraid of their human audience, and the super-clear waters ensure that audience "orchestra" seats.
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Bonaire…Ah, such a pretty French word. It means “good air,” oui?
Non. It’s actually derived from the Arawak Indian words meaning “low country,” an apt description of this relatively flat, low-lying island.
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| | The first European to view these crystal-clear waters was Amerigo Vespucci, in 1499. With a sweep of his arm, he declared everything in sight for Spain, including the inhabitants, who were later enslaved and removed to Hispaniola to work the plantations.
The Spanish generally neglected the island, calling it "useless." The Dutch, however, saw the island differently. They took claim in 1633, imported slaves from Africa, and engaged them in logging and the production of sea salt and maize. Salt, useful in the preservation of food, put Bonaire on the map.
The abolition of slavery on the island in 1863 (coincidently, the year of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation) and the development of reliable refrigeration spelled the decline of Bonaire's salt industry. The industry has been revived, but today it takes a back seat to tourism.
Had the Spanish only known what they were walking away from. | |
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