A World, Once Unknown: Bonaire!
“No one will protect what they
don’t care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced” -David Attenborough
I remember in April of 2024, I went
to my first interest meeting for the Bonaire 2025 study abroad trip. I
instantly became obsessed. While I had been to beaches growing up, I hadn’t
ever necessarily been interested in the marine world any deeper than that. But,
I love all things natural to this world, so I felt called to this trip in
particular. And, not only could I experience a part of the world I never have
before, I got to do so by SCUBA diving?! It sounded like the coolest thing
ever!
We spent the semester before the trip learning about the island's history, ecology, geology, culture, and identifying nearly every single critter that lives there. Fast forward to being on the island. For those who don’t know, Bonaire is a municipality of the Netherlands, just off the coast of Venezuela. It is a small island, being only ~24 miles long. For reference, that is roughly the distance from Maryville College to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! But being packed with life, this island takes the phrase, “tiny but mighty” to another level!
Our
time on the island was far from boring, as each day was filled with activities
one couldn’t resist. Diving up to 3 times a day, exploring the National Park,
birding, history drives, walking through the markets, making dinner - Each
night everyone would gather in one of the rooms and we’d take turns making
dinner for everybody, like a big family. Just cooking, jamming out to music,
and nonstop laughing. The bonds we made during this trip were so special, and I
will always cherish that memory.
Now focusing on the main part of
the trip: SCUBA diving! The best part of any dive is being able to know exactly
what it is you’re seeing happen all around you. Parrotfish, Gobies, Butterfly
fish, Grunts, Chromis, Trunkfish, etc. are just a few of the many, many
different types of fish present in the Bonaire waters that we got the
opportunity to see up close. Along with the fish, we got to see so many
crustaceans, starfish, jellyfish, countless species of coral and sponges, we
even got to see a few sea turtles!! Being able to apply the knowledge we
learned and calling all of these species by their name was truly amazing.
One
of our surprises for this trip is that we had the incredible opportunity to
take a coral restoration class and become certified in reef renewal coral
restoration! Closer to the end of the trip, we had a couple days of lectures
about the efforts that go into coral restoration/renewal such as the management
of coral nurseries, cutting and tying new branches, and outplanting. Then, we
actually got to dive around the resort and have hands-on experience doing all
of the restorative work we learned about! It was such a rewarding experience to
be a part of this and contribute, even on a small scale, to the conservation of
coral reefs.
Overall, this experience was life
changing. Definitely one of the greatest things I’ve ever gotten to do! The
quote I included at the beginning of this means a lot to me in regards to this
trip. Before this, I had never experienced the coral reefs to this extent. Now
that I have, the love and appreciation I have for this part of the world is
endless. Not only that, but it has opened up a door of possibilities of
continuing on in coral restoration work in the future. And of course, the
ability to go diving anywhere and everywhere I possibly can! If you have the
opportunity to study abroad with Maryville College, DO IT!!! Make it work, I
promise it is so worth it! Lastly, I encourage you to dig a little deeper into
the world you live in, because what you experience might just change your life.
Me - watching a 5 ft tarpon swim past us!
A picture of us in one of the old lighthouse keeper's houses!
A beautiful Bonaire sunset - the view from the dock right outside our rooms!
At our final dinner - we didn't want to leave!
