By: Jim Kilgo

I am not really an early morning person but on this trip to Bonaire my wife was determined to make some early morning dawn dives.  Her definition of early is something before 4:00am.  Well I convinced her that this was actually just a late night dive. So we compromised and we woke at 5:00am readied our gear and made our giant stride off the end of the dock before 6:00am.  If I was not awake before I hit the water I certainly was now. 

Some how she enticed several others in our group to join us for this experience and as a group we all kicked our way out to the edge of the reef just north of Small Wall (for those that know Bonaire).  Cameras at ready and underwater flash lights still on we progressed over the edge of the reef and into the darkness that still hung on as the sun just broke the horizon.

The first thing that I noticed was a large almost ribbon like flow of fish, blue chromes to be exact. They were swimming from the north to the south, the morning traffic jam on the reef. As I approached they would just split and surround me so not to be interrupted in their quest to get to where they were going. Now I had to stop and ask myself where they are going.  Is this the night shift going home for the day or is it the opposite, workers heading for the office in the morning?  Could have sworn that one of them had a cup of Starbucks in his fin…

Now came the payoff for losing some of my treasured sleep, the sunrise.  As we drifted in the water column around 80 feet and down the slope of the reef we could see the first streaks of amber light from the morning sun start to stream down the depths.  This is a sight that I had never experienced.  The day had begun as I looked around the reef I could see the daily sea life start to move and go about their routines.  I never thought of a day shift and night shift on the reef in such stark terms, but there it was in its full beauty.  The day fish waking up and taking their position on the reef and the night time inhabitants find their way to safety for the daylight hours ahead.

This was an experience that we would repeat several times during our week long visit to Bonaire.  In addition this is one memory that will linger in my mind as a great experience that every diver should have in their log book.  We all do and talk about night dives but seldom if ever do we make dawn dives.  Give it a try…