Our New Year’s 2020 group dive trip from Austin to Bonaire was coordinated in partnership with DiveWorld in Austin, Texas. Bonaire is a Bucketlist Destination for Scuba divers around the world. Located in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, Bonaire offers world-class scuba, snorkeling and adventure sports.

We take pride in foraging meaningful relationships with community groups, and for us the most exciting part of hosting group trips are the lifelong friendships that come from them. What started out as a group full of dive bums quickly became a large family of Austinites who shared an amazing experience in a far off island. Twenty-one people (some members of 4 families who came together) all housed in 8 separate rooms at the famous Buddy Dive Resort in Bonaire.

Birthday Surprise

The family that dives together, stays together. One of the families that joined the group trip gave the adventure to the family patriarch as a birthday surprise. They kept the trip a secret from him until they arrived at the airport, creating a hint-filled post-it note treasure hunt along the way.

TravelAbundance was in on the surprise as the big reveal at the airport included unexpected family members. What an amazing birthday surprise; a family scuba diving trip.

No Experience Required

Everyone in our group had various degrees of scuba diving experience. But of all of our guests, one special young adult joined the group with no diving experience at all. What a great first dive she had, taking her first step towards certification.

Full face masks provided one adventuresome dive family another first time experience. Whether you bring your own scuba equipment or rent from Buddy Dive Resort our dive team leaders made sure that everyone was safe before, during and after every dive.

Dive-Dive-Dive

Sport diving in Bonaire begin in 1962, when Captain Don Stewart set up the island’s first dive operations. Captain Don was instrumental in the formation of the island’s park system and reef preservation. The island features over 86 dive sites, home to over 57 species of soft and stony coral and more than 350 recorded species of fish. Many of the fish that divers dream of one day seeing reside in the Bonaire waters.

We had the good fortune of taking in a total of 30 dives over the course of seven days. Three days of off-shore boat dives and four days of shore dives. Every minute spent exploring wonderfully elaborately colorful fish, reefs, crustaceans and creatures.

Adventurous Caribbean Cuisine

The Lionfish numbers have grown beyond measure in recent years since they have no known predators. As a result, there are no limits put upon fisherman, making it a delicious and affordable food source. Lionfish has become a local staple and Caribbean restaurants have developed some amazing dishes with this plentiful fish.

We experienced a Lionfish burger the Cactus Blue food truck, and a beautifully presented Lionfish pizza at Pasa Bon Pizza. Both dishes were light, flavorful and unexpectedly delicious. This local Caribbean delicacy is worth a try.

Local Sites: 12.272°N 68.383°W

While most of our time was spent on days filled with multiple dives, we were unable to dive on the last day before our departure. So we hit the road and explored the Washington Slagbaai National Park (established by Captain Don Stewart). The park is 21.79 sq. mi (one-fifth of the entire island) filled with native plants, wildlife, wildflowers, diving, beach combing and more. We took in a quick dip, snorkeling session, and enjoyed the nature of local beach biosystems.

Another unplanned surprise on our final day was the discovery of the Cadushy Distillery: the Caribbean's only cactus liquor. Yes, it’s a thing.

New Year’s Eve to Remember

As a toast to our adventure together, the TravelAbundance team proudly provided a full New Year’s Eve celebration for our special guests, complete with party favors, noisemakers and midnight toast. It was an eventful way to ring in the new year together.

And, as our adventure together neared its end, our group commemorated the trip by adding their names to a custom license plate that is now proudly displayed at DiveWorld in Austin, Texas. Our time together may have come to a close, but our shared experiences will last a lifetime.

Our Adventure Continues

Our you ready to live life abundantly? Let us spoil you on our next group dive trips. Travel confidently knowing that your ever need is met, every whim catered to, and every detail measured. Your experience is our passion.

Our next group dive adventures.

Roatan, Honduras - Summer/Fall 2020

Belize, Honduras - Late Summer 2020

Contact Us