Sylvia Chesak and her family took a holiday to Bonaire in the Caribbean. They joined one of the family dive adventures at Kids Sea Camp. Sylvia shares her five favourite experiences.
1. Klein Bonaire
Klein Bonaire is a island next to Bonaire that I visited with my sister and my dad. It was really cool because the sand under water had lots of ripples in it. All the ripples in it had shells in them so you collect shells under water and bury them. Plus me, my friend Rohan, and Rohan’s dad made an awesome sand castle.
Sunset in Bonaire. Picture: Chris Chesak
2. Tornado Toy
Whenever we finished aqua mission (those are our SCUBA classes with our instructor), we got to scuba dive and play with an under water tornado toy. It was really cool to see the water spin just because of the toy tornado.
3. Demo Day
Demo day is when we scuba dive in the ocean with our parents. So that meant I went scuba diving in the ocean with my instructor, my sister, my mom, and my dad. I was really happy that I was getting to scuba dive with my parents.
Family diving adventures in the Caribbean. Picture: Chris Chesak
4. Donkey Farm
The donkey farm is a place where you are first at the petting zoo for donkeys. Then you get in a van and you drive through this long dirt road but the whole time donkeys are everywhere and you get to feed them. Also the donkeys chase the van sometimes.
5. Poetry Contest
On the last day, there was a graduation and a poetry contest. Some people sang, some people talked and some people did poetry. I did poetry. This was my poem:
The ocean is a wondrous thing all big and bright and blue.
The fish are swimming by my side I wonder which is new.
The sun shines on the water like a flashlight on a wall.
This giant, giant ocean makes me feel so small.
Read more about Kids Sea Camp in Bonaire here.
Kids Sea Camp in Bonaire. Picture: Chris Chesak
Bonaire is part of the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao), located in the Caribbean just outside Hurricane Alley. Despite its location, Bonaire is technically part of the Netherlands. 80% of the residents are Dutch nationals. Direct flights are available from various cities in mainland USA and from Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands. The island can also be reached by boat or cruise ship.
I was born in Boise, Idaho (USA) and moved to Cincinnati, Ohio when I was two years old. The first time I traveled was on a plane to Minneapolis and I was only four weeks old. The longest time I spent on a plane was 23 hours long to China. My longest car ride was a 14 hour drive to Boston, Massachusetts. I am a vegetarian and I love Harry Potter.