Melanie and I were in Cuba in 2000 and met a fellow traveller from the Netherlands. He recommended Bonaire as one of the best places for snorkeling and diving. After a little research, Melanie booked us at the Divi Flamingo for a snorkeling vacation in 2001. We explored the National Park, went kayaking in the mangroves, snorkeled off Calabas reef and No-Name beach, and enjoyed the weather. After coming home, we decided to get certified. I researched equipment, agencies, teachers, etc. It didn't take long before I stumbled onto DIR. It's streamlined approach to equipment, precise procedures, and focus on working as a team, made a lot of sense. We purchased a backplate & wing from Halcyon, took a private course with a technical diver, and went back to Bonaire for some diving. We brought along a Sony DSC-P5 pocket camera with a housing. As time progressed, we added strobes, a second camera, more strobes and components, etc. We thoroughly enjoy taking pictures - both of us taking our time, staying close, and capturing some of what we see.
Canon 20D with BG-E2 Battery Grip, EF-S 10-22 f3.5-4.5 USM, EF 17-40mm f4.0L USM, EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM, EF 28-105mm f3.5-4.5 II USM, EF 28mm f1.8 USM, EF 50mm f1.4 USM, EF 85mm f1.8 USM, EF 100mm f2.8 Macro USM, Speedlite 580EX, Kirk BH-3 Ball Head, RRS BGE2-L Plate, Velbon EFL-3A Tripod, Ikelite Canon 20D Housing, UltraLight Substrobe Arms, Dual Ikelite DS-125 Substrobes.
![[FR]](/images/flag-fr.gif){kind=small}