We brought y'all to Bonaire 10 years ago with a bunch of "Mostly Macro" photographs. It hasn't changed much. A little more crowded as the population has grown but still mostly for divers.

The 112-square-mile Dutch island remains among the top destinations for diving because of the ease and freedom of numerous shore entries, the normally-outstanding visibility and the well-protected reef system.

But it's not all easy.

To get there we had to travel overnight out of Houston, arriving about 7 a.m.. When you're eager to get in the water after your trip, you'll hope you can sleep on planes. Plus, we had to arrive at the Bonaire airport at 5 a.m. for the return trip. After all, the island is about 40 miles off the coast of Venezuela in the southern Caribbean. But it's worth it.

With more than 60 dive sites easily accessible from shore the pristine reefs can be visited whenever the divers' schedule requires.

All you gotta do is grab your tanks, plop them in the back of the rental truck and choose one of the sites marked with yellow rocks along the main road.

We made 17 dives in 7 days, as many as 4 in a single day.

There are other interesting things to do on the island: a ruggedly beautiful nature park called Washington-Slaagbai, a small casino, horseback riding and the like. But this is not your classic "Caribbean" island with lush vegetation and constantly cooling ocean breezes. Basically, it's cactus and kitty litter surrounded by beautiful clear and warm water.

If you're here to dive, it's perfect.

You'll find "next" and "previous" links at the bottom of each cutline, as well as links to a previous trips.