By Beth Hall

Whether you are new to diving or a seasoned veteran, quench your thirst for underwater adventure at the Caribbean’s premier dive and beach resort, Harbour Village Beach Club. Located within an exclusive beachfront enclave on a four-acre, private peninsula on the island of Bonaire, Harbour Village offers some of the best diving opportunities in the world.

A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Harbour Village is surrounded by calm, crystal-clear waters teeming with vibrant sea life and unspoiled reefs waiting to be explored. Bonaire has been designated as having the most pristine coral reef environment and most species of fish in the Caribbean by the NOAA and is consistently named Best Overall Dive Destination by Scuba Diving Magazine’s Reader’s Choice Awards. Due to Bonaire’s leeward location outside of the hurricane belt, and its consistently pleasant climate, crystal-clear visibility prevails at any depth, giving an enthralling view of the robust underwater life.

Harbour Village Beach Club features a First Class 5 Star PADI Dive Center, Great Adventures Bonaire, within the resort and dive sites just off its shore. The nearest one, just 50 yards out from the beach, is the shipwreck of the 60-foot “Our Confidence,” a great spot for beginners that can even be seen by snorkelers from the surface. Another popular dive site, “Something Special,” is also a short swim from shore. Bonaire diving packages are available for both non-certified and certified divers and include a seven-night stay in our luxurious rooms or suites, a full American breakfast, airport transfers and unlimited use of the fitness center, tennis courts, and kayaks. The dive shop is located along the beach, just steps from the rooms and suites.

Packages for beginners include the Discover Scuba Diving introductory course. This one-day program includes instruction and a shallow skill session followed by a shore dive which may be counted towards your certification, if you decide to continue. There are also packages that let younger guests experience Bonaire’s undersea wonderland. These include SASY (Supplied Air Snorkeling for Youth) (ages 5+), Bubble Maker (ages 8+), and the Dive Instruction and Certification program (ages 10+).

More advanced divers can choose from programs including the Invasive Lion Fish Tracker course, open to guests interested in learning about Lion Fish and the use of the ELF (Eliminate Lion Fish) tool. The course consists of theory, two open water dives, and instruction on how to use the ELF tool to eliminate some of the invasive species. Graduates will receive their certification in ELF to be used in other locations worldwide.

Other unique programs include the new Fluorescence Diving and Snorkeling course, which makes for an amazing nighttime underwater experience! Divers and snorkelers carry special lights that emit a blue light which generates bio-fluorescence. Guests will see many different florescent colors emitted from certain marine life in a unique display of light. For those who want to capture the breathtaking underwater images they see, there is an amazing Underwater Photography course. Photography and Video equipment are available for rent through Great Adventures Bonaire.

Bonaire, named the Top Dive Destination 9 years in a row, is home to 86 well-defined dive sites. Over 30 years of environmental protection laws have earned Bonaire diving locations a reputation as some of the most beautifully preserved marine life in the world. In 2008, Bonaire was designated by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as having “arguably the most pristine coral reef environment in the Caribbean.” A separate official study also found that Bonaire is inhabited by more species of fish than any other Caribbean diving location. Abundant underwater life includes more than 300 species of tropical fish and over 120 different types of coral.

For more information on Bonaire and Harbour Village Beach Club, visit the luxury hotel’s website at www.harbourvillage.com or call 1-800-424-0004 for inquiries on the resort’s luxury diving packages.

More about Bonaire

Located eighty-six miles east of Aruba, the island of Bonaire offers year round sunshine, low annual rainfall, and has been designated as having the most pristine coral reef environment and most species of fish in the Caribbean by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. The Reef Environmental Education Foundation lists eight out of almost 90 of Bonaire’s dive sites in their top 10 in terms of species richness in the Caribbean — abundant underwater life includes more than 300 species of tropical fish and over 120 different types of coral. The island is able to maintain this environment and receive awards for Bonaire diving year after year because its surrounding waters have been protected as the Bonaire National Marine Park for over 30 years.