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Showing posts from February, 2016

New Pics From:

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- Bonaire - Curazao, Netherlands - San Andres - Malpelo, Colombia Link: Os-Travel

Hilma Hooker Shipwreck, Bonaire

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The Hilma Hooker is a shipwreck in Bonaire in the Caribbean Netherlands. It is a popular wreck diving site. In the summer of 1984, the Hilma Hooker had engine problems at sea and was towed to the port of Kralendijk, Bonaire. It was already under surveillance by drug enforcement agencies. Docked at the Town Pier, local authorities boarded the ship for an inspection when her captain was unable to produce any of the requisite registration papers. A false bulkhead was discovered, and held within was 25,000 lb (11,000 kg) of marijuana. The Hilma Hooker and her crew were subsequently detained while the local authorities on Bonaire searched for the vessel's owners, who were never found. The Hilma Hooker came to rest on a sand flat between two coral reef systems in an area known to divers as Angel City. The wreck has subsequently become a prime attraction for scuba divers. It lies in approximately 100 feet (30 m) of water and at 240 feet in length provides ample scope for exp

Captain Don Stewart Memorial, Bonaire

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He has spent the greater part of his life in Bonaire taking visitors diving and successfully campaigning to protect the natural underwater wonders. Among his many accomplishments, Captain Don lead the campaign to ban spearfishing on Bonaire, instituted the first permanent mooring system which eliminated the need for boats to drop an anchor, founded the Council of underwater Operators, and implemented a mandatory orientation dive for all people diving on Bonaire. He is also responsible for opening the first hotel on the island, Zeebad, (which is now the Divi Flamingo Beach Resort, and in 1976 he opened Captain Don’s Habitat, which introduced capse concept of “diving freedom,” diving 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. His contributions have been recognised by DEMA with the 1998 Reaching Out award, and by Bonaire with a bronze memorial plaque placed at Don’s Reef. Research provided by Cathy Church. In the early days of recreational diving, inspired by spectacular underwater beauty

Bonaire Natur - Gotomeer

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Gotomeer is a saltwater lagoon near the island's northern end and it is a flamingo hangout. Bonaire is one of the few places in the world where pink flamingos nest. The shy, spindly-leg creatures, affectionately called "pink clouds", are magnificent birds to observe. The best time to catch them at home is January to June, when they tend to their gray-plumed young. For the best view take the paved access road alongside the lagoon through the jungle of cactus to the parking and observation area on the rise overlooking the lagoon and Washington Slagbaai National Park beyond.

Slave huts & Obelisks, Bonaire Netherlands

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These huts were constructed in 1850 during the slavery time, and served as camping facilities for slaves working in the salt ponds to collect and ship the salt, one of Bonaire's most important export product. These huts were used as sleeping quarters and place to put away personal belongings of the working team. Each Friday afternoon the slaves walked seven hours to Rincon to weekend with their families, returning each Sunday. Four Obelisks on Bonaire were used as navigational shore markers to guide ships coming in to load. The obelisks were painted red, white, blue and orange (the colours of the Dutch flag).

Earn 2GB of Google Drive space for checking your security settings

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To properly celebrate  Safer Internet Day , Google is offering a nice perk for users who complete a quick security checkup. If you're willing to make sure your account recovery info is up to date, review recent log-in activity and confirm the list of apps that access your account details, the folks in Mountain View will add 2GB to your total  Drive space . You have to complete the quick process before February 17th, and the extra gigabytes will appear around the end of the month. The offer is only open to personal accounts, though, and while Google Apps for Work and Google Apps for Education users can't boost their space, it's probably not a bad idea to double-check those settings anyway. Link:  https://security.google.com/settings/security/secureaccount

Dive Planning: Verzasca

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The  Valle Verzasca  is a valley in the  Locarno district  of the  Canton of Ticino ,  Switzerland . It comprises the municipalities of  Mergoscia ,  Vogorno ,  Corippo ,  Lavertezzo ,  Brione ,  Gerra ,  Frasco , and  Sonogno . As of 2004, the total population of 3,200. Mergoscia is at the geographical center of the Ticino, and none of the passes out of the valley cross cantonal or national borders. The valley is formed by the  Verzasca River  and is situated between the  Leventina  and the  Maggia  and culminates at  Pizzo Barone . A diver's paradise, the river and its lateral tributaries are also suitable for practicing other sports such as  canyoning  and  kayaking . Ideal for diving are some areas in Lavertezzo (scuba tank refills are in Lavertezzo and Vogorno). Many scuba divers also enjoy photographing with remarkable results.