Washington Slagbaai National Park

Kadushi cactus (Cereus repandus)

At the midpoint of our dive trip, we opted for a dry day and explored Washington Slagbaai National Park, in the northern part of Bonaire. Our hike began on a red dirt trail through a cactus forest. For some reason, cacti on Bonaire grow as tall as trees, and their trunks are also woody. It feels like walking through a forest on some alternate planet where there are no trees, only cacti. 

There was another type of cactus that reminded me of a sea urchin wearing a hat. The resemblance was incredibly striking - the cacti were small, round spike-balls that were mostly hollow on the inside. The "hat" part is called a Turk's Hat, but I'm not sure what it's for. Different cacti had differently sized hats. 

A Turk's Hat cactus
 (Melocactus macracanthos)

We hiked through an area that was a former cattle ranch to a beach. I was utterly fascinated by the beach because it was on the east side of Bonaire. Most of the diving is on the western side of the island because that's where the wind is calmest. It is possible to dive on the east side, but you need to be on a boat and prepared for rough seas. The shoreline is entirely composed of limestone, which I assume is the remnants of coral colonies of old (we actually saw distinct patterns in the limestone that correspond to coral growth bands). Thing is, the limestone is eroded slowly by wave action and has become extremely sharp. It would be all too easy to shred oneself by being dashed on the rocks during a dive gone badly. I strongly suspect that the erosion must have formed some caves in the limestone (water moving through limestone tends to do that), but I would hesitate to pursue cave diving in eastern Bonaire if I had to deal with the whitecap waves. 

The Blowhole

Probably the coolest part of the limestone shore is called the Blowhole. It's a large hole in the limestone where seawater spews up from the breaking waves. The rim is lined with algae, and a few daring snails clung to the tide pools above. It was really cool to see. 

The route back from the beach took us past a salt marsh with a population of flamingos. From a distance, we could watch them stick their beaks into the water and filter-feed. I really enjoyed the chance to get out into nature and see Bonaire's national park!