For over three centuries salt was at the heart of it's culture and driven it's prosperity.
European nations were sailing the 7 Seas far from home and needed salt to preserve the meat they carried onboard their ships.
Bonaire, supplied that, along with salt for export.... as it was and is one of the world's most valuable spices.
In these times, much of the salt produced on Bonaire is used to keep the roads clear in winter, in America.
But the salt works here is owned by Cargill.... a big name in the worldwide business of salt. So I'm thinking that some of it must end up on a table somewhere.
The salt produced in Bonaire is the bi-product of a natural process, using sea water, wind and sunshine, all of which are available in abundance on this Caribbean island.
When there is no ship present this is a great dive spot.
There are some cement slabs on the shoreline just out of the frame at the bottom left corner of this pixture.
On this particular day, I decided to use that as my entry point and do what amounted to a back-flop into the water.
As luck would have it, I landed right in the middle of a huge, huge school of Silver Sides (small minnow like fish).... that were on the run from a pair of Jacks that were hunting for a meal.
There were thousands of them all around me in every direction. Spinning, turning and flashing in the sunlight of the very shallow water.
Just a great way to start a dive.... but not something that I was ready to take a pixture of.
This is the last pixture from our September 2000 trip to Bonaire.
But as you know it is pretty much our favorite place to dive ..... so by March 2001, we were right back there again.
Those are the pixtures and stories that will be coming your way next.
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