A Life Altering Experience At Divi Flamingo

Ever had a life altering experience? Timothy Dalton was at Divi Flamingo Beach Resort a few weeks ago when something incredible happened.

First of all, life must already be incredible if by July 15th a person is on their third dive vacation to Divi Flamingo Beach. How much better can life get than three vacations to Bonaire before the year is even half over? But, nevertheless, in July, life changed for him forever. A few pictures will tell the story best.

Dalton took the Stephen Frink master class in underwater photography that was held at the resort, July 7 – 14th. Frink, the world’s most widely published underwater photographer, came to Bonaire to teach a class as part of the property’s yearlong celebration of sixty years of hospitality on Bonaire. Dalton was one of 20 students who came from near and far – from the US and Europe, even a few from right there on the island of Bonaire – to study with the master. Dalton learned of the Frink class while at this year’s Beneath The Sea show.

Dalton started taking underwater shots about five years ago after years of diving, albeit first with a point and shoot discount store special. Now that he has better equipment, including a Nikon 200 with an assortment of lens, he’s taking better images. And, now that he’s been to the Frink class, he’s taking way better images. “The post-production classes were especially helpful. “I loved it. I would definitely go to do another class – at Divi.”

Dalton is one of those people we just love around Divi. He issues a steady stream of compliments, totally unprompted, by the way, for every employee of Divi Flamingo Beach. For Sara Matera, the general manager: “She just makes it such a relaxed place. Sara does a wonderful job.” And, he has high praise for everyone at the Divi Dive Shop. “It is THE best, and not just in Bonaire. I am very impressed with the professionalism of the staff. Serge and crew are awesome. Serge (Serge De Groote, who is manager of the Divi Dive operation) goes out of his way to help make sure you have a great time. He arranged a special trip to the salt pier, where we ran into a school of grunts that just kept circling around us to give us many photo ops. It’s like Serge told the fish we would be there to take their picture. It was a great moment.”

“And, Enrique has a knack for locating seahorses. This is a special skill. You will never be disappointed going out for a dive with Enrique and Serge.”

Check out the photos of the master, that is, Stephen Frink, on his own blog: http://stephenfrink.blogspot.com.

And, is that a photo of Missy Franklin on Frink’s blog? Now, that’s a true creature of the water, too!

The Movie Stars of Bonaire

The fan favorite at the recent Aruba Film Festival, held at the end of June, was a documentary called, “Children of the Wind,” a story about a group of kids on Bonaire who rise from humble beginnings to become the best in the world at windsurfing.  You don’t need to have ever windsurfed to enjoy this movie.

The story has universal appeal; great characters and incredible triumph that makes you just break out in a smile or even stand up and cheer.  It is the classic underdog story – with beautiful scenery and dazzling sport scenes.  Watch the trailer!

The tiny island of Bonaire, with only about 13,000 residents, has no sporting facilities for these kids, no coaching system, no factory-like sporting establishment that comes anywhere close to what we are familiar with having just watched two weeks of the Olympics. Yet, with sheer dedication to a goal, the kids have made themselves into champions.  And the governors of the sport say they have transformed the sport in the process.

What the kids in Bonaire excel at – and started – was freestyle windsurfing.  Freestyling, no matter what the sport, whether skateboarding, snow boarding or BMX, brings kids into a sport.  When the windsurfing establishment found out what the tricks these kids were doing atop a board with a sail attached, the sport changed forever.

“Children of the Wind” was honored with the “Audience Award” at the Aruba Film Festival. No surprise there.  And, no surprise that the people of Bonaire rallied behind the makers of the film.  Production was partially funded through the kindness and open hearts of businesses like Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino, which provided accommodations to the crew.

It may, however, come as a surprise that there is indeed another sport on Bonaire.  Diving is so identified with the island and for good reason.  The surrounding waters, which are nationally protected as a marine park, are teeming with fish and other colorful creatures.   And, the dive operations like Divi Dive excel at providing a first class travel experience.

But, for a change of pace and a little time above the water, consider an afternoon trip over to the other side of the island (only a couple of miles!) to Lac Bay.  A sheltered, calm ocean lagoon, it offers ideal conditions for windsurfing.  The water is shallow and warm with steady trade winds that send you skimming across the surface.  Visitors to Bonaire can learn to windsurf at Bonaire Windsurfing Place.  The owners promise you won’t just be able to say you tried the sport, they practically guarantee you can proudly say you windsurf.  Who doesn’t like coming home from a vacation and doing just a teeny, tiny bit of boasting like that?

 

Note: Still Photography by Richard Schmon and Max Rijavec

The Legend of Peter Hughes

When it’s comes to naming names, Peter Hughes is a pretty big deal in the halls of Divi Resorts.  In a good way, that is.  He’s not only good, he’s a legend.  And, a “legend” is what he was called in a celebration recently at Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino in Bonaire.

You see Peter Hughes had a lot to do with making the Divi Flamingo Beach Resort a real destination.  In fact, he had a lot to do with making the little island down near Venezuela a destination for people from all over the world.  Taking advantage of the island’s natural marine beauty – warm, calm waters teeming with colorful creatures – he put together a first-rate dive operation in a fledgling resort on an island with a fledgling tourism industry.

He started work the day after Christmas in 1975 at a place called the ZeeBad hotel, which wasn’t so bad of a hotel, but it was certainly not the resort we know today with its casino, spa, restaurants, pools, lush landscaping and 129 rooms.  And, back then it didn’t have any of the colorful Caribbean charm it has today.  When Peter first arrived, the hotel had about five divers a day.  By the time he left Bonaire a decade later to open dive operations at other Divi Resorts, the property was handling 275 a day.  And today, the island of Bonaire tops many lists of best dive destinations, including the 2011 Scuba Diving’s Reader’s Choice awards. (link to awards on landing page).

And, that’s why the folks at Divi decided to christen The Peter Hughes Room, a meeting and reception room located at the Divi Dive shop. Top government and tourism officials for Bonaire came to the ribbon cutting for the room, also noting that the hotel has been welcoming tourists for exactly 60 years.  There was indeed a lot to celebrate.  And, still is.

The party goes on.  Divi Flamingo Beach is spending the entire year celebrating 60 years of hospitality. Be sure to check out their current dive deals for their 60th Anniversary Celebration of Events.

The Cannes of the Caribbean

Is Aruba turning into the Cannes of the Caribbean?  A few weeks ago, the Aruba International Film Festival wrapped with all the makings of a film festival on the rise:  movie screenings, glittering parties, rock stars, red carpets, paparazzi, fashion reports, Hollywood celebs, and location, location, location.  All the happenings were a stone’s throw from the stunning Caribbean Sea.

Aruba isn’t typically where one goes to catch a movie, but come the last week in June, the island attracts an international crowd and lots of press attention for its upstart film festival.  Aside from some pretty good new films, destined to hit a theatre a bit closer to home, Aruba is also a good place to take in some exciting people watching.  The AIFF is only three years old, but it’s attracting serious wattage.  This year, Ray Liotta was “in town.”  Mark Anthony and Juanes, too, both heartthrobs with a strong South American following.  Both were headliners for musical concerts during the week-long festival.

Divi Resorts, expert at putting out the welcome mat for guests every day of the year, rolled out the red carpet for a bevy of celebrities. The Clubhouse at the Links at Divi was the place to catch a cluster of stars the night of June 28th.  Guests included Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated Virginia Madsen, whose latest turn is in The Magic of Belle Isle, the kick-off film of the festival’s many screenings.  Xavier Samuels, hunky in The Twilight Saga:  Eclipse fame, also joined the crowd at the Divi Clubhouse, along with Juanes, for the closing event for the film festival.

I can’t wait to see what they line up next year for the fourth annual.  Mark you calendar now:  “Make your reservations for the last week in June 2013 at one of the Divi properties in Aruba!”  I hope they bring Juanes back.  Or that he just jets in.  Juanes, famous for his earlier penchant for heavy metal, has won 17 Latin Grammys.   Maybe you saw him in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade a few years ago singing from one of the floats.  Or heard him croon “The Shadow of Your Smile” with Tony Bennett.

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Does the guy in each of the photographs below look familiar?  You’ve probably seen him around Divi Resorts in Aruba.  That’s Alex Nieumyer, Managing Director, on the job for Divi for 18 years.  For all his hard work, dedication and good ideas, he’s earned every night out with the stars.