BONAIRE SWEEPS SCUBA DIVING MAGAZINE'S READERS' CHOICE AWARDS 2008

2008-12-08 15:21:56 - Bonaire Dominates With Nine #1 Ratings Including #1 Dive Destination in the Caribbean/Atlantic

Kralendijk, Bonaire - (December 5, 2008) - Once again the island of Bonaire has swept top honors while continuing its reign as one of the world's top dive destinations: For the seventh consecutive year , Bonaire has been rated the Top Dive Destination Overall (Caribbean/Atlantic) in Scuba Diving magazine's Readers' Choice Awards 2008.

Bonaire also received the #1 rating in

eight other Caribbean/Atlantic categories: Top Marine Life, Top Marine Environment, Top Macro Life, Top Shore Diving Destination, Top Destination for Underwater Photography, Top Destination for Beginners, Top Value, and Top Snorkeling.

'This certainly demonstrates that Bonaire is the Diver's Paradise. To have received nine #1 rankings reinforces that Bonaire's continued vigilance and efforts to protect the island's coral reefs are producing a superior dive product and in turn an amazing dive experience for our visitors,' said Ronella Croes, Director of the Tourism Corporation Bonaire (TCB). She continued, 'Such constant diver support clearly indicates the value of conservation and preservation efforts, such as those afforded by the Bonaire National Marine Park. With roots going back as far as 1979, the park set a high benchmark for today's marine environmental standards.'

For the Reader's Choice awards, thousands of Scuba Diving subscribers and web users rated their dive experiences on a scale of one to five. Results of the 2008 Awards will be featured in the January/February 2009 issue of Scuba Diving magazine.

Located eighty-six miles east of Aruba, the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire offers year-round sunshine, low annual rainfall, pristine coral formations and the most thriving fish population in the Caribbean. Ideal for adventurers, explorers and sun-worshippers alike, Bonaire offers myriad eco-adventure activities including world renowned scuba diving and snorkeling, windsurfing, kiteboarding, mountain biking, sea and mangrove kayaking, horseback riding, nature tours, hiking, bird watching, sailing and deep sea and bone fishing. And with a selection of accommodations ranging from full-service oceanfront resorts and condominiums to guesthouses and small inns, Bonaire has something for every lifestyle and budget.

Bonaire is the recipient of the prestigious Islands Magazine/Caribbean Tourism Organization 2008 Sustainable Tourism Award and continues to be recognized as one of the top destinations worldwide for its sustainable tourism as reported by National Geographic Traveler magazine (March 2004) and Islands magazine (December 2007), and as one of the top diving destinations in the Atlantic/Caribbean for six years in a row in the Scuba Diving magazine's Readers' Choice Awards (2003-2008); and was designated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as having the healthiest reefs in the Caribbean (January 2008).

For more information on Bonaire contact the Tourism Corporation Bonaire in the U.S. at 1-800-BONAIRE or visit Bonaire's official web site at www.tourismbonaire.com.