For Immediate Release from TCB Inc.
BONAIRE TO HONOR U.S. MILITARY VETERANS
***Week-Long Program Designed To Help Wounded Warriors Relax Underwater
And Experience What It Means To Be On ‘Island Time’***
Kralendijk, Bonaire – (July 25, 2012) –Tourism Corporation Bonaire and the entire island will welcome a group of “Wounded Warriors” next month. The group will be scuba diving for rehabilitation and recreation from August 18-25, 2012. This is the seventh year that Bonaire, one of the top scuba diving destinations in the world, will be hosting a group of U.S. military veterans.
During this week, severely wounded soldiers and their significant others will travel to the island to complete the final step in the process of obtaining their dive certifications. Representatives of the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association’s (DEMA’s) Be A Diver Program, the North American office of Tourism Corporation Bonaire and the Handicapped Scuba Association (HSA) will also be on-site in Bonaire. All accommodations and diving will be provided courtesy of Captain Don’s Habitat Bonaire. Each year, the people of Bonaire warmly welcome this group and show them not only the natural beauty and pristine waters of the island, but also the friendliness and genuine hospitality of the Bonairean people.
“It’s certainly appropriate that these warriors are coming to Bonaire to scuba dive. The fantastic reefs and marine life found on our island help create an unforgettable experience,” commented Anja Romeijnders, President of Tourism Corporation Bonaire. “As a scuba diver myself, I know the excitement I feel after a dive. I’m pleased that Bonaire is able to help these impressive soldiers experience that same feeling and always remember Bonaire. It’s one way we can thank them all for their efforts and sacrifices,” Anja Romeijinders continued.
This year’s contingent of ten Wounded Warriors has suffered life-changing physical injuries received in combat while stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They and their partners will be kept busy with a variety of activities beginning with the completion of their PADI and HSA dive certifications, which will take place on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Once certified, they will continue diving throughout the week, both from the dock of Captain Don’s Habitat and via boat dives to Klein Bonaire and other famous Bonaire dive sites. The group will also enjoy sightseeing, shopping, dining, a beach BBQ and an authentic Texas-style BBQ. The highlight of the week will take place when the Bonaire community gathers to meet these extraordinary troops and their companions at a reception held in their honor with Bonaire’s first female Lt. Governor, the Honorable Lydia Emerencia.
Sponsors to date of the 7th Bonaire-Be A Diver-Wounded Warrior Scuba Certification trip are: 9Line LLC, Adams Unlimited Public Relations & Marketing, Bikers Bonaire, Bonaire KFC, BonPhoto, BonaireTalk.com, Bonaire Quad Tours, Bonaire Guided Motorcycle Tours, Bonaire Tours & Vacations, Budget Rent A Car Bonaire, Captain Don’s Habitat, Caradonna Dive Adventures, Inc., Care Coalition, Caribbean Travel & Life Magazine, Chat & Browse Bonaire, Casablanca Restaurant, Destinations Weddings & Honeymoons Magazine, Disabled Sports USA, DEMA/Be a Diver, Dive Training Magazine, Henderson, H.S.A. International Training Center of New Jersey, Innovative Scuba Concepts, Inc., Iron Order Motorcycle Club Bonaire (Caribbean Pirates Crew), Islands Magazine, It Rains Fishes, Jack Chalk, Jewel Of Bonaire, NetTech, N.V., OCEANIC, PADI, Paradise Moon Bar & Restaurant, Pasa Bon Pizza, Princeton Tec, Rum Runners, Scuba Diving Magazine, Spice Beach Club, Sport Diver Magazine, Tourism Corporation Bonaire, XS Scuba, Wounded Warrior Project
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, kite boarding, mountain biking, sea and mangrove kayaking, horseback riding, nature tours, hiking, bird watching, sailing and deep sea and bone fishing. 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 practices. It was designated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as having the healthiest reefs in the Caribbean (January 2008) and in 2011, Bonaire was voted one of the top five Snorkeling Destinations in the Caribbean by the editors of Caribbean Travel & Life. For 19 consecutive years, Bonaire has been selected as the number one Shore Diving destination in the Caribbean/Atlantic in Scuba Diving Magazine’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards. This year, it was voted one of the Best Destinations Overall, number one for Marine and Macro life, and number one for Snorkeling also in the Reader’s Choice Awards.
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 http://www.tourismbonaire.com. Follow Bonaire on Twitter and Facebook.
