Capt. Don Stewart, founder of Habitat, is recognized worldwide as a leader in the movement to protect our underwater environment. Shortly after arriving on Bonaire in May of 1962 he opened the island's very first dive operation. In 1976 he created Captain Don's Habitat and pioneered the "Diving Freedom" concept… a concept that was considered bold in its beginning, is continually being embraced and copied by countless other Dive Operations and Resorts world wide, all the while furthering Habitat’s reputation for providing fun, safe and innovative dive vacations.

In 1987 Maduro Holding N.V. became the majority shareholder and since then Captain Don’s Habitat, through extensive product improvements and timely investments, has provided a combination of quality accommodations and top-notch service that has placed us among the most elite dive resorts in the world. Habitat Dive Resorts commitment to its product is evident in the current refurbishment projects underway, such as;

• Refurbishment of all Deluxe Ocean View Rooms to include the addition of new furniture and décor with additional amenities such as laptop size safes, coffee makers with complimentary coffee/tea, hairdryers and wireless broadband internet availability.
• Our Habitat Cottages are currently being completely refurbished and expanded. These units will now offer larger bedrooms with separate bathrooms, new furniture and décor, complete new kitchen and all with new color schemes that reflect not only the island Dutch heritage but also its connection with our planet earth.
• Complete upgrade and increased capacity to our existing waste water treatment system, which helps prevent coral reef degradation by treating our waste water and not allowing it to leech into the sea…then reusing the treated water to maintain our lush gardens without additional costs to our guests. Habitat has long been known for its lush gardens and landscaping using plants that are indigenous or best suited to our arid climate.
• The addition of a cave snorkeling/exploration program, an underwater fluorescence guided dive program, a new activity center with programs directed specifically at children as well as another “One Stop Shop” for all our guests to arrange for other outside activities with our outside vendors which allows our guests to add to their overall Bonaire experience.
• A complete new telephone system with the most modern telephones for the rooms and a new integrated Front Desk system making it even easier for our guests to stay in touch while on vacation. This is in addition to the upgrade to our existing wireless broadband service which will, when completed, provide complete hotspot coverage over the entire property.

All of the above projects have or will be completed so as to have very minimal impact on the day to day operations of the resort and all have the comfort and enhancement of our guests experience in mind.

Join us on September 29th, 2006 from 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. at Rum Runners Restaurant for a live performance of Sugaro. Sugaro is no stranger to Bonaire and is composed of the following world renowned musicians…Gary Gold – Drums, Catherine Russell – Lead Vocals, Aaron Heick – Saxaphone, Tom Barney – Bass, Leo Traversa – Bass, Jeff Pevar – Guitar and Will Barrow – Keyboard. They are all touring and studio musicians who have played with the likes of Steely Dan, David Bowie, Cindy Lauper, Jackson Browne, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Ray Charles, David Crosby, Tania Maria, Paul Simon, Miles Davis, Michael Brecker, Rosanne Cash, and many others to numerous to mention. They each have also excelled in their own individual music careers. Their eclectic blend of rhythm and blues, jazz and rock, provides for an unforgettable evening of musical enjoyment.

On October 1st, 2006, Sugaro & Freewinds band will be jamming live in Wilhelmina Plein, with plenty of food, drinks, handicrafts, and souvenirs for sale. All proceeds will benefit special organizations on Bonaire. Habitat Dive Resorts would like to thank all those that have helped us make this first 30 years such a memorable time and look forward in sharing a bright future on the island of Bonaire.

Source: Bonaireinsider.com