SUSTAINABILITY
Captain Don's
In the early days of recreational diving, inspired by the spectacular underwater beauty of Bonaire, Captain Don Stewart set out to build a true haven for divers. His philosophy was simple; build a dive shop with rooms and provide as much freedom so guest divers can dive their own profile in a friendly relaxed atmosphere. In 1976 his dream became reality when he founded Captain Don’s Habitat. Back then it was just a cluster of bungalows built around a dive shop overlooking the beautiful Caribbean Sea. But more importantly, some of the most pristine coral formations and a bonanza of colorful marine life were just a few fin kicks away…
From 1976 until present day, Captain Don’s Habitat has evolved into a world-renowned resort catering to today’s most demanding diver, business and leisure travelers. Set amidst lush green gardens with colorful decor and landscaping we now offer the comfort of 6 deluxe varieties of accommodations, freshwater pool, great dining and entertainment options, friendly service, and of course the best house reef for diving and snorkeling in the Caribbean 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
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At a very early stage, Captain Don realized the importance of conservation of Bonaire’s beautiful underwater resources. His endeavors led to the creation of the permanent mooring system and eventually to the Bonaire National Marine Park. For his efforts in marine environment conservation, Captain Don has received many awards and recognition all over the world.
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Currently, through the efforts of STINAPA Bonaire, the island is at the forefront of environmental conservation. At Captain Don’s Habitat, we’re very proud of this legacy and we continue to play a very active role by assisting environmental groups and the local government in ensuring sound conservation policies and the sustainable management of Bonaire’s natural resources.
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Captain Don’s Habitat was the first resort on the island to install a state of the art wastewater treatment system designed by marine biologists of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, where our treated water is tested on a quarterly basis and shows a major removal of harmful nutrients that might otherwise end up on our reefs causing damage to our corals. The treated water is then utilized to irrigate our lush gardens that not only provide a wonderful aesthetic atmosphere to the resort but the lush vegetation also help to protect our fragile reefs by up-taking and utilizing nutrients that could be harmful to our corals. No fertilizers of any kind are used in the maintenance of our gardens.
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In honor of the Captain, who passed away on May 28th 2014 we have a cocktail party every Monday with Rum Punch/Fruit Punch for our hotel guests and live music by Moogie.