BONAIRE, Dutch Antilles, Oct. 28, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Plan a spectacular dive vacation at Bonaire's Harbour Village Beach Club, now offering convenient online scuba certification theory tutorials that let you maximize your time in our surrounding undersea paradise once you arrive.
A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Harbour Village Beach Club is located within an exclusive beachfront enclave on a four-acre, private peninsula on the island of Bonaire that offers direct access to the best diving in the Caribbean. The resort features an onsite First Class 5 Star PADI Dive Center, Great Adventures Bonaire, and fascinating dive sites just off its shore.
To take advantage of Harbour Village's new e-learning course for the theory portion of the scuba certification program, guests receive the Great Adventures Bonaire access code from the dive shop. This connects them and their course progress to our instructors here on the island. "Our guests are very excited about this. The entire course is an online tutorial; all video and all course work follows along in an easy program," said Muriel Spychala, Manager of Great Adventures Bonaire.
"With this online option, our dive instructors can now guide guests through the water portion of the course, already having completed what would have been their classwork at the resort. This keeps them out of a classroom and gets them right into the water for their open water certification dives during their vacation at Harbour Village," Spychala said. She added that roughly half of guests are now choosing this option. Tuition for the e-learning course is $300.
Bonaire is designated as having the most pristine coral reef environment and most species of fish in the Caribbean by the NOAA and is consistently named Best Overall Dive Destination by Scuba Diving Magazine's Reader's Choice Awards. Due to Bonaire's leeward location outside of the hurricane belt, and its consistently pleasant climate, crystal-clear visibility prevails at any depth, giving an enthralling view of the undersea landscape. Dive sites just off Harbour Village's shore include the shipwreck of the 60-foot "Our Confidence," located just 50 yards out from the beach, while another popular dive site, "Something Special," is also a short swim away.
Daily boat dives to numerous sites around the island, dive instruction for all levels including advanced certification and specialties, and equipment rental are all offered to guests, as are unique programs such as florescence night diving --incorporating special UV lights to see the astounding array of florescent colors emitted by underwater animals and corals. Younger guests can also get in on the fun with youth programs such as SASY or Supplied Air Snorkeling for Youth (ages 5+), Bubble Maker (ages 8+), and dive instruction and certification program for 'tweens (ages 10+). Land-based youth programs include geocache treasure hunts, photography adventures as well as beach scavenges for sea glass and driftwood that are used to create keepsake art projects.
Our luxurious private villas are located just a few steps away from the beach and feature opulent décor and thoughtful details like secluded lanais and double hammocks. The resort is also home to the acclaimed La Balandra Restaurant and Bar, which gives the sensation of sailing into the Caribbean seascape with a dining deck located on a jetty extending out to sea, as well as The Spa at Harbour Village Beach Club. The spa offers a full menu of professional reflexology, aromatherapy and therapeutic massage, along with facial and salon treatments using Pevonia Botanica spa products. A private cascade pool and pool deck offer a tranquil retreat before or after a treatment.
In addition to diving, the resort's concierge can help you craft the perfect itinerary of island adventures. Explore natural wonders such as Bonaire's famed solar salt beds and one of the world's largest pink flamingo nesting grounds, or catch a glimpse of the island's rare Bonairean Lora Parrot. Or relax at the resort, lounging at the seaside pool, dozing in a hammock on the beach or taking to the waves with our complimentary paddle board and kayaks.
For more information on Bonaire and Harbour Village Beach Club, visit http://www.harbourvillage.com/ or call 1-800-424-0004 for inquiries on the resort's luxury diving packages.
About Harbour Village Bonaire
Harbour Village Beach Club was voted Bonaire's Leading Hotel in the 2013 World Travel Awards, hailed as the "Oscars of the Travel Industry" by the Wall Street Journal. Located in the Dutch Antilles within an exclusive beachfront enclave on a four-acre, private peninsula on Bonaire, Harbour Village Beach Club is often referred to as "the best kept secret" in the Caribbean where vacationing is effortless, and the world's best diving and underwater landscapes are just steps away. Harbour Village Beach Club offers 30 luxurious guest rooms and suites, a private white-sand beach, onsite PADI 5 Star Dive and Water Sports Center, private 64-slip marina, beachfront restaurant, full-service spa, lighted tennis courts, beachside and cascade pools, fitness center, supervised children's programs, complimentary wireless Internet and a wealth of other premium amenities.
Located eighty-six miles east of Aruba, the island of Bonaire offers year round sunshine, low annual rainfall, and has been designated as having the most pristine coral reef environment and most species of fish in the Caribbean by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. The Reef Environmental Education Foundation lists eight out of almost 90 of Bonaire's dive sites in their top 10 in terms of species richness in the Caribbean -- abundant underwater life includes more than 300 species of tropical fish and over 120 different types of coral. The island is able to maintain this environment and receive awards for Bonaire diving year after year because its surrounding waters have been protected as the Bonaire National Marine Park for over 30 years.
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