It was one of the best I have ever been on too. I loved the amount of staghorn coral I saw thanks to the Reef Renewal Bonaire organization (offshoot of Coral Restoration Foundation from the Florida Keys).
Being able to just walk out of your room at any time, grab a tank and jump off the dock into such a magnificent reef is priceless.
5 of my 17 dives were just right there at the hotel. So simple.
Sorry to revive an old thread but I'm on a team that researches this disease and found this post just recently!
That surgeonfish has Black Spot Syndrome (BSS) and is infected with a parasite called Scaphanocephalus expansus (below). Parasites like this usually infect fish through proximity or ingestion of a snail that was previously infected by the same parasite. The infected fish are then eaten by a predator, an osprey in the case of S. expansus, where they reproduce sexually. The eggs are released in the bird's feces, which then infect an new crop of snails. Ah, the circle of life.
Bonaire is currently the island with the most BSS anywhere we've looked in the Caribbean. We aren't quite sure why, but we are trying to understand the parasite's lifecycle and distribution in hopes of answering this question (among many others!).
If anyone sees this in aquaria or out in the wild and has more photos they think might be of BSS/Scaphanocehalus please send me a PM! If you're in for a more technical read you can find our article about BSS on Bonaire here.
