Captain Don Day May 21 in Bonaire, NA

Petition for Captain Don Day – May 21 In July 2019 a formal proposal was sent to Bonaire’s Lt. Governor Rijna to establish May 21 as Captain Don Day. This was in response to a speech he gave in celebration of the day the Captain first arrived. This petition is in support of the formal proposal. Captain Don Stewart, known as the father of Bonaire diving, was one of the world’s first ocean conservationists. Captain Don created Bonaire’s permanent dive boat mooring system, which eliminated the need for boats to drop anchors on our reefs; dive destinations worldwide have installed permanent moorings but Bonaire’s were the first. Captain Don led the campaign to ban spearfishing on Bonaire, founded the Council of Underwater Resort Operators, instituted the procedure of dive orientations, and worked with Karel Steensma to establish the Bonaire Marine Park. He received many awards throughout the years one of which was the prestigious Netherlands Order of the Orange. We the undersigned request that Bonaire establish May 21 as Captain Don Day.  By establishing a day honoring Captain Don, we hope to encourage both visitors and residents to show the island’s ocean, animals and nature the same respect he demonstrated. 

Julie Morgan    Contact the author of the petition