ReeFiesta 2025 Brought Over 200 People Together to Restore Bonaire’s Reefs
Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire (RRFB) proudly hosted its 7th annual ReeFiesta on Sunday, June 1st, bringing together more than 200 people, including divers, snorkelers, dive shop instructors, RRFB staff, and sponsors, to celebrate World Reef Awareness Day on Bonaire.
About the event
The event kicked off in the morning with a coordinated series of guided coral restoration dives and snorkel tours at 13 nursery sites around Bonaire and Klein Bonaire. Over 120 divers and snorkelers took to the water after an informative presentation about RRFB’s work and the value of healthy coral reefs, led by trained instructors from RRFB’s 16 partner dive shops: AB-Dive,
Beyond the Corals, Buddy Dive, Carib Inn, Dive Friends Bonaire, Divi Dive, Harbour Village, Scuba Elite, Technical Diving Services, Toucan Diving, Tropical Divers, VIP Diving, WannaDive, Xpro Divers, and 4Wheel Diving.
In the evening, the community gathered for a celebratory reception at Van der Valk Plaza Resort. Attendees heard from a lineup of speakers who have each played a vital role in advancing coral restoration on Bonaire:
- Ernst Noyons, Chief Operating Officer of RRFB
- David Fishman, President of RRFB’s Board of Directors
- Ciaretta Profas, Project Leader for Nature Restoration at Openbaar Lichaam Bonaire
- Roxanne Francisca, Manager of Washington Slagbaai National Park, STINAPA Bonaire
Guests also enjoyed an interactive coral quiz, a festive atmosphere, and a highly anticipated raffle featuring a range of incredible prizes donated by RRFB’s supporters, including dive gear,
branded merchandise, a private yacht charter from Bonaire Yacht Charters, a catamaran tour from Woodwind, and a two-night stay at Villa Carina.
ReeFiesta 2025 was made possible through the generous support of its official sponsors: Orco Bank, Cargill, MCB, and WEB. Their support made the event free and accessible to all participants, helping RRFB continue its mission to build a hands-on, informed community of reef stewards.
“It was so energizing to see the support, enthusiasm, and shared purpose from everyone involved in Reefiesta this year,” said Perri Rappaport, Reef Restoration Technician at RRFB. “We’re especially thankful to our dive shop partners, sponsors, and everyone who joined us in the water — they’re the reason this year’s event was such a success!”
To learn more about RRFB’s ongoing coral restoration work, visit www.reefrenewalbonaire.org.
