It's better in bonaire.

Have you ever dreamt you were flying and sensed an exhilarating feeling of freedom and weightlessness? For millions of scuba divers, floating Through the world that lies underwater is as close to flying and weightlessness as we'll ever get. And That's only part of the attraction of scuba diving.

As a total scuba novice, I recently took the plunge and, with my diver-husband, journeyed to an island that draws divers the way Las Vegas draws blackjack players.

There was certainly some trepidation that I would be way out of my league on an island whose official nickname is "Diver's Paradise," and that my first scuba adventure would be more work than fun since I still had to complete four open water dives to get certified. But after devoting some cold winter nights to scuba classes and pool sessions at home in Annapolis, MD, I decided why not go where the divers go to complete my PADI certification: Bonaire.

This tropical island in the Netherlands Antilles off the coast of Venezuela -- onethird of the 'ABC" islands of Aruba and Curacao -- has become the number one dive destination in the Caribbean, and now we know why. Not only are the diving conditions ideal, with pristine reefs running parallel to the island's western - -- and southern coastline and within an easy snorkel swim from the beach, but all of the waters of Bonaire are a protected marine preserve.

The island government had the foresight to place strict rules on its coastal waters in the 1970s and create the Bonaire National Marine Park in 1979. Consequently, the …