DEMA and Bonaire Collaborate to Create the Diving for Bonaire Treasure Challenge

Pilot Underwater Treasure Challenge Provides Destinations with Opportunities to Attract Divers

Collaborating with a premier DEMA-Member dive destination, DEMA and Bonaire have applied the lessons learned from the recent Diving for Texas Treasure Challenge to create an International version of this underwater geocaching game; The Diving for Bonaire Treasure Challenge. The Bonaire Challenge, a pilot program to encourage dive travel, is the perfect example of an activity that can help destinations encourage return dive trips to their land-based resorts and travel operators.

The Diving for Bonaire Treasure Challenge uses the game of DiveCaching, an underwater treasure hunt in which certified scuba divers hunt for small treasures in the form of underwater geocaches. The game is designed to help support a fun diving adventure while traveling to any destination where DiveCaches are hidden. DiveCaching includes the use of technology and a few basic diving skills such as navigation, buoyancy control and search and recovery techniques to play the game.

“DiveCaching is fun all on its own and is the perfect reason to get divers back in the water,” commented Tom Ingram, Executive Director of DEMA. “With the Diving for Bonaire Treasure Challenge DEMA is testing how DiveCaching can help destinations promote dive travel using this fun and exciting Challenge. Our Member destinations, resorts and dive travel providers are always looking for fresh ideas to get their customers coming back to dive at their destination again. DiveCaching accomplishes this and much more! The Diving for Bonaire Treasure Challenge, is another great way DiveCaching can be put to work to benefit divers and Dive Industry professionals alike!”

In the Diving For Bonaire Treasure Challenge, divers will have to find five of the ten DiveCaches that have been strategically hidden at different dive sites around the island in order to win a variety of prizes. Divers who find at least five and log their finds on Opencaching.com, are eligible to win. The Grand Prize winner will receive two round-trip U.S. airline tickets to Bonaire and a 7 night stay at Captain Don’s Habitat; 2nd prize is a 5 night stay at Bruce Bowker’s Carib Inn; 3rd Prize is a 3 night stay at Hotel Roomer.

DEMA and Bonaire will launch the Challenge at DEMA Show, November 6-9, 2013 in Orlando, FL. The game will run for six months November 6, 2013 – April 30, 2014, with the winners being announced the week of May 17, 2014. To view additional details and enter the Challenge visit www.BeADiver.com.

For more information on how to promote a DiveCaching Challenge at your destination visit www.DiveCaching.org or DEMA Members can log into their Member Dashboard to access the Member-Only DiveCaching Toolkit (located under “Research and Educational Guides”).