Bonaire is a little island colonized by the Dutch in the southern Caribbean's Lesser Antilles, an insignificant 25 miles (80km) north of the Venezuelan coast. Safe from typhoons, Bonaire has a genuinely stunning atmosphere, generally warm and dry for the majority of the year. Popular for its pink flamingos and spectacular coral reefs, the island is a fantasy worked out for swashbucklers searching for swimming, scuba jumping and water sports.

My first experience swimming simply seaward…