Slave Huts

The recognized dive sites on Bonaire are marked with a yellow rock with the name of the site. When you walk to the edge of the water there is another yellow rock that identifies an entrance and exit location for the dive site. Very rustic and quaint.

The Red Slave dive site is located in the southern part of the island behind the slave huts.

The slave huts were constructed in 1850 and served as camping facilities during the week for slaves working in the salt ponds. Each Friday afternoon the slaves walked seven hours to Rincon ( a small town in the middle of the island) to weekend with their families and returned on Sunday. Slave huts are located throughout the island near planation sites.

Now a tourist attraction, there are markers at each grouping of the slave huts. There are small  openings/doorways rising to about waist level. They slept six people. The huts used to have thatched roofs. Now they have all been cleaned up, painted and reroofed, making them presentable for the tourists.