Donald A. Stewart, better known as "Captain Don", was born on June 25th, 1925 in California, US.
On May 21, 1962, Captain Don set foot on Bonaire. He was inspired by the then lieutenant-governor Anton van Hesteren with the following motto:
"Do something and behave; if you prove to be a bum, you leave"
During his first years in Bonaire, he always showed an interest in getting to know the local people of the island and was constantly to be found among all social classes of the population.
After some time, he felt completely at home with the Bonairean community, which was apparently the main reason why he decided to make Bonaire his permanent home.
Not longer after he had set foot on Bonaire he lost his shop "Queen Valery, with which he had sailed into de port of Bonaire. This was not a pleasant experience, but proved to be a blessing in disguise, for soon afterwards he turned out to be a good hotel manager when he got the opportunity to manage the first hotel of Bonaire: The flamingo beach Club (Currently Divi Flamingo).
During his years in the hotel business Don Stewart used used his acquired managerial experience and creativity to offer numerous dropouts lasting job opportunities. These young workers, who had barely gone through a few grades at school, were assigned several tasks, amongst other things bartenders, cooks, handymen and later dive assistants.
Captain Don saw to it that during their work they obtained the necessary practice and knowledge, while he kept a watchful eye on the training of these young people out of personal interest.
Captain don is a man with a vision. He was one of the first that foresaw the importance of protecting and conserving the natural riches above and underwater and has placed Bonaire on the international map as a diving destination.
In 1963, he began the first official diving operation with the 6 diving tanks he had brought along. In 1972 Captain Don went to Hotel Bonaire to help with the redevelopment of this hotel that had fallen in disrepair and there he set up one of the first diving companies, "Aqua Venture".
In 1976 he opened "Captain Don's Habitat", one the foremost diving establishments up to this day, where American tourists who came to dive in Bonaire wanted their pictures taken with this living legend. He then again impressed on his audience to show respect for God's underwater wonders.
The famous annual Regatta came about by chance in 1968 by a wager between Captain Don and his sailing buddy Hubert Domacasse. The race between these two men caught on with the Bonaire Lions Club, which immediately put the idea into practice and began to organize the Regatta every year.
Together with Jacques Cousteau, Captain Don founded in 2005 the "International Accolade Foundation", which world wide recongnizes people and organizations for their efforts in the field of protection, management and education with respect to ocean and coral reef.
In December 1979 "terke Yerke III"was a shipwrecked on the wild east coast of Bonaire. During the efforts to get it afloat his ankle got stuck. he struggled with it for years until in 2005 his lower leg was in such bad shape that it had to be amputated. Captain Don's wish that his right lower leg be buried in BOnaire was fulfilled with a lot of ceremony.
Considering all that Donal Stweart has meant for Bonair eup till now it has pleased Her Majesty; the Queen to grant Captain Don "The Knighthood in the Order of Orange Nassau".