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Trade winds blow from the east most of the time. These winds got their name because they made ocean navigation easy for early European explorers and colonists. Because of these easterly winds, waters on the west coast of Bonaire are calm. Here is the beach at "Ol' Blue," a site in the Barcadera Park near Rincon. There are several national parks on Bonaire, to protect the important and fragile ocean and desert resources.

The easterly trade winds make the seas fierce on Bonaire's east coast. Large waves driven by the wind crash against Bonaire's eastern shore most of the time.