From newbie to Bonaire dive center
In the past, Kim & Michel Kloet frequently stayed as guests in the large white house on the EEG Boulevard in Belnem. At night, they fantasized about one day owning such a building and turning it into a small resort and dive school. Their dream became a vision and when the opportunity arose, their vision, through perseverance, and preparation, turned into reality. Nowadays, they are the proud owners of that white building and together, they founded Beyond the Corals, a 5-star PADI Dive School and Resort; the couple, after moving to Bonaire in 2012 with their baby daughter Sofia, turned their passion into a profession.
Before their relocation, Michel and Kim were avid scuba divers in their home country, the Netherlands: Michel started diving when he was just a kid and knew early on that he wanted to show others what the sport of scuba diving is all about. In 1998 he acquired his certification for PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, followed by Master Scuba Diver Trainer. In 2013, he became an Instructor Development Course (IDC) Staff Instructor and he is now a Master Instructor. Kim also braved the cold, dark waters in her home country and took her first scuba dive at the age of twenty. She gained her PADI Divemaster certification on Bonaire in 2007 and completed her PADI Open Water Scuba Diver Instructor qualification in 2017. She loves everything about the ocean and wants to share her passion with her guests by making them mindful of this fragile underwater world and teach them how to enjoy it in a harmless way.
This appreciation as well as the enjoyment of their guests and guests inspire them every day. They are laid-back, personable and have a great attention to detail. They continually strive towards excellence and towards letting their guests have the best time possible.
Our Team
Michel Kloet
PADI Master Instructor
I started diving as a young boy, at a local dive club in the Netherlands. In 1998 I became a PADI Open Water Scuba Diver Instructor. I then became a Master Scuba Diver Trainer after some more work experience and training; I can now teach many different specialties. In 2013, I became an Instructor Development Course (IDC) staff Instructor. Now I’m a Master Instructor. 2016 my wife and I developed Beyond the Corals. I love to dive and I like to teach! These two things combined makes this career work for me. Please let me share my experience and passion for diving with you!
Kim Kloet
PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor
I started diving in the Netherlands when I was 20 years old. I became a PADI Divemaster in 2001. And became an PADI Open Water Scuba Diver Instructor 2017. I love the ocean and I love animals, my passion is to be AWARE of the beautiful things we have, let me show you our beautiful underwater world and be AWARE TOO!
Valerie van Dongen
PADI Dive Master
It all started with a discovery dive at the Great Barrier reef, this is when I fell in love with diving. I knew straight away this was the beginning of a beautiful diving adventure, and soon after I completed my Open Water certification in Indonesia. After four years of diving in various locations in Asia, I became a PADI Divemaster in 2022. Then I decided it was finally time to explore the underwater world of Bonaire. One thing in particular I love about diving here, is that no single dive is the same. There is so much to see, which I am eager to show you!
Floor van Schalkwijk
PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor
I started diving at the age of 12 in the dark and cold waters of The Netherlands. Nevertheless, I fell in love with the underwater world. In 2018 I became a professional fish pointer and decided to move to Bonaire. Only one year later I also became a Dive Instructor so I can show the beautiful underwater world to everyone. I would love to take you on your first dive and show you how wonderful the underwater world can be!
Yasmine Braeckmans
PADI IDC Staff Instructor
I learned to dive when I went backpacking after finishing my university degree. I dove in many beautiful places in South East Asia and eventually made my way to the Caribbean where I’ve been living and working for the past few years. Nothing beats the healthy reef on Bonaire with its high fish density though! Training Divemasters as PADI professionals is probably my favorite course to teach. I also love guiding divers on fundives and will forever enjoy looking for the elusive frogfish. I would love to dive with you as I try to share my love for everything ocean-related.
Freddy Klerks
PADI Open Water Scuba Diver Instructor
During my study Coastal and Marine management, I had the opportunity to intern on St Maarten, where I fell in love with the Caribbean, diving and coral conservation. From that moment on I knew that I’d have to change the Netherlands for the Dutch Caribbean. After graduating I got that opportunity and moved to Bonaire to do my divemaster course at Beyond the Corals and become a dive instructor. Bonaire is perfect for me because of its’ beautiful healthy reefs. You can often find me in the coral nursery, where we help restore endangered coral species.
Macy van Sabben
PADI Instructor
From the very first moment I saw Jacques Cousteau on tv I knew I wanted to explore the underwater world. I have been diving since I was 11 years old. After studying I traveled and worked as a snowboard and skateboard instructor. From the snow I moved to the sun, where I did my PADI Instructor Development Course in 2018 and became a PADI Instructor. I have been working in the dive industry for four years now, I know a lot of the details from our beautiful reefs. I would love to share my passion with you. Do you want to join me in exploring the wonderful underwater world?
Together we effectively train the following PADI diving programs and courses:
• Skin Diver
• Bubblemaker
• Discover Scuba Diving
• Scuba Diver
• Open water Diver
• Adventure Diver
• Advanced Open water Diver
• Rescue Diver
• Divemaster
• Assistent Instructor
• Master Scuba Diver
• Project Aware
• Aware Coral Reef Conservation specialty
• Underwater Naturalist specialty
• Aware Fish Identification specialty
• Search & Recovery Diver specialty
• Boat Diver specialty
• Deep Diver specialty
• Enriched Air Diver specialty
• Multilevel Diver specialty
• Night Diver specialty
• Peak Performance Buoyancy specialty
• Digital Underwater Photography specialty
• Under water Videographer specialty
• Underwater Navigator specialty
• Wreck Diver specialty
• Drift Diver specialty
• Emergency First Responder
• Lionfish Hunter specialty
• Reef Renewal Diver specialty course
Our location
Beyond The Corals is an idyllic retreat tucked away on the stunning island of Bonaire in the Dutch Caribbean. Located in the quiet Belnem, at a few minutes walking from the ocean, paradise is truly just a few steps away. Beyond The Corals is located just a few minutes from the airport. Everything is close by: from white beaches and pink flamingos to a great national park and pristine underwater world lush with colorful fish and corals.
Bachelor’s Beach is a nice beach within easy walking distance from our Bonaire dive resort; it is great for swimming, snorkeling, and diving. Also within walking distance, there are some nice bars and restaurants and even a supermarket. The main road in front of Beyond The Corals takes you all the way around the southern part of the island, including proximity to Cargill, the international salt company, Atlantis Kite Beach and the island’s most popular beach called “Sorobon”. Bonaire’s capital Kralendijk is just 5-10 minutes driving and offers numerous supermarkets, bars, restaurants and gas stations.
