Jan-Jaap “JJ” Brandt Corstius Recognized as Bonaire Ambassador

Jan-Jaap “JJ” Brandt Corstius has been recognized as a Bonaire Ambassador in appreciation of his longstanding contributions to the island and the global diving community.

JJ first visited Bonaire in 1990, beginning a lifelong connection and deep appreciation for the island that has now spanned more than 36 years.

During his distinguished career, JJ served as director of the Scott Haldane Foundation, where he played a key role in training physicians in diving medicine and helping develop the program into an internationally recognized English-language course. Starting in 1995, he organized and taught diving medicine courses around the world, conducting 179 courses (over 30 years), 80 in the Netherlands and 99 internationally. Twenty of these courses were held on Bonaire, where doctors from a wide range of medical specialties received training.

In 1996, his colleague Sylvia Dermout, a gynecologist and diving physician, joined him as a co-instructor. Their professional partnership soon grew into a personal one, and the couple has now been together for 30 years. They currently own a home on Bonaire.

Through his educational work and international professional network, JJ has played an important role in promoting safe diving practices while also bringing many professionals and visitors to Bonaire.

After a long and dedicated career in diving medicine, JJ retired on January 1^st, 2026, at the age of 70. He now looks forward to spending more time enjoying life on Bonaire.

In recognition of his contributions to the island, JJ was officially honored as a Bonaire Ambassador on March 6^th, 2026.

We congratulate JJ on this well-deserved recognition and wish him a wonderful and relaxing retirement on dushi Bonaire.