Dive Excursion in Curacao

[cruzbound]

We will be going to Curacao for one day via cruise ship and I am debating between two dive operators - I am not sure if the time is there to go to some of the places on the west side of the island. The two I am looking at are Curious2Dive and The Dive Bus - could anyone provide me with some thoughts/experiences with them? Both companies have been great in answering emails. I am worried about the Dive Bus because they say their cancellation policy is basically there is not one - so if the ship changes course and does not come into Curacao or if there is bad weather and the dive company cancels, we will not get out money back. Any other suggestions for companies would be appreciated. We are open to shore or boat dives - no preference, just want a good dive.

Thanks for the help.

cruzbound

 

[diversteve]

How long are you in port? Planning to rent a car?

I'm fairly certain your ship will moor on the Otrabunda (west) side downtown - most of the shopping/congestion etc is across the channel in Punda so if you could work out the logistics of getting a car nearby (IDK where but I'm sure it's possible there) you could conceivably be at a mid-island site within an hour. Sites like Varsenbaai, Porto Mari or maybe even farther to Playa Lagun would be possible. All three have onsite operators for tank rentals and lunch options. There's only two main roads out west - from either you drive in towards most of the dive sites off secondary roads - but the tricky part is that street signs are non-existent in some areas. Maybe rent a GPS if you decide to try it?

All three are easy beach entries. Varsenbaai might be a good possibility for seahorses - ask the dive attendant - he'll know where they are. We found a pair in 30' off the mooring ball. Also there's turtles in the shallows and a pontoon boat wreck in 80' to the south. There could be a little current there as it's more exposed. Porto Mari is a nice double reef dive. It's also a locals beach so if you're in town on the weekend - skip it - the parking lot would be full b4 you got there. The draw at Playa Lagun is often turtles. I think it's one of the better dives in that area also. If you have the time Playa Jeremi is about 10mins. north of there also. There's no facilities there so rent tanks from Discover Dive at the entrance to Playa Lagun beach. There's also some theft reported there since you can't see the parking lot from the beach well.

Read the fine print on the Dive Bus site. While I often recommend them since both Suzy/Mark are excellent, I think for cruise pax the timing means you only get to shore dive at their location since their vans will already be out before you can get there. It's a decent dive but not one of the best.

You might check with Atlantis also, they're slightly closer to the cruise port than the Dive Bus - about a mile or two along the waterfront on the Punda side - they'll pick you up. Atlantis Diving Curacao - Cruise ships

IDK anything about your other operator. We dove with Ocean Encounters twice - they're a little inflexible. No solo diving and everybody does a checkout dive first. I don't think you'd have time.

 

[Midge907]

I dove with the Dive Bus when I was there. After getting off the ship we just caught a cab, and off we went. We enjoyed thier house reef, and had plenty of time for two dives, almost just rented a tank and went in for a third dive actually. I'm not sure on there cancellation policy, but I doubt they would charge you if the ship doesnt show up, or the weather becomes bad that they have to cancel. I personally would think that they have no cancellation policy, because they will do the right thing. Being that they do shore dives right from the hut for cruise passengers, leaves them flexible, but you need to book early as they are popular, and yet they keep thier numbers way down to make for a better experience. Highly recommend.

 

[cruzbound]

Thank you for all the help. Actually I have an email from the Dive Bus stating that their cancellation policy is there is no refunds if there is a cancellation and I asked the - "REALLY?" even if the cruise ship does not port or they cancel because of bad weather and they told me yes, no refunds - they said that is what credit card insurance or DANS is for - well, I for one do not think my credit card will give me back money for these reason and we also do not belogs to DANS. We are vacation divers and do not belong to the diving stuff.

I like the idea of looking into renting a car as we were also interested in diving with Porto Mari but the taxi ride was awful pricey. We are fairly new to diving so I don't want to venture out on our own, I feel better with a guided dive and I know they offer these at Porto Mari and friends of ours wanted to go hang at the beach and snorkel there, so renting a car and splitting the cost might be cheaper that the taxi ride. With the Dive Bus and Curious2dive, they are both shore dives - while I don't have a strong preference either way, if anyone can provide me with pros and cons for each, it would be helpful. When we got certified, we did one of our certification dive from a boat and the other from the shore (actually in Curacao), so we have experienced both - but only shore diving that one time during our certification, all our other diving has been off a boat.

I have been in contact with Ocean Encounters and since we are in port from 8 am to 7 pm we have plenty of time to go with them. On Thursdays their boat dive does Mushroom Forest (and someplace else). I was hoping someone could provide me some more information about Mushroom Forest, I have read posts that rave about it but then I have also read posts that said there was not a lot of live things there due to the coral being so hard. I love to see coral but I am a big fan of seeing the fish and live stuff. Any input would be appreciated.

I am so glad to find this board and all the helpful people,

Thanks so much, cruzbound

 

[Midge907]

Thank you for all the help. Actually I have an email from the Dive Bus stating that their cancellation policy is there is no refunds if there is a cancellation and I asked the - "REALLY?" even if the cruise ship does not port or they cancel because of bad weather and they told me yes, no refunds - they said that is what credit card insurance or DANS is for - well, I for one do not think my credit card will give me back money for these reason and we also do not belogs to DANS. We are vacation divers and do not belong to the diving stuff.

Wow, that is a terrible policy. The weather is usually good there, as opposed to doing the western carribean cruise, so chances of porting are high. I do know that dive shops can really loose a lot of business if a ship doesnt port, and when they book you its really not there fault if the ship doesnt show up, but they still have certain spots to fill. If they were advertising direct to cruise passengers, that would be different. Either way, even if your just a "Vacation" Diver, I highly recommend joining DAN and getting their basic policy. Its cheap, and they have the best magazine in the industry in my opinion.

 

[frostfire]

Thank you for all the help. Actually I have an email from the Dive Bus stating that their cancellation policy is there is no refunds if there is a cancellation and I asked the - "REALLY?" even if the cruise ship does not port or they cancel because of bad weather and they told me yes, no refunds - they said that is what credit card insurance or DANS is for - well, I for one do not think my credit card will give me back money for these reason and we also do not belogs to DANS. We are vacation divers and do not belong to the diving stuff.

I like the idea of looking into renting a car as we were also interested in diving with Porto Mari but the taxi ride was awful pricey. We are fairly new to diving so I don't want to venture out on our own, I feel better with a guided dive and I know they offer these at Porto Mari and friends of ours wanted to go hang at the beach and snorkel there, so renting a car and splitting the cost might be cheaper that the taxi ride. With the Dive Bus and Curious2dive, they are both shore dives - while I don't have a strong preference either way, if anyone can provide me with pros and cons for each, it would be helpful. When we got certified, we did one of our certification dive from a boat and the other from the shore (actually in Curacao), so we have experienced both - but only shore diving that one time during our certification, all our other diving has been off a boat.

I have been in contact with Ocean Encounters and since we are in port from 8 am to 7 pm we have plenty of time to go with them. On Thursdays their boat dive does Mushroom Forest (and someplace else). I was hoping someone could provide me some more information about Mushroom Forest, I have read posts that rave about it but then I have also read posts that said there was not a lot of live things there due to the coral being so hard. I love to see coral but I am a big fan of seeing the fish and live stuff. Any input would be appreciated.

I am so glad to find this board and all the helpful people,

Thanks so much, cruzbound

My experience with Ocean Encounters was that they had a hard and fast check out dive rule, much like the Beaches resorts. They only offered it once a day and then you got to go on your real dive the next day. A better experience we had with the shop in the Seaquarium right next door. They have a very successful dolphin breeding program there. They do a dive where you drop into the shallow reef right outside the seaquarium enclosure and they let out a couple of the dolphins that live there to hunt on the reef and interact with the humans. This was my daughter's first experience diving and she is a true believer now! They say the best diving is at the far end of the island near Kura Hulanda Lodge, but that is a couple of hours by car from where the cruise ships dock.

 

[diversteve]

My experience with Ocean Encounters was that they had a hard and fast check out dive rule, much like the Beaches resorts. They only offered it once a day and then you got to go on your real dive the next day. A better experience we had with the shop in the Seaquarium right next door. They have a very successful dolphin breeding program there. They do a dive where you drop into the shallow reef right outside the seaquarium enclosure and they let out a couple of the dolphins that live there to hunt on the reef and interact with the humans.

Unless there's someone else doing it now, that was Ocean Encounters also - that's their main shop location:

Special Dive Trips | Ocean Encounters Diving Curacao

Dolphin Boat Dives
A unique diving experience provided exclusively in Curaçao by Ocean Encounters Diving and Dolphin Academy. After a short dive briefing and dolphin interaction briefing you'll gear up and take a short boat trip to shipwreck point. After entering the water and starting your dive you will be met by the trainer and the dolphin(s). Be prepared to smile the entire dive! If you behave yourself underwater you will even get close enough to pet the dolphins. Bring your camera they love attention!

Dive time is roughly 45-50 minutes dolphin time varies around 20-30 minutes.

Dive Level: easy to intermediate
Photos and Videos for purchase
Photography

Reservation Code: Dolphin Boat Dive.
For reservations call +5999-461-8131
E-mail info@oceanencounters.com

And they do require the check-out dive first also. Or a recently logged dive on Curacao. Since their dolphin dive is at [-]8:00 (9:00?)[/-] 8:30 that won't work with the OP's cruise arrival time.

Westpunt/Kura Hulanda/Go West Diving is more like an hour also - I've driven from Piscadera Bay to Westpunt in 45mins. - Piscadera Bay is 10mins. west of downtown. Might be a little longer due to the cruise dock congestion. IMO it is the best diving, Playa Kalki/Alice in Wonderland from shore and Watamula by boat certain days of the week - including Thurs. afternoon.

One of the posts may have been mine. We booked a dive with an operator for Mushroom Forest. As we departed he told us the same thing, that the sheer amount of coral on coral limits the other plant/fan growth and so the fishlife isn't as prolific since there's less places for them to hide. He actually suggested (and we did) a dive that was farther away but better in his opinion.

 

[flots am]

We will be going to Curacao for one day via cruise ship and I am debating between two dive operators - I am not sure if the time is there to go to some of the places on the west side of the island. The two I am looking at are Curious2Dive and The Dive Bus - could anyone provide me with some thoughts/experiences with them?

The Dive Bus is awesome. Just skip the "bus" part.

Whenever your ship docks, get off and take a taxi to their shop, get some tanks and go diving. The water is across the street from the shop and it's a beautiful dive.

If you're confident in your capabilities, dive frequently, and brought a buddy, you can dive there all day for nothing more than the cost of air and there's no stress about "making the dive boat."

If you want to dive with a DM, you can do that too. Just make sure you make arrangements before you get there, so they'll have someone available.

When you're done, call the cab and go back to the ship. It's my favorite cruise ship dive because of the lack of stress and the great reef.

flots.

 

[dflaher]

I have been in contact with Ocean Encounters and since we are in port from 8 am to 7 pm we have plenty of time to go with them. On Thursdays their boat dive does Mushroom Forest (and someplace else). I was hoping someone could provide me some more information about Mushroom Forest, I have read posts that rave about it but then I have also read posts that said there was not a lot of live things there due to the coral being so hard. I love to see coral but I am a big fan of seeing the fish and live stuff. Any input would be appreciated.

You don't say what date the ship is stopping at Curacao, but as of 10 days ago Ocean Encounters wasn't diving Mushroom Forest due to an oil spill close to there.
I agree with flots am regarding the Dive Bus. It's a great op and their house reef is a pretty good dive - I dove it 2 weeks ago.
Since you prefer a guided dive, just contact hem and make sure they have a DM available for when you get in.

 

[arubabob1]

I hope the oil is cleaned up by end of Nov when I come for my first time.