are dive reservations necessary in curacao

[scuba guy ron]

We will be on the island 10/17-10/23. Do I have to set up reservations well in advance with local outfits or can I just stop in and dive with them the next day? We are staying at Breezes. The dive bus is nextdoor but they dive pierbaai which from what I understand is part of the Breezes house reef which we already have free access to. Any suggestions as to any other dive outfits would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Odys]

Pretty sure the Dive Bus dives a lot more than the house reef, contact Suzy, she is super helpful. Also, please post after your trip. Headed there for thxgvg and would love to read what you thought about Breezes and the diving!

 

[diversteve]

Ocean Encounters is on-site at Breezes. Our location at Breezes Curacao Resort | Ocean Encounters Diving Curacao They also answer e-mails promptly, have online booking and an 800 #. We reserved the Dolphin dive as it's only done on Fri. morning but shoredove the rest of the week so...

Not sure what you're asking here:

The dive bus is nextdoor but they dive pierbaai which from what I understand is part of the Breezes house reef which we already have free access to.

as they dive all over Curacao:

Explore the rest of Curacao's beaches and dive sites on the Dive Bus trips. Price includes picnic lunch, entrance fees, tanks and weights. Non-divers and snorkelers welcome too!

Should you have any questions, Suzy the owner is often on SB. ScubaBoard - View Profile: TheDiveBus

 

[scuba guy ron]

Ocean Encounters is on-site at Breezes. Our location at Breezes Curacao Resort | Ocean Encounters Diving Curacao They also answer e-mails promptly, have online booking and an 800 #. We reserved the Dolphin dive as it's only done on Fri. morning but shoredove the rest of the week so...

Not sure what you're asking here: as they dive all over Curacao:


Should you have any questions, Suzy the owner is often on SB. ScubaBoard - View Profile: TheDiveBus

I understand they have a van....They are called the dive bus . I emailed them and recd. a responce today that on Tuesday they are diving Pierbaai which is accessable to me @ breezes for free. I'm awaiting a responce back from them to see what else is going on for the week but just wanted to know what my other options are if they are booked.

 

[scuba guy ron]

Pretty sure the Dive Bus dives a lot more than the house reef, contact Suzy, she is super helpful. Also, please post after your trip. Headed there for thxgvg and would love to read what you thought about Breezes and the diving!

will do. Ill be taking lots of pics both above and below the water line!

 

[diversteve]

Do you have a car? And a buddy? If so there are a lot of shore dive sites (probably most of them) with on-site operators that will rent tanks/weights/gear as needed. In most areas the entries are off sandy beaches - in the West they're the only breaks in the ironshore in some areas also. The reef parallels the shore so navigation is easy. There are also several that will let you take their tanks off-site. LMK if you'd like a list/breakdown.

Ocean Encounters is the largest diveop on Curacao. So they have the most options. OEWest does different dives than OE but you have to get there. Some of the best diving is on the West side of the island, IMO the best shore dive - Playa Kalki/Alice in Wonderland - and the best boat dive - Watamula.

 

[scuba guy ron]

if we are interested in diving Playa Kalki/Alice in Wonderland, is there an onsite to rent from? from what you are saying it sounds like it would be best to just rent a car and go is this correct?

 

[diversteve]

Ocean Encounters West is on site there. They rent everything. It's a nice facility also, lockers, shower, dive dock. It's a really excellent dive - go both directions as it's different each way. Lodge Kura Hulanda is just above it and they have a snack shop on the beach there. There's a few other restaurants in Westpunt but not much else - it's a pretty small town.

I would rent a car. Get a map also - street signs are somewhat lacking once you leave town. It's probably 45-60 mins. drive from Breezes. There's only one main road once you leave town - the north fork will get you to Westpunt faster but it's boring. The south fork takes you through local towns and closer along the coast.

Playa Kalki, Playa Lagun, Porto Mari, Nos Kas (Habitat reort's reef) and Varsenbaai were among the best dives we did. We did more diving out west than in town. Partly because we stayed in Lagun b4 moving to Piscadera Bay (north Willemsted) mid-week.

A good daytrip would be 2 dives at Playa Kalki followed by dives at either Playa Lagun or Varsenbaai on the way back. Lagun always has turtles, an easy entry and Discover Diving on site for tanks etc. Varsenbaai also has an onsite dive operator. In one dive at Varsenbaai we saw: a large pontoon boat wreck, seahorses by the mooring ball, turtles in the shallows and dozens of squid by the divedock.

 

[scuba guy ron]

do rental cars come with a gps if i was to request it? I'll be diving with my wife and probly be doing 2 tanks only. would you suggest playa kalki? this is not primarily a dive trip only for us as it is also our honeymoon and will probably only be diving on tuesday and thursday. What are the depth ranges at Playa Kalki and do you think I can set it up from the Ocean Encounters at breezes to go to Playa Kalk and pick up tanks and weights?

 

[jd950]

do rental cars come with a gps if i was to request it? I'll be diving with my wife and probably be doing 2 tanks only. would you suggest playa kalki? this is not primarily a dive trip only for us as it is also our honeymoon and will probably only be diving on tuesday and thursday. What are the depth ranges at Playa Kalki and do you think I can set it up from the Ocean Encounters at breezes to go to Playa Kalk and pick up tanks and weights?

No idea on the GPS.

Playa kalki is nice and you can do two dives, each in a different direction from the pier, if that sounds good and there isn't much current.

You could also do one boat dive and one shore dive, if you like, or two boat dives.

Most of the diving around Curacao is 40-60 feet or so. You can certainly go deeper, but this is where most of the stuff to see is located. If you prefer shallower, that can easily be done.

I believe you can coordinate through the OE at breezes, but you can also contact OEW by email or through their website. If you are just doing shore dives, you really should not need to arrange anything in advance, unless you want a guided shore dive.

..:: Ocean Encounters West Curacao ::..

diveshop@oceanencounterswest.com

They also have a dive schedule on their website, so if you want to do one or two boat dives, you could choose the day to go based on where you would like to dive.

Don't stress about it, it will be fine. If it fits in your schedule, the Lodge Kura Hulanda, next to playa kalki has beautiful grounds and a very pretty open air dining area. Perhaps a dinner there would be a nice part of your honeymoon.

Another nice restaurant in the area is Landhuis Misje. Sunshine's is very popular, but not open on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Only thing is then you will likely be driving back in the dark. That isn't a problem per se, but direction finding gets more challenging.