Bonaire vs. Curacao

[1_T_Submariner]

Just for the record. Bonaire does get cruise ships they set up a market for them with crafts etc... They also rent them dune buggy things and scooters and let them run around the Island. I think they only stay a few hours then they leave.

Ok, I'm going to have the get to Curcao now (After Roatan in October that is).

What a choice Bonaire or Curcao.

 

[morecowbells]

And yet another set of wonderful prints! I appreciate the tips and book suggestion. We have a point and shoot digital camera which takes decent pics but we are thinking of replacing it with the Sealife DC800. It seems to be a reasonably priced digital with a strobe. For free I downloaded the Picasa program(online) to touch up my photos and have had good luck with that. None of your pictures have any backscatter which can muck up even the best photo. Did you use the Photoshop for that or were you simply lucky enough to not encounter that?

After reading these replies to diving in Curacao I now feel that I have more direction and ideas as to where I would like to stay. Willemsted looks intersting to visit, but I don't think it is where I want to stay. Looks like the Northwest area around Westpunt fits the bill. Now to narrow down on some dates.

 

[chauncy19]

alashas,
thanks for the photos and advice. I will be putting Curacao on my calendar for the future. I have already committed to Bonaire next year. if I had seen this earlier would of changed that. Anyway looking forward to Curacao in 2010. definitely the west end seems like my kind of place.
thanks

 

[dogenia]

The more the merrier, cum on down. Yr the next contestant on: The Dive is Right.

Don

 

[Bosun]

I have to Curacao twice, both times spending a week in Curacao and a week in Bonaire. Since then I have been back to Bonaire a further 12 times. The diving is similar as is the viz and Bonaire is far friendlier IMHO.

 

[alashas]

Bosun,

Hmmm, everyone we met on Curacao was friendly and hospitable. Did you get out to the western part of the island?

You are welcome, dogenia and fraserfraser. Enjoy your diving.

morecowbells,

I don't know much about that camera, I would check out other people's opinions at this very helpful forum http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/underwater-photography/

There was not much particulate in the water on most of the dives we did in Curacao. I edit my uw shots with Adobe Photoshop Elements 5 and use the spot healing brush to remove "muck." There was a lot of particulate in the water when I dove in the BVI in January, and I got some helpful answers about editing my shots here:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/un...-advice-editing-noisy-backscatter-thanks.html

safe diving, alashas http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/

 

[Bosun]

Alashas

We have been in and through Curacao many times including two rides on the ferry Chogogo, although we liked Curacao we felt far more "at home" in Bonaire. But yes we would come back to Curacao in the future but this would probably be two centre trip with the other half in Bonaire.

 

[morecowbells]

It looks like we are leaning towards Curacao. We are narrowing it down to either Jan. 17-24 or Jan. 24-31. Depending on schedules and airfare. When traveling I usually do my research from Tripadvisor and the Lonely Planet guides. In my local bookstore and on Amazon I cannot find a Lonely Planet book of Curacao. Does anybody have any other suggestions as to a good, trustworthy book?

It looks like the Westpunt area has a majority of the reefs/dive sites (I am dying to try Watamula!). Is there good snorkeling in that area for the non-divers?

 

[Diver OnLu]

Hi Morecowbells,

Being originally from Germany, I also had problems to find any good literature on Curacao - finally I went discovering the island just with a good road map, advice from residents and my dive gear on the truck; that worked quite well

Snorkelling in the Westpoint area is as good as the diving; lots of stuff to discover even in the shallows! Just an example: The seahorses in front of All West Apartments live on mooring lines close to shore, in a depth of approximately 7ft!

Greetings from the island
Andreas

 

[harmlessdiver]

i just learned last august,was in playa del carmen in nov.....playa scuba,then island basemeintos ,panama in march, better diving i thought,more third world......starfleet ,scuba -good,going to roatan island,honduras in dec