Bonaire vs Curaçao

[Brodydog]

For those who have been to both Bonaire and Curaçao what are the differences? I have yet to do either one and wanted to go to Bonaire, but with the flight prices I am considering changing to Curaçao. We are looking at going in October.


And is it just as easy to get in 4 dives a day on Curaçao as it is on Bonaire?

 

[morecowbells]

I have been to Bonaire once and Curacao four times. The main reason being the crazy airfare prices to Bonaire. I feel the marine life is quite similar on both islands. Bonaire had more tarpon, snapper and the occasional grouper. Curacao seemed to have more eels and rays. Bonaire is a much smaller island and the road tends to contour the shoreline making the distance and access between shore dives incredibly easy and quick. There were some days my husband and I would head back to our condo rental, grab lunch and change into a dry swimsuit ready for our second dive. In Curacao we would spend our surface interval driving to the next site or hanging out at the beach at the dive site and head in the opposite direction. Curacao had some wonderful (if not pristine) beaches which Bonaire definitely lacked. Although the caveat is that the swim out the reef was longer than the sites in Bonaire.

My husband would tell you that Bonaire is better. Although I believe that his bias lies in the amount of time driving. He usually does the driving since I am not keen on driving pick up trucks. I would tell you that my preference leans towards Curacao. The shore diving entries are much gentler and easier than on Bonaire. There was one dive at White Slave in Bonaire where I slipped on some mossy rock and scrapped up my chin and suffered multiple bruises. Not a deal breaker by any means but it could have been much worse. Usually we do 2-3 dives a day which is easy on both islands. You would definitely be able to cover more dive sites on Bonaire due to the short distance between dive sites and easy access. Other than that, both are wonderful places to dive.

 

[drrich2]

I have not been to Curacao; been to Bonaire 7 times, and since they're billed as similar, I've had the same interest you have, and have read the threads as they've come up comparing the two. I've seen people post that drive time between sites is much longer and beaches sandier on Curacao.

It's said there are more non-dive activities on Curacao, which is less focused on diving tourism. In Bonaire you can do kite boarding, wind surfing, drive through the park at the north end of the island, and visit the donkey sanctuary, so you can do other things, but Bonaire lends itself to the dive-dive-dive mentality (which I like).

I'd like to better understand the 'work flow' of diving Curacao vs. Bonaire. In threads on Curacao, people often mention the Dive Bus, for example, which if I understand correctly takes people around to sites? Whereas in Bonaire, independent shore diving is so engrained whenever people ask about boat diving Bonaire, it seems some of us try to talk them out of it!

Bonaire workflow:

1.) Stay at dive resort - could be Buddy Dive or Captain Don's or what-have-you.

2.) Get up in morning, eat breakfast, walk out to rental truck, pile your gear to the front of the truck bed, put 2 tanks apiece (probably included nitrox EAN 32) in the back half of the truck bed.

3.) Drive along the shore-hugging road around the island looking at the road-side yellow rocks with dive site names. When you see one you like, pull in, back your truck up facing the ocean, get out, gear up, walk in.

4.) Come out, drive down the road a piece, pull in another site, go in, then head back to the resort, eat lunch, get fresh tanks, go dive 2 more sites, come back, rinse gear, shower & go eat supper. 4 Dives/day!

All your tanks come from your dive resort, which may have more than one tank pickup/drop off location.

So, how does Curacao compare to that?

People have posted that at Curacao there are often 'facilities' at dive sites - for a fee. Concessions, a rest room, etc... And post about renting tanks at a dive site?

Do Curacao divers, stay at a dive resort, load up the truck with 'all you can eat buffet, 2/person at a time' EAN 32 nitrox, & head out diving for free at large numbers of shore sites? Can you get the 'Bonaire workflow' routine I posted if you go to Curacao? If not, what's the closest equivalent?

Richard.

 

[diversteve]

morecowbells covered most of the differences. You drive longer between sites and at most there is an onsite operator for rentals. Also usually some sort of food.

Unlike Bonaire western Curacao is bisected by one main road. It splits mid-island and one leg goes closer to the water until it meets up with itself in Westpunt. From that road, most divesites are generally 5-15mins. on a secondary road. Some are actually marked - for most I'd suggest a good map or a GPS. Street signs are a rare commodity in western Curacao. But just about everyone speaks English so directions are easy to get. The kids love to practice their English also.

Many of the resorts on Curacao have on-site operators or arrangements for tanks etc. Since there are a few sites that have no facilities. You also can bring your own tanks to the sites that do but it's redundant. Most are on beaches and have done some improvements, tables, shade, dive dock etc. So they charge a small usage fee in guilders $3-4US. If you rent tanks from them it's often waived.

If you stay at any of the dive-centric resorts - they also provide tanks for off-site dives as needed. We did a combination of both - primarily rented from one of two operators - neither was on-site but both were 2 mins. away. One conveniently has a pickup bed height tank pickup area. Mid-island off the main road there's also one drive-up tank rental location - Relaxed Guided Dives. Discover Diving in Lagun is another western option, just off the main road and they have a truck height tank loading dock. We didn't dive east as much so I don't know those sites.

There isn't a de facto 4dr small truck dive vehicle like on Bonaire. Mostly people rent cars or SUV's. We rented an SUV and a Chevy Pickup since we were 6 - at times hauling 15 or so tanks.

Lions Dive Resort can be done as an AI - they have an optional meal plan - but they're in the Sea Aquarium area 5 mins. from downtown so IDK why you would - there's at least a dozen nearby restaurants. The only true AI on Curacao is Sunscape. It's a former Breezes with diving - not a dive resort. In fact it's more kid focused - they have a trapeze etc. The two mid-island AI dive resorts, Habitat Curacao and Sunset Waters, have both closed in the last 5 years. Both are still dives if you bring your own tanks.

45mins. west in Westpunt you've likely seen Lodge Kura Hulanda or All West Apt's. mentioned. They're both resorts with diving, GoWest Diving has a facility at each and does boat dives from their main shop at LKH. They're also on one of the best of the Curacao shore dives - Playa Kalki/Alice in Wonderland and 10mins. from arguably the best boat dive - Watamula. Also the famous Mushroom Forest boat dive is a few minutes away.

The Dive Bus is in town and provides escorted shore diving at locations both east and west of town. There really isn't much good diving in downtown Curacao - a few smaller resorts have diving off-site but nothing you'd find on a dive site map. They tend to dive better sites within about 15-20mins. of their Pierbaai shore dive location just east of town. The "bus" is really 11pax vans so although they provide excellent service at a fair price, it's not really how most people dive on Curacao. The logistics limit the amount of dives possible with them.

Ocean Encounters is the largest op on Curacao. They have 4-5 locations - at Lions Dive, east at Santa Barbara Resort (former Hyatt Regency) at Sunscape and the Hilton in Piscadera Bay - a resort area south of the airport and one more. Most other shops have one or two locations.

There's also boat diving at Klein Curacao off the east tip of the island. It's a day trip for divers/snorkelers/beach goers. There's a couple of operators that go there and a few large excursion boats. The marine park is off the east end of Curacao - but IMO the better diving is off the west. But in all fairness we only dove east twice all week. Once you get a few miles southeast of town it's all boat diving.

 

[wwguy]

Bonaire workflow:

1.) Stay at dive resort - could be Buddy Dive or Captain Don's or what-have-you.

Been there, done that. That's one way to do it, but not the only way. Many folks, like us, prefer a more quaint and intimate experience. There are abundant options available via indepndent operator and VRBO etc.

 

[Divedoggie]

I've been to both, and enjoy both for similar and different reasons.
Curaçao is more interesting visually, culturally, and with the diversity of diving.
Bonaire is set up for diving, offers more diving and easier access to dives.

In my opinion, the reefs are healthier with more abundant life in Curaçao. But you have to work a bit harder to do the dives.
In my opinion, Bonaire has been over-dived, and it is effecting the quality of the diving there.

With all that said, a creative person can still do excellent dives in Bonaire, and since it is so convenient and easy to drive and dive, and I'm additionally there to relax and enjoy a Caribbean vacation, I'd probably go back to Bonaire before I'd go back to Curaçao.

 

[chauncy19]

Done Curacao once and Bonaire many times. Although personally I prefer Bonaire, airfare is what would bring me back to Curacao.
Did stay at all west and enjoyed it immensely and again personally would stay there again. Don't know anything about downtown area of Curacao as didn't go near it. Curious the different opinions about the diving. For me Bonaire is truly in every sense a dive vacation, Curacao is pretty good diving,but its not in my mind the "diver's" paradise that is Bonaire. Enjoy either one much better than home! (atleast for me)

 

[wwguy]

In my opinion, Bonaire has been over-dived, and it is effecting the quality of the diving there.

I visit Bonaire regularly and don't share this opinion at all. I'm curious what direct or anecdotal evidence you have to support it?

Bonaire's reefs have received much more pressure from storm damage (Lenny & Omar especially), coral bleaching, increased macro-algae, rising nutrient pollution, over-fishing, and lionfish depredation. All are well-documented and many are the indirect cause of human activity, but none are the result of "over-diving" the reefs. For example, 1000 Steps dive site sees a steady stream of divers on a daily basis. Yet reef conditions are similar to those encountered while diving nearby Bon Bini Nas Kas, which is an occasionally used site accessible only by boat or drift shore dive. Something Special and Bari Reef are both heavily used shore dive sites, yet they remain perennial favorites due to the variety of marine life consistently encountered there.

 

[morecowbells]

Richard, I will try to answer your questions via my perspective and experience, although there are others who are for more qualified to do so.

I have not been to Curacao; been to Bonaire 7 times, and since they're billed as similar, I've had the same interest you have, and have read the threads as they've come up comparing the two. I've seen people post that drive time between sites is much longer and beaches sandier on Curacao.

It's said there are more non-dive activities on Curacao, which is less focused on diving tourism. In Bonaire you can do kite boarding, wind surfing, drive through the park at the north end of the island, and visit the donkey sanctuary, so you can do other things, but Bonaire lends itself to the dive-dive-dive mentality (which I like). I think the West end of Curacao has more of the "dive-dive-dive" mentality than the East end. Although both ends have an abundance of dive sites. Curacao has similar topside activities minus the donkey sancturary-which I loved(although my photos with the donkeys were marred by my scraped up chin I hear good things about the ostrich farm and ATV tours, I have not participated in either.

I'd like to better understand the 'work flow' of diving Curacao vs. Bonaire. In threads on Curacao, people often mention the Dive Bus, for example, which if I understand correctly takes people around to sites? Whereas in Bonaire, independent shore diving is so engrained whenever people ask about boat diving Bonaire, it seems some of us try to talk them out of it! I have to respectfully disagree with this assessment. I saw far more dive boats in Bonaire than Curacao. We passed on the Klein Bonaire which was perplexing to numerous divers. I will definitely do it one of these days. We were already booked on the East End shore dive and did not want to over-commit.
I have not used The Dive Bus. It certainly seems like an enjoyable option-especially for those staying on the East end of the island, people lacking a dive buddy, those new to the island or shore diving, or simply the desire for an extra set of eyes in finding the critters. Watamula is a stunning dive which is a 5 minute boat dive from the dock at Go West diving. Other than those two options, shore diving seems to be the most popular way to dive the island.

Bonaire workflow:

1.) Stay at dive resort - could be Buddy Dive or Captain Don's or what-have-you. You have the same convenience as staying at the Lodge Kura Hulanda or All West. Although not as many options as Bonaire i.e. drive thru filling stations through out the island.

2.) Get up in morning, eat breakfast, walk out to rental truck, pile your gear to the front of the truck bed, put 2 tanks apiece (probably included nitrox EAN 32) in the back half of the truck bed.Applicable to either island. Both All West apartments and LKH have tanks on site. I have heard that Go West diving is revamping their system so that one can drive through and load up the tanks instead of schlepping them up and down stairs.

3.) Drive along the shore-hugging road around the island looking at the road-side yellow rocks with dive site names. When you see one you like, pull in, back your truck up facing the ocean, get out, gear up, walk in. The shore hugging roads are definitely the advantage Bonaire has over Curacao. In Curacao you can easily find the dive sites with a map. Often you will find a rock with the dive flag painted on it at the entrance road to many dive sites. Not as well labeled as Bonaire, but we never had any problems navigating or finding desired sites.

4.) Come out, drive down the road a piece, pull in another site, go in, then head back to the resort, eat lunch, get fresh tanks, go dive 2 more sites, come back, rinse gear, shower & go eat supper. 4 Dives/day! I gotta hand it to you die hard divers who do 4 or more dives a day. I usually do 2-3. However most of this is due to laziness on my end. I like to sleep in, sip my coffee, read the news and general lollygag until I get off my but and start loading up gear.


So, how does Curacao compare to that?

People have posted that at Curacao there are often 'facilities' at dive sites - for a fee. Concessions, a rest room, etc... And post about renting tanks at a dive site? There is an abundance of dive sites which do not have any facilities or creature comforts. They are similar to Bonaire where you are often the only divers at the site. The roads to Curacao dive sites can be quite challenging. The only two sites which I dive with facilities are Porto Marie and Cas Abao. If I remember correctly, the fee was $6-7 dollars per car. A small price to pay when you have access to concessions, toilets, rinse tanks and a locker. It is a treat for me to spend my surface interval where a toilet is available, a locker where I store a hat, beach blanket and book. Some times I have resorted to taking a 2 hour surface interval, although a some of that time is observing the form fitting swimwear choices of other beach patrons We usually bring our own tanks since we book a tank/lodging package deal. However, if the dive shop at these sites-mainly Cas Abao offer us some tips and advise, I will tip eventhough I bring my own tank.


Do Curacao divers, stay at a dive resort, load up the truck with 'all you can eat buffet, 2/person at a time' EAN 32 nitrox, & head out diving for free at large numbers of shore sites? Can you get the 'Bonaire workflow' routine I posted if you go to Curacao? If not, what's the closest equivalent? Yes, sometimes we will take more than the 2 tanks per person-especially if doing a night or evening dive. I think the closest equivalent is perhaps Grand Cayman. We did an unlimited shore diving package there. But be prepared for jaw-dropping prices.

Richard.

I am envious that you have been to Bonaire so many times! Hopefully we will return to either Bonaire or Curacao in Feb.

 

[Kharon]

I'm flying to Bonaire through Curacao in November. It's only costing me an additional hundred and change to fly roundtrip to Bonaire. Solo diving is strictly forbidden on Curacao - why I'm going to Bonaire again. Had planned to go to Curacao untill I found out their obsessiveness about solo.