Curacao dive trip- You steered my right for our Bonaire trip...How about Curacao?!

[diversteve]

excellent links and options! thanks diversteve. A property is in Santa Martha Baai area. do you know if there is a dive shop there? (if not, is it about 10-15 minute drive each way to either Cas Abou shop or playa Lagun shop you told me about?

The water taxi is there. It's more of a snorkeling/fishing operation but he does drop divers off (and pick them up) at the Mushroom Forest. He will however leave during the dive so you need to be comfortable with that. Due to the cliffs in the area, you probably can't get out. While it's one of the signature dives, our DM said it was over-rated and took us to a different site. Several boat operators dive it weekly also.
https://www.facebook.com/capt.goodlife

Lagun is 5+ miles north of Santa Barbara. In order to get to Cas Abou, you would need to go back to the main road first, south then west. So that's closer to 9 miles. Diveversity at Coral Estates is about the same distance, as is Porto Marie Sports at Porto Mari. Daibooo Bay Beach is another dive site also - no facilities IIRC. Lower center is Kokomo - the Varsenbaai dive site is there. Pretty Sure Boca Grandi is a dive also, haven't done it.

Here it all is on a Google Earth view. Sorry it's so crowded, in order to show what I wanted, I had to include other features. All the yellow "thumbtacks" are mine.

The distance from Playa Lagun to the Airport - straight line is 15miles. So that's the scope of this view. You can see the places I mentioned above, I also included Centrum Market in the lower right corner. There's also a small store in Barber which is NE of Santa Martha Baai. Somewhere on the main road between Landhuis Daniel and Grote Berg is Relaxed Guided Dives. Landhuis Daniel is one of the better restaurants on Curacao also. Landhuis Daniel Curacao

Open this in a new window and zoom in - our s/w likely made it smaller.

 

[diversteve]

Same basic area with many of the dive sites shown in light blue/green. Not all of them, I didn't create the list.

 

[Sea Shelley]

ddrich2-
I will in fact post a post-trip report late in the year. Our trip we are planning for is October/November. Looks like all 5 divers are up for the challenge of trying Curacao this trip. I'd got some great leads and advice from Scuba Board regulars once again and will be planning our trip with great resources.

 

[Nivek Llekots]

I lived and worked as a DM in Curacao for six years, and although it is true there are some great dive sites out to the west, there are some equally good ones around and to the east of Willemstad. If you want to get a full picture of the diversity of diving in Curacao you should spend at least a couple of days that end of the island. These are some of the dives I would recommend in the east:

1. Superior Producer, best wreck in Curacao sitting in 100ft. of water right next to the cruise terminal, I would recommend a guide if it's your first time and you should be AOW certified, entry can be challenging if sea is rough
2. Marie Pompoen, very easy dive both shallow and deep on the car/junk pile, check in with The Dive Bus across the road for tanks and a good description of the reef, easy entry from sandy beach
3. The Tug Boat, a little further east near Caracus Baai, great little wreck in 15ft. of water, good muck diving under the pier and a great wall to the left pass the wreck, easy entry from shingle beach
4. Directors Bay, next bay to the east of Tug Boat, wall dive to the right which drops to 80ft. only 30ft. off shore, also beautiful wall and reef to the left once you get passed the sandy part 10mins finning underwater at 20ft. easy entry from shingle beach

There are only two must do boat dives in my opinion both at the extreme opposite ends of the island:

1. East Point, in my opinion the best dive sites on the island, 30 to 40% denser coral coverage than the rest of the island, if you like adventure (my choice) use "Dive Charter Curacao" if you like a bigger boat use "Ocean Encounters"
2. Watamula, this site is on the north/west tip of the island All West runs a boat from Playa Kalki to the reef which is about five minutes away just around the corner, this is a great shallow (40ft.) drift dive over some beautiful coral formations.

My last recommendation would be "Porto Marie" situated in the middle of the island, a great day out with great double reef system, a sandy beach, dive-op on site for tanks, good restaurant and toilets/showers, you can even have a massage on the beach afterwards, easy entry from sandy beach.

Hope I haven't confused you too much

 

[Sea Shelley]

Yes, I'll be sure to post a post-trip report by the end of the year. Our group is going in October/November for 10 days, that's the plan.

 

[diversteve]

We liked the Tugboat also. Make that your safety stop since you'll get to it before the wall around the point to the south - which was covered in eels.

I'm pretty sure you can only dive Superior Producer if there's no cruise ships inbound/tied up at the pier nearby. Or at night. I believe the Dive Bus guides there.

 

[Nivek Llekots]

October/November is not cruise ship season so the "Superior Producer" should be good to dive most days, but check before you go, as "diversteve" says the Dive Bus can supply you details an a guide on request.

 

[Matt Clancy]

We dived curaçao before Christmas. Having been to Bonaire and seeing how easy shore diving can be, we won't ever go back to curaçao for diving. The dive spots are hard to find, often down unmarked roads, or in a area that has homes or worse, businesses that charge to access their beach, the distance from parking to water is significantly greater, so coincided how far you walk with your gear.

In regards to rentals, trucks are few and far between. We rented a car through just drive curaçao, great family owned business, clean cars.

Finally, if you go, I highly recommend equus for dinner, only open on Friday nights. Amazing,


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[drrich2]

If you didn't already, check out Rayasin's Curacao Oct. 2014 trip report. I found it even-handed and informative.

Matt, your experience and concerns are part of what give me pause when I think about Curacao, at least since I've got a range of alternative destinations when I want something different from Bonaire. But, from what others posted, Curacao has significant advantages that appeal to what some people are looking for.

1.) Much more in the way of sandy beaches. I would normally be hard put to care less, but people with small children or even adults who like sandy beaches may value such things. It's said entries are easier than over Bonaire's iron shore, thought swim outs tend to be longer, I'm told.

2.) Bonaire's rustic solitude at dive sites suits me fine, but some people like those business amenities at some Curacao sites. To me, needing to stop there, rent tanks, I'm guessing sign some sort of paper work like at a dive shop maybe, and pay money would be off putting, but some people value a bathroom, concessions, seating with an overhead shade, etc...

3.) Curacao has a much greater population. From what I understand it's got more topside attractions. Now, what I'd want with a lot of topside attractions when I'm on a dive trip isn't clear to me, but some people are happy with 2 dives/day, and/or travel with non-divers, and for them it's a big deal.

4.) Airfare can be cheaper. I wonder how the average cost of the rest of the trip stacks up?

I posted this because people use the Search function & use these threads to research potential dive destinations. I hope people considering Curacao will give several 'Bonaire vs. Curacao' threads a look, and see what works for them. After all, some people like both, and each is preferred over the other by some.

Richard.

 

[morecowbells]

My husband and I returned from our Curacao dive trip a few days ago. I will try to compose a trip report soon. I have always stayed on up in Westpunt. I am not a big shopper or into a lot of sightseeing. After diving, I am basically a slug, merrily content to watch an episode of House Hunters followed by reading a book(such nail biting excitement!). I have always had a good experience with Go West. Facilities clean, tanks always >3000 psi, outstanding dive site and great service. Since we do 2 dives a day, the unlimited tank package was not an economical advantage. Plus, we always like to spend a day at Cas Abao and rent tanks there. Recently the dive operation at Cas Abao changed ownership to 'B diving and Watersports'. Awesome and wonderfully helpful staff.