Curacao Diving

[TedJ]

sharon,
We did get the one trip with Seascape up to Mushroom Forest. It was a great dive, as were the two following. I really enjoyed Curacao. Look forward to your photos.
TedJ

 

[coberry7]

Thank you all for your suggestions and input! I really appreciate it. For various reasons we've booked at the Marriott near Willemstad. They have a dive operation onsite. One boat only. Hopefully this will work!

 

[TedJ]

It's right next door to the Hilton. Should work out fine. Try to get them to take you on a three tank, all day dive up to Mushroom Forest or check next door to see if Seascapes is doing one. It was a lot of fun.

 

[coberry7]

TEDJ, thanks for the advice. I'll look into it. How far is the Mushroom Forest from there? Boat time.

 

[TedJ]

I think it was about 1 1/2 hours. The other alternative is to contact AllWest divers and arrange a trip out with them. I think they arrange a Wednesday trip to Mushroom forest. I have links to them in my trip report. The Marriott has a nice beach, as does the Hilton, although they are both small. And there aren't very many beaches on Curacao. I'm not familiar with the dive operator at the Marriott but it looked like about a 37-42 foot boat and if it's anything like Seascapes and the Hilton, there aren't that many divers staying at the two hotels so it shouldn't be crowded, like some of the dive resorts!

 

[CATWOMEN]

I took a group to Lions Dive a couple of years back and we all loved it. The proximity to the Sea Aquarium was great and the dive operation that runs out of the dive shop at the hotel is run by Peter Hughes and it was wonderful as well.

Curacao is a great place to take Newbie divers, Most of the dives are easy and the reef levels out at 15 feet making your safety stop a true pleasure.

Julie

I'm thinking of going to Curacao & one person said Lions Dive isn't close to the best places to dive, does the dive center take you by boat to these other sites?

 

[Damselfish]

I'm thinking of going to Curacao & one person said Lions Dive isn't close to the best places to dive, does the dive center take you by boat to these other sites?

no, they tend to do the more eastern sites, the better sites towards the far west are too far from them. They (Ocean Encounters) do run a bus to their shop on the west end once a week for a boat trip from there. (Expect the boat to be packed.)

 

[saholz]

I'll put in a good word for Sunset Waters. As mentioned earlier, it is somewhat isolated and a 30 minute car ride away from town. If you plan on spending lots of time in Willemstaad, this would not be a convenient location. Other than that, IMHO, it's a great place to stay for divers and snorkelers.

I spent 10 days there with a group of friends in February, 2006, and we all had a wonderful stay. It's an all inclusive, so their prices include all food and drink...and the food is actually good. It's not an upscale resort, but it is well maintained and the grounds are always clean.

The dive op is first rate with very good boats and exceptional DM's. They are close to most of the best dive sites, including Mushroom Forest. There is a small lagoon right off their beach which provides excellent opportunities for snorkelers. The lagoon also provides access to a decent dive area which usually hosts a couple of resident sea horses.

Sunset Waters, because of its location, may not be the best choice for kids, mainly because it is not as convenient to town as many of the other resorts. They do provide free shuttle service for their guests, however. If you want a very good dive experience, decent food, and can give up some of the amenities of the higher end resorts, I don't think you can do much better than this place.