Trip Report Curacao-Go West Diving

[scubamorgan]

December 8-16, 2023
Location: All West Apartments
Dive Operation: Go West Diving

2 am boat dives x 5 days
Shore dives pm and night

Apartments: very large, generally good condition. Key is used to lock to the door both from outside and inside. The key was corroded and broke off inside the lock. Management was responsive and fixed right away. Kitchen was very convenient. The driver from the airport took us to the grocery store.
Dive locker with tanks is locked at all times. You use your key to open a pad lock.
The steps are about 30 to get up and down to the beach. Not bad is you're in decent shape with good knees.
The water entry is easy compared to Bonaire with it's surf.
House reef is very nice, eels, fish, crab, lobster, lots of turtles. Beautiful and great for night diving.
Lots of mosquitos at the apartments, I did end up with dengue fever.

Trucks: manual transmission, good condition, easy to use.

Food: great local food but most places close by 5-8pm because the locals eat their main meals in the afternoon.

Dive shop: nice dive guides but the place is understaffed and everyone was new. They did their best but obviously they didn't know the reef super well because they only arrived 3 weeks prior. Looks like high turn over. The boat mostly does drift dives and you have to catch the tow line and fight some waves to get on board. Quick exits as the boat is moving. Boat captains are very skilled.

Overall pleasant and pretty good diving. I wouldn't go back because of bad experience getting dengue fever.

 

[morecowbells]

Yikes! Getting Dengue Fever is awful. I hope you are recovered. Too bad about the high turnover at Go West. I wonder if they have new ownership/management. How were the conditions of the reef? When I was in Cozumel in Oct., the coral bleaching was simply overwhelming. Going to Curacao in Feb. Hoping the cooler waters will help the corals. Thanks for posting your trip report.

 

[scubamorgan]

Yikes! Getting Dengue Fever is awful. I hope you are recovered. Too bad about the high turnover at Go West. I wonder if they have new ownership/management. How were the conditions of the reef? When I was in Cozumel in Oct., the coral bleaching was simply overwhelming. Going to Curacao in Feb. Hoping the cooler waters will help the corals. Thanks for posting your trip report.

Corals- yes there is quite a bit of bleaching on the tops of coral. Curacao has a nice array of soft and hard coral.
Watamula had beautiful coral like other people say.
Black coral forest was also a good spot.
Tookie said it reached over 50C this summer so the reef is stressed.
Largest animals we saw were a ray and turtles. No sharks.
We did see some large puffer fish and swimming spotted moray /green moral eels on night dive.
Lots of cleaner shrimp, fish ( parrot, angel, etc...)
Good amount of macro like flamingo tongues, and lettuce slugs.
If you go with Go West ask Tookie about Jacque Cousteau, he met him a long time ago and Jacque told him that curacao is balanced on a single rock and that rock has a crack. He warned Tookie that at any time that rock could crack and Curacao plunge into the ocean. Great Story!!
Thanks- I'm all better now but will definitely bring bug spray to Roatan. We're headed to Cocoview in March.
If you have any other questions let me know.

 

[morecowbells]

Thanks for the intel! We typically stay in either All West apartments(can't beat the view!) and Marazul (pool area). Both are excellent shore dives. I am so glad Tookie is still at Go West! I love his stories and enthusiasm. Definitely packing the bug spray!

 

[dmaziuk]

Thanks for the intel! We typically stay in either All West apartments(can't beat the view!) and Marazul (pool area). Both are excellent shore dives. I am so glad Tookie is still at Go West! I love his stories and enthusiasm. Definitely packing the bug spray!

Julia (*) still runs the front desk, too, but the entire DM crew is different (from 2 years ago). That's no different from Dive Friends Bonaire: every time we visit it's a new DM crew.

*) I think: I am useless with names

 

[The Chairman]

I loved All West Apartments and the diving there.

 

[Matt B]

Awesome! I was going to specifically ask about All West apartments and Go West diving for a trip in June/July. We were planning on the Dive, drive and stay package as we like the shore dives, but will also throw in a couple of boat days.
Are we gonna be disappointed after Bonaire last year? We loved it there. Hate mosquitos though, Wonder if they are always there.

 

[mbs]

Awesome! I was going to specifically ask about All West apartments and Go West diving for a trip in June/July. We were planning on the Dive, drive and stay package as we like the shore dives, but will also throw in a couple of boat days.
Are we gonna be disappointed after Bonaire last year? We loved it there. Hate mosquitos though, Wonder if they are always there.

We did All West/Go West back in 2015 last and we have been going to Bonaire annually for like 15+ years. No you will not be disappointed. Easier entries, longer swim out. Similar reef/animals. If you are only going to do a few boat dives try to get on the day they do Watamula. Crazy cool forest of corals. I sure hope between bleaching and SCTLD its still as beautiful as I recall!!! And the shore dive in front of Go West is the best!

 

[scubadada]

...Tookie said it reached over 50C this summer so the reef is stressed...

I don't think it was quite that hot, but probably very warm. My wife and I were on Bonaire in December and the bleaching was pretty severe, just starting to recover with water temps 81-83 F/27-28 C.

 

[scubadada]

...That's no different from Dive Friends Bonaire: every time we visit it's a new DM crew...

Joan has been the matron at Sand Dollar/Den Laman since Bonaire Dive & Adventure. Jason, Duncan, Guus, Darcy, and Eddy have been there quite a while. We've lost many of our favorites over the years, many have gone back to the Netherlands, others have moved on to other careers on Bonaire, real estate, for example.