Trip Report Curacao Trip Report - Jan '18

[JohnN]

Video works now, thanks! Some thoughts from your report:

1.) You split your week between Westpunt staying at Allwest, and Lions Dive. IIRC, when heading to Curacao the main city Willemstad is toward the east, the best diving toward the west (e.g.: where Allwest is), the drive between the 2 is substantial, so people often have to choose between easy access to 'town' vs. the best diving. You're at least the 2nd person I've seen split their stay between 2 locations.

. . . snip. . .

Richard.

There are lots of excellent dives between the two. "Alice in Wonderland" and "Mushroom Forest" are nice dives, but IMHO not so spectacular as to dwarf the many spots in between Willemstad and Allwest.

A quick scan of my Dive Curaco map shows about 45 named sites between Playa Kalki and Director's Bay

 

[tkaelin]

I would also love to see KH improve and thrive. Fingers crossed.

 

[tkaelin]

Post Script - Just doing some thinking about the trip and how much we enjoyed it and how CUR is becoming our go to island in the ABCs for diving, one thing I forget about my pet peeve about Bon that is not part of the experience in CUR of having to do the check out dive every time you return, regardless of your level of experience and number of trips to the island. Seems like a small thing, but it is a PITA. Typically, you can't arrange the check out dive on the day of arrival and have to do it in the morning which means you cant get a dive in the day of arrival or for us early risers can't get a dive in until you sit through the perfunctory lecture. Seems like bit of loss of freedom in the land of dive freedom. In Cur, you arrive and if you feel up to it you get a dive or two in the first day. You hit the ground running in the early am the next morning with a sunrise dive if that is your thing. In Bon, in a typical scenario there is no diving the arrival dive and you wait until after the briefing at 9 AM before your off. Small thing but a big plus for us to have the add'l freedom of diving sooner.

 

[Kharon]

... I forget about my pet peeve about Bon that is not part of the experience in CUR of having to do the check out dive every time you return, regardless of your level of experience and number of trips to the island. Seems like a small thing, but it is a PITA. Typically, you can't arrange the check out dive on the day of arrival and have to do it in the morning which means you cant get a dive in the day of arrival or for us early risers can't get a dive in until you sit through the perfunctory lecture. ...

Simple solution. Use Dive Friends Bonaire. They do your orientation whenever they are open and it's based on your Bon experience. Even my first trip I didn't sit through a lecture. They simply went over the marine park rules. Since that first trip they haven't even needed to recite the MP rules.

Same for checkout dive. My last trip I was staying at Hamlet and did my checkout dive there after they had closed because I wanted to get groceries first. After I did the paperwork (preprinted and filled out before I left home) I grabbed my tank for the checkout and a few more for the next morning and that was it. They consider the checkout (for experienced divers) as a last check at a point where you can easily get more weight, should you need it, and get something repaired should something be crapping the bed. Better than taking your first dive way off and finding something that needs fixing.

 

[tkaelin]

Good advice. Thanks.

 

[dmaziuk]

In Cur, you arrive and if you feel up to it you get a dive or two in the first day. You hit the ground running in the early am the next morning with a sunrise dive if that is your thing. In Bon, in a typical scenario there is no diving the arrival dive and you wait until after the briefing at 9 AM before your off.

IIRC the first time GoWest had us do a checkout dive, after we put in "4 (OW certifying) dives" in the "experience" box. We'll see what happens this time.

 

[AdivingBel]

I remember GoWest only wanting check out dives if you were going out on their boat.

 

[dmaziuk]

I remember GoWest only wanting check out dives if you were going out on their boat.

That must've been it: we went out a few times. Mmm, krentenbollen...

 

[tkaelin]

Gowest offers/suggests/requires you do a quick check out dive before the first boat dive with them. If you are an experienced diver or have otherwise already been diving during your stay I am sure they waive it. Does not apply to shore diving.

 

[Wicket]

Gowest offers/suggests/requires you do a quick check out dive before the first boat dive with them. If you are an experienced diver or have otherwise already been diving during your stay I am sure they waive it. Does not apply to shore diving.

They never asked me to do a check out dive but I've yet to boat dive with them