In Aug-Sep, we spent 30 days at the Sunscape Curacao (see trip report). We did boat dives with Ocean Encounters, the onsite dive op for Sunscape and Lion's Dive, primarily ranging from the Superior Producer area near Willemstad, south to the Directors Bay area. The Dive Bus, behind the Sunscape Curacao, was our op for shore diving, primarily in the Westpunt area. Both dive ops were exceptional. I am certainly no expert on Curacao diving, but found each type of diving had their own pros and cons. Shore diving in Westpunt was easy entry/exit over shallow, sandy beaches nested in protected bays which was advantageous because the wind was pretty brisk on the west side of the islands, starting mid- morning and continuing until late afternoon. However, that topography required a longer swim out to the reef, but always found interesting things to look at in the sandy bottom. In general, I liked the reefs better in the south area, and felt the soft coral and sponges were more lush in the areas south of Willemstad. However, I am not criticising the Westpunt reefs because they were excellent as well. Boat dives were better suited for the area south of Willemstad because the coastline in the south is more built up/developed which reduced public shore access, and it was easier to access the reefs by boat, since they could drop divers right on the reefs, avoiding the swim out. The only downside to the boat dives was the wind, chop, and surge which made getting back on the boat a bit sporty on many days, and left more than a few divers pretty "green" during the boat ride to and from the dive site. On the plus side, Ocean Encounters had diver recovery procedures which included removing fins while on the drift line, handing fins to a DM in the water, who in turn handed the fins to an on deck crew member, allowing the diver to get on the ladder with hands and feet free to get on, and up the ladder. Since my fins are very negatively buoyant, I elected to clip my fins to shoulder D-rings because I was not comfortable with a double handoff of my fins, and did not want to risk getting knocked off the ladder with no fins.
No matter where you choose to stay and dive on Curacao, I think you will find the diving to be excellent overall. I never had a dive there that I regretted doing. You will find a greater variety and options for excellent food in the Willemstand area. Have fun.
