Daydreaming of Curacao

[Saturated and satisfied]

I am new to ScubaBoard and very excited to be heading to Curacao in early January 2024. My spouse and kiddo are finishing their OW certifications there and I'm just going to be diving as much as I can otherwise. What recommendations do you have for "not miss" dives for an experienced diver, and topside what do you recommend seeing on the island? We're staying right near Ocean Encounters

Almost all of our dive sites are suitable for all ages and levels - my "can't miss" shore diving sites are Pierbaai at Marie Pampoen, Director's Bay, Double Reef, and Cas Abao. If you're advanced certified, check if Superior Producer wreck is possible while you're here. The east point reefs are also magnificant, if you find the time for a boat dive or two I'm sure you'll enjoy it, and keep coming back for more!

 

[FishWatcher747]

Anybody know what the 3 white mushroom shaped structures are on the hill above Westpunt?

 

[mje113]

@Saturated and satisfied Curious what your thoughts are on diving the Blue Room vs just snorkeling? We did the hike (it was stupid hot in October) out and snorkeled it which was a really great experience. The thing is, when I got to the very back of the cavern I saw what looked like a passage close to the bottom. It made me wonder if there was any cave to dive back there (not by me!)?

 

[Saturated and satisfied]

@Saturated and satisfied Curious what your thoughts are on diving the Blue Room vs just snorkeling? We did the hike (it was stupid hot in October) out and snorkeled it which was a really great experience. The thing is, when I got to the very back of the cavern I saw what looked like a passage close to the bottom. It made me wonder if there was any cave to dive back there (not by me!)?

IMHO it is a nice half hour of swimming and freediving through. There's not much else to it to be honest. If you're looking for more the Mexico and it's amazing cenotes or the Bahamas and it's cave system is much more of a thrill. That being said, if you're able to catch it at the right time of day with the sun shining through it can be amazing.

 

[mje113]

Oh yeah, totally agree on all those points! I'm just curious what is in the back of that cavern? Does it go deeper?

 

[Saturated and satisfied]

Oh yeah, totally agree on all those points! I'm just curious what is in the back of that cavern? Does it go deeper

Oh, as far as I am aware there is nothing deeper.

 

[dmaziuk]

Great news: the water temperature is dropping back to normal for the area, and we're already seeing the corals getting their color back and generally looking less stressed (insert celebration dance, here)!

Speaking of things going back to normal, now that Venezuela is not the mankind's worsest enemy anymore, is floating market coming back?

 

[Saturated and satisfied]

Speaking of things going back to normal, now that Venezuela is not the mankind's worsest enemy anymore, is floating market coming back?

We are getting a limited amount of boats coming in for the past few months.

 

[nldunn]

I'm new to ScubaBoard but just came back a little over a week ago from a great Dive Vacation in Curacao. I worked with Bryan of DiveCuracao and I have to say it was an overwhelmingly positive experience. I was very happy with the Dive package he put together along with great accommodations. We stayed at LionsDive Resort in one of the apartments having a kitchen, living room and two bedrooms along with a great balcony. Very nice facility on a great beach with a nice selection of restaurants on site and right next door at Mambo beach. Bryan also ensured our stay was great both meeting us at the airport and seeing us as we were leaving the hotel to return home. He was responsive during our stay.

My wife doesn't dive, but my daughter and I were Open Water certified up in Lake Ontario this September.

Switching to tropical diving is like going to heaven. There is just so much life on those reefs that it feels like you are in a nature documentary. We dove a total of 4 days with the Dive Bus and 2 days with Ocean Encounters -both great dive organizations. We really enjoyed the smaller sized groups that the Dive Bus provided. I wanted to dive with them based on what I had read on this forum and like so many others, I was thoroughly impressed. Our 12 Curacao dives were an incredible introduction to what scuba has to offer.

We dove:
Pierbaia & Car pile
Cas Abao
Tugboat & Cornelius Bay
Booby Trap & Beacon Point
Atlantis (Baoase Resort)
Playa Porto Mari

Hi!
I was looking at LionsDive Resort - I'm thinking they have their own scuba shop? Am I incorrect and if so, is it the one you used? (and if you didn't use the one with LionsDive, would you share why not?)
Thank you!
Nancy

 

[lisalimpet]

Hi!
I was looking at LionsDive Resort - I'm thinking they have their own scuba shop? Am I incorrect and if so, is it the one you used? (and if you didn't use the one with LionsDive, would you share why not?)
Thank you!
Nancy

Nancy, Ocean Encounters is the dive shop at Lion's Dive Resort. They have a great reputation. We're going to use them when we go in January (no direct experience yet but they have been very communicative).