Guide to Scuba Diving Curacao

[JustinCarmack]

In this guide to Curacao diving, you find all the information you will need to plan the perfect Caribbean scuba diving holiday. We will tell you how to get there, what to see, who to dive with and more!

Curacao is an island off the coast of Venezuela and is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This unique background makes it a bit like a European nation that’s floating in the Caribbean.

Scuba diving Curacao offers the chance to have that perfect holiday with a good mix of beach hopping and underwater exploring, along with various other land attractions. Read the whole guide HERE.

 

[Dive Curaçao]

Thanks for sharing @JustinCarmack!!

 

[drrich2]

Glad to see it. Haven't been to Curacao; I read reviews and articles trying to wrap my mind around the dive scene situation there. My frame of reference for that is Bonaire. Let me tell you something that'd be of use to me, and maybe others.

In Bonaire, shore diving is the main draw. Curacao draws a lot of interest as an alternative shore diving destination; bigger, more sandy beaches, sounds appealing. But for an outsider figuring out the 'work flow' is a little more daunting.

In Bonaire, load 2 AL-80 tanks/apiece & your gear in the back of the pickup truck, drive down the road,when a site with a yellow rock strikes your fancy, get out and dive it. There's more to it (or can be), but that's the basics. Most sites have no 'amenities' - bathrooms, showers, concussion stands, tank rentals, usage fees, parking lot watchers, etc...

In Curacao...well. From what I read some sites have various 'amenities,' including fees; some don't. At some one would probably rent tanks at that site; at some, no. I remember in another, older post, someone indicated the Bonaire 'model' of the rental truck laden with tanks going up & down a coastal road isn't so typical in Curacao.

So, for the shore diver, how do you plan out your day when you're new? Are you probably in a rental truck, or a car? Do you pack tanks in the trunk or truck bed & head out? I imagine you can find a list of shore dive sites, but does that list tell you which ones you should rent tanks at vs. bring your own, what other amenities are there, etc...?

Richard.

P.S.: I've seen enough threads to know Curacao & Bonaire each have their fans; neither is everybody's favorite, though comparisons make entertaining reading. My main focus is knowing how to approach a Curacao trip if I ever make it out there.

 

[dmaziuk]

All West has tanks in the apartment complex, you load however many you want in the car, drive down the road and... well they didn't have yellow rock markers last time we were there. Also the drive is noticeably longer most of the time, you spend more of your SI driving. And have to buy gas once or twice.