Shore or Boat in Curacao?

[diveguy07]

This is my first post to scuba board. Going to Curacao for the first time during the first week of July, 09. Staying at Breezes Curacao (time-share trade). I have been reading the posts going back to mid-2008. So. . . I'm torn and can't make up my mind. My warm water experience has been boat diving. My local diving (cold water quarries) would be "shore" (including some surface swims). I can't say I have a strong preference--I just want to get to the good sites.

HELP!!!! Can you give additional recommendations, thoughts, considerations, things to think about, things to ignore, etc on shore (dive bus) versus boat (OE-Breezes)? I'm not necessarily looking for a recommendation of OE vs. Dive Bus (I've read your good reviews on both.) My question is more about the sites that are relatively reachable by shore vs. those that definitely require a boat. What are the "not to miss" of each?

THANKS!

 

[lmorin]

Many, if not most, of the dives on the northwest coast are only reachable by boat. Even if there are little beaches near them (as opposed to 40 ft cliffs), the shore is inaccessible because of large private landholdings around them.

I cannot compare the sites south of Sunset Waters resort, but the sites within 10-20 min to the north were outstanding boat dives. Mushroom Forest is the most famous. But, my wife and I liked Retiho City better. We also did a mild drift dive along the border of Mushroom Forest that was even better than the dive from the mooring. Hell's Point was also great, although often not divable because the mooring is in shallow water close to the cliff and there is too much wave action. Sunset Divers at the Sunset Waters Resort will get you to these sites. The shore dive at Sunset Waters was also quite good, although not up to the standards of those dives I mentioned above.

 

[Divedoggie]

This is a great question, and one that I wish I would have asked before my first trip to Curacao. The shore diving is fantastic, especially on the west end. There are a couple of boat dives like Watamula, Mushroom Forest, and a few others that you must do. The other advantage to going out on the boat is to gain the great views and perspective of the island from the water.
However 99% of the best diving is shore diving.
You can purchase a map of the island that shows all of the shore dive sights. Make sure that you don't leave anything in your car while you are diving, and everything will be fine.(I've never had a problem with theft, but have heard about it.)
Just wait until you get there to sign up for a few boat dives, otherwise plan on great shorediving. Curacao is a great and fun adventure. Have a great time!

 

[TheDiveBus]

Hi there diveguy,

Good question! More than half of Curacao's 'regular' dive sites are diveable by shore as well as boat - 'regular' meaning on the southern side (called East and West, just to confuse). Typically you get longer dive times on a shore dive simply because the descents are more gradual than on a boat dive, and you can pick your return depth according to your no-deco time / air without having to worry about missing the boat, as it were.

North side dives are pretty much all boat dives.

Boat-only dives worth seeing include Mushroom Forest and Watamula, but unless you have a particular urge to be on a boat rather than diving from shore, the rest of the dive sites are just as good (if not better) from shore (in our opinion anyway, but we may be a bit biased!)

You may find this page on our website useful - comments from real divers rather than dive shop owners !) about shore vs boat diving in Curacao: The Dive Bus - Shore diving vs boat diving...

Happy planning )

All best,
Suzy
The Dive Bus - HOME

 

[jeepguy]

Going to Curacao for the first time

Hey diveguy07
My wife and I have been to Breezes CUR 5 times( 3 as a diver). Lots of pros and cons on Breezes, but for us it works out well. If you can possibly get an "oceanfront" room, do so. Heard many complaints from people in "oceanview" and royal tower rooms.
My wife and I have each made 60+ dives in CUR and almost all with The Dive Bus (see previous post on this thread). We have made a few dives on our own from Breezes pier and the Dive Hut Since we have not made boat dives from Curacao, all I can relay is what we heard and saw. Other than Klien Curacao and a dive or two in Westpunt, most others are shore diveable. We have made many dives from shore and watched dive boats pull up to the same sites. Being at Breezes, it is only a short walk or swim next door to the world headquarters (Dive Hut) of The Dive Bus. They can't be beat. They offer awesome (brilliant) trips and a just plain fun time. My wife certified with them, we both did our AOW and Rescue courses with them also. Great location with some great diving(the Car Pile and Pierbaii reef) just steps from the hut! You can view many great reviews on Tripadvisor or on their website. Any questions on the Dive Bus or island, contact Suzy at the Bus or Curacao Sunshine (SB member also) for questions about the west end of the island. Please feel free to PM me if I can answer any questions on Beezes or my views on diving CUR.:cool2:
Tom & Isabelle

 

[Bryan.]

Hey there diveguy07!!
My name is Bryan and I am the manager of the Ocean Encounters Dive Shop at Breezes.

There is alot of awesome diving here on Curacao... both from shore aswell as by boat and it ranges from Westpunt to Eastpunt!!

I would encourage you to come and see us down at the dive shop so that we may direct you to some great locations. But here is a sampling of what you can expect.

By Boat: Mushroom Forest, Black Coral Garden, Klein Curacao, Eastpunt, Niuewport, Smokey's, Blue Bay Garden, Beacon Point, Watamula, on and on...!

By Shore: Breezes House Reef (Oswaldo's Drop Off, Guus' Grave & CarPile), Playa Khalki (aka. Alice in Wonderland), Playa Forti, Playa Lagun, Porto Marie (awesome double reef), etc...

As Suzy and I have both mentioned, there is awesome diving here on Curacao and I would encourage you to do some shore and some boat diving because each will offer you a different experience and a chance to see alot of cool dive sites!!

I have included my email address and website, so please drop me a line and I will be more than happy to assist you. Please bear in mind, you will have one free shore dive included in your stay at Breezes.

See you soon!!

Bryan

 

[Diver OnLu]

Shore or boat on Curacao - this question/discussion must be as old as ScubaBoard itself!

The answer is simple:

There are sites that are hardly or not at all accessible from shore; if you want to dive them you have to go by boat...

Some examples of boat dives on the west end of Curacao that in my opinion are definitely worth the extra buck for the boat ride are Rediho City, Scooter, Watamula, Harry's Hole and Mako's Mountain.

Anyway, you will have a lot of fun on both shore and boat dives, so just select your dive sites and enjoy

Greetings from sunny Curacao
Andreas