Short Curacao dive report

[Bombarie]

Hi All. Just returned from Curacao for business. Managed to squeeze in two dives last Sunday. Had no particular expectations, was just looking to get wet and have a peek underwater. Well, it was pretty good. Dove a site called tugboat twice, both 60min+ dives. The site is named for a little tugboat that rests in about 5m of water, school of fish is sleeping inside as is a big yellow moray eel, pretty cool. The best part of the dive however is the wall that starts just after the sunken ship. Good corals and lots of fish, definitely a healthy system. We went to approx 20 meters and took our time coming up. Gentle current, saw loads of banded coral shrimps, one yellow seahorse, couple of moray eels (one had his head cleaned by a cleaner shrimp - the ones that will do your manicure if you can grab their attention) and lots of the generic reef fish, parrots, schools of sgt. majors etc. Also spotted what looked to me as a scorpionfish. If your on the island and have some time to kill, definitely worth the effort. The island is full of diveshops but all I called were booked up (had never seen that before), the dive on fixed programs and are apparently as flexible as a ledden door. Finally bumped into Downtown Divers, run by Roel, a former scuba instructor for the Dutch Marines (a battalion of them is still stationed on the island) who loves his diving. Great guide and rents out real nice equipment - he even lends you a Suunto Gekko as part of the complete set of kit if you don't have your own computer. Roel is also about the only one who dares to dive the rougher Northshore of the island, with loads of big fish actions (rays, nurse and tresher sharks, tarpon) and he will take you there once he's convinced your up to it. I ran out of time, but hope to be back for that trip to the North ! When comparing with Utila where I dove in July I think Curacao is pretty competetive re: underwatermarine life, but the walls in Utilah bear it hands down for drama. It is also much cheaper. But if in the area give it a try! _- Arie