Some logistics:
Curacao is a pretty long island. Once you leave the airport going west there's only two main roads - most resorts, divesites etc. are a short drive towards the ocean off one of them. Including Habitat near your villa. Roads aren't in great shape so it's a longer drive than it looks like on a map.
It's probably a 1/2 hr. drive from the Habitat area down to the DiveBus base in east Willemsted. Afaik, the farthest west the DiveBus will pick you up is the Piscadera Bay area - still 15mins. + from your villa. You could leave your car in the Marriott parking lot if they do - IDK.
And then you'll board the bus to
drive back out to sites you passed on the drive down. Not that I'm panning the DiveBus - in fact I often recommend them. It just may make more sense given where you're staying to shore dive on your own instead of paying them $70/trip (2 tanks) to dive nearby sites. Curacao diving is really easy, there's almost no current and the reef parallels the shore line. Most dive sites are either a sandy beach entry or there's a facility on-site that has added a dive dock, lockers etc. Most that have also charge a small usage fee (in guilders) and rent tanks/weights etc.
Habitat's house reef (Nos Kas) is IMO one of the better dives in that area. We dove it locally, moved to Piscadera Bay and drove back to dive it again later in the week - including at night. There's big eels, healthy coral, lots of fish, slipper lobsters, crabs octo's etc.
[-]Someone new is their onsite diveop. It's an easy dive off their dock - although I read last fall they were building a new shop so IDK what's changed - when it was run by Habitat there was a parking lot tank pickup for local shore diving also. [/-]
See post #8 below...
Five minutes away is Porto Mari, another excellent, easy shore dive - double reef system.
Porto Mari Sports is on-site for tanks/weights. It's also a really nice locals beach.
A further drive north is Playa Lagun, another excellent site.
Discover Diving is there. They rent tanks/weights - have a drive-up loading dock - and Lagun is on the main road to dives in that area. A few minutes north of that is Playa Jeremi - bring everything with you there - it's one of few dive sites with no facilities. I have read of break-ins happening there also while divers are in the water - wasn't a problem for us.
Most resort areas on Curacao have fences and security - our apt. mgr. advised leaving nothing much in the SUV when leaving it at more remote sites like Jeremi or the farther "Gnips".
Going the other way you'll pass Varsenbaai on your way to the DiveBus - they bring you back there as well. It's a good dive, ask someone to point out the ball by the seahorses. There's turtles feeding in 6' of water just south of the dive dock - the operator said they're always there. On one dive about 100 squid were under the dive dock. Slightly east of there is Snake Bay - a Curacao dive guide (friends wife) recommends it highly.
Alice in Wonderland is really a
shore dive. I suppose you could do it by boat but IDK who does.
Ocean Encounters West is on-site there - it's s great facility, lockers, showers, a dive dock etc. You fall off the dock and swim about 50 ft - or less to the AIW reef. Do it both ways, each is different. I preferred west as it's more vertical.
You can see pictures of entries for many Curacao dive sites here:
Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: Curacao, ABC Islands
On the DiveBus shore dive list - for every site listed below the Marriott House Reef you're actually closer to it than they are.
OEW also boat dives out to Watamula, Mushroom Forest etc. Westpunt is more remote, so there's not as many divers to fill boats - mostly from Lodge Kura Hulanda and Allwest Apts. Their 2 boats are in the 20pax range but one I saw had 6-8 total divers - in April - a slow time on Curacao.
..:: Ocean Encounters West Curacao ::..
Except for OEW and the new Habitat operator - I can't recall another boat dive operator based in that area - most are based around Willemsted or Piscadera Bay.
Superior Producer is downtown - find a diveop nearby. Ocean Encounters is one - they have several locations in that area. Another is
Atlantis Diving - I've no experience with them. OE might not be what you're looking for, we canceled a 2nd dive there when the DM mentioned it was going to be a full boat - they get a lot of traffic from Lions Dive and the Sea Aquarium resort areas.
Other things to know - the Habitat area is a bit isolated - nice but quiet. Unless your villa is pre-stocking food - you'll want to buy it in town b4 you drive out - there's no large food store near St. Willibrordus. Centrum Market is just south of the Airport. When you first arrive, instead of going right on the rotary towards Westpunt - go straight through (south) - Centrum is the 2nd light on the right - right on the corner. They sell cheap styro coolers for perishables for the drive out.
Try
Landhuis Daniel for a nice meal - it's off the main road near where you're staying. I can also recommend the Ribs Factory but it's in Salina - east Willemsted. One other highlight of our trip was the Dolphin Dive at the Sea Aquarium - it's done through Ocean Encounters. It's $200pp. It's a shallow dive so you get a lot of dolphin time.
hth, We were there a few years ago. Didn't mean for this to become a travelog but oh well...
