Curacao

WHY?

Go to Curacao for a really nice mix of shore and boat diving in a slow-paced and affordable environment. It’s got all the usual caribbean critters, good visibility and warm water. If you’re looking for caribbean diving during hurricane season then Curacao or the other ABC islands Aruba and Bonaire would be a great choice. The island is spread out and moves slowly so we found that we usually only got in 3-4 dives; it’s not the best choice for someone trying to maximize dives with a 5-a-day plan. If you want 5-a-day, don’t need fancy restaurants or non-diving activities, don’t mind some more plane time/expense, and don’t mind tricky shore entries then go to Bonaire. If you want good restaurants, nightlife, other activities, a lot of wreck dives and not much shore diving then go to Aruba.

 

WHAT’S THE DIVING LIKE?

Curacao is a 40-mile long island just north of Venezuela. It is narrow and runs from north west to south east. For diving you can choose to be based in Westpunt which is on the south side of the northwestern tip. Or you can choose to be based out of Willemstad which is about two thirds of the way down the island towards that southeastern tip. The dives are all along the western side of the island.

We have done boat and shore dives on both ends of the island and can assure you that it will be great either way. Westpunt seemed to have slightly better shore dives with beautiful reefs that were close to shore. But the Willemstad area had plenty of solid shore dives including some of the fun ones like the Tugboat. You can also do boat dives down to the southern tip of the island which is only accessible by boat since the land is private property and there is no access to shore diving. We would recommend picking between Westpunt and Willemstad based on your dive op preferences (which we’ll cover in the next section) rather than on the diving itself.

The sealife was all the usual caribbean critters – green morays, parrot fish, some butterfly fish, surgeonfish, flounder, shrimp everywhere, etc. We averaged about one octopus and one spotted eagle ray per day as well as one “special” item every couple of days – a pair of nurse sharks in the Mushroom Forest, a seahorse, a massive sea turtle (there were also plenty of small ones, especially up north, but this one was longer than we were), etc.

Most of the dives, both shore and boat, were gentle coral slopes a couple hundred yards off shore. Some were steeper than others but not by much. Of the coral slopes, our favorite was Playa Kalki right off the Dive West shop. We listed some sites below that were a bit more unique in case you’re looking for something a bit different.

• Playa Grandi (All West house reef) – big sandy area with lots of turtles and occasional sea horses on the mooring lines
• Mushroom Forest- slightly different coral shapes (you can guess what they looked like!) which meant a slightly different view and some good spots for nurse sharks; boat only
• Porto Marie – different underwater geography to shake things up a bit; you can easily do half a dozen dives here covering different territory; great on-site dive shop and restaurant
• Superior Producer – cargo ship wreck sunk in 1977 (advanced only)
• Tugboat – small sunken boat in very shallow water; there was a great dropoff just past it that was different from any other spot we dove; small restaurant/bar on shore

The visibility was good, easily 50 – 100 feet depending on the divesite. There was a bit of current but we thought it was quite manageable and could kick into it with no trouble. We heard reports of stronger currents off Watamula (western tip) and at the Superior Producer but we never experienced anything more than enough to help you float along at a nice speed for macro-searching. 

Some things you won’t see in Curacao – lots of wrecks (there are a handful but only 1 really big one), big sealife, low-viz.

	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Water C	27	26	26	27	27	28	28	28	29	29	28	27
Water F	81	79	79	81	81	82	82	82	84	84	82	81
Air C	26	26.5	27.5	27.5	28.5	28.5	28.5	28.5	28.5	28.5	28	27
Air F	79	80	82	82	83	83	83	83	83	83	82	81
Rainy days	9	5	3	3	2	3	6	5	5	7	10	12

 

WHAT LOCATION, DIVE OPERATOR AND HOTEL?

There are no liveaboards in Curacao but plenty of dive sites for both shore diving and boat diving. Some of the dive ops have boats and go out on daily 2-tank trips. Usually they stick to sites close to the dive shop with boat rides from 5 minutes to 20 minutes each direction. If you have a car and like variety it’s worth it to drive to the other end of the island for a day or two to dive with a different operator and see some more sites.

 

Westpunt (the west end of the island)

The big decision is whether or not to go to Westpunt. Westpunt is the quiet side of the island. There is one dive resort, one or two other places you can find a room/condo and two or three places to grab dinner or a beer. It’s a 40 minute drive into Willemstad where you have access to restaurants, bars, shopping, the big hotels, etc. The pros are the quiet, the camaraderie (you’ll get to know your fellow divers and some local really fast) and slightly quieter dive spots. The downsides are that it is a long drive to get anywhere. If it’s important for you to go to a variety of restaurants or have non-dive activities then you’ll definitely want to stay south in Willemstad. 

If you dive Westpunt you should stay at All West and dive with Go West. They’re both owned by the same person and you can customize a package that includes whatever diving you want (boat or shore) as well as a truck. The vehicle rental is great since it’s a very easy process where they just hand you keys instead of the usual hassle with an airport rental. 

All the rooms at All West have kitchens, good AC, and huge glass windows overlooking the ocean with really big balconies. There is a large gear room where you can rinse/store gear and get tanks for shore dives. There are steps from the gear room straight down to the beach and the house reef is fantastic. We did over a dozen dives there and it was great each time. Our only complaint about All West is that the hot water isn’t that hot (and ets cooler after only a few minutes in the shower), the upstairs rooms are a tiny bit tired, and there isn’t an official bar or congregation area.

 

A few tips

• Ask the driver who picks you up at the airport to stop so you can pick up groceries. It will be at a small grocery store that mostly has pre-packed snack food and some fruit. It’s not a great selection but it will be helpful for breakfast/snacks/evening drinks until you have time to drive back to a good grocery store.
• At some point make the drive down south for a better grocery run for your stay. There are a few grocery stores including a Carrefour that will have everything you normally get back home. This will give you a few cheap dinners and is pretty much mandatory since there aren’t enough spots to get your meals out on Westpunt even if you did want to eat out for every meal.
• If you need strong internet tell the resort in advance. Some rooms are better than others and they’ll do their best to put you in a good room. If you’ve got a good one then the wifi is great – strong enough for a few people to do zoom calls all day.
• If you’ve only got 2 people book a rental car instead of a rental truck. This will save you $20/day and there is plenty of room in the cars to fit gear/tanks for two people for a day of shore diving. 
• If you’re comfortable, ask about paying in cash.

Go West is a solid dive shop. It’s about a mile away from All West. There is a small parking lot and then a steep flight of steps down to the shop. It’s well worth a few days of boat diving with them, although it gets a bit repetitive so we recommend sprinkling in some days where you drive south to other shore dive spots. There is also a great shore dive at the shop itself. 

Restaurants are limited. Definitely go to Sol Food where you’ll meet Sunshine. Everything is good. And if you shoot them an email they’ll send you their guide to Curacao which covers everything from food to diving and is well worth the time to read. Playa Foti and Blueview are also walking distance from All West and have some nice options. 

 

East end

If you’re going to the east end you have some more choices in where you stay and where you dive. We purposely don’t list every option here or even lots of options. Our goal is to give you ~2 good but different options to explore, in this case a less-expensive all-inclusive and a higher-end spot specifically for divers. There are easily another dozen solid options if neither of these is your style. 

Resorts:

• Sunscape Resort: All-inclusive resort with a good reputation. There is an onsite dive op (Ocean Encounters) and a nice house reef. The resort has a restaurant w/ bar and a pool, although some people complain that there is music at the pool that stays on late at night. There is a Kids Club which makes it a nice option for those with young kids. You can also walk to the Sea Aquarium. 
• Lions Dive: right down the beach from Sunscape. This is a dive resort (whereas Sunscape is more of a resort with diving) so there will be a higher percentage of divers. On-site restaurant as well as some walkable options. You can choose to book as an all-inclusive or do your own meal plan. We’d recommend doing your own plan so you can explore a bit. Lions is generally considered to have slightly nicer grounds and beach compared to Sunscape.

Boat dives:

• Ocean encounters: a couple of locations at Sunscape Resort, Lions, and Animal Encounters. They offer a package deal with most of those resorts and some others. Typically 1-2 guides in the water for 50-min dives to 60 feet. Some flexibility on all those limits. They offer nitrox which is pretty unique on the island. Ocean Encounters tends to get great reviews from newbies and experienced divers.  
• Dive Charter Curacao: known for small, fast boats. Don’t expect lots of creature comforts but you’ll spend less time getting to dive sites and can get to some of the farther ones along the southwestern edge of the island, also known as Eastpoint (Oostpunt). 

Tank/gear rentals:

• The Dive Bus: you can rent tanks and gear and also do guided shore dives. Nearly all positive reviews.
• Bas Harts Diving: same as the Dive Bus. Not quite as many reviews but a couple reputable good ones.

Curacao is a popular cruise ship port so there is a lot to do other than diving. Top attractions include the Sea Aquarium with dolphin shows, the ostrich farm, go-cart tours, shopping and plenty of beautiful beaches

 

Shore diving

Shore diving is easy. You should absolutely invest in this book which has driving instructions, dive maps and other helpful info about each site. If you can’t get the book online then head to the Scuba Store & More which is located on the Ring. They typically carry print versions of this book and will have some other options as well. 

There is also a nice online site here but you’ll want the book so that you can bring it with you to the dive sites. Vehicles, especially diver vehicles, get broken into regularly so the local recommendation is to leave them unlocked while shore diving. You should not leave a valuable smartphone in the car while shore diving. 

The dive sites are more spaced out than Bonaire. Expect to spend at least 30 minutes getting to most sites. The roads are typically dirt/rock once you’re off the main roads. You don’t need a high suspension, but expect to go slowly. Once you make it to the shore, about half of the sites have a dive shop where you can get tanks and/or a restaurant right on the beach. 

Our typical plan when we wanted to get in 4 dives was to start off at a quieter beach for the morning. We’d get in two dives and then move to a beach with a dive shop / restaurant so we could grab lunch and get in two more dives. The dive shop was nice just in case one of the tanks you grabbed was empty or you’re having a gear issue. We never made it to more than 2 sites a day because the drive time in between was so long.

Entries and exits were easy, often over gently sloped sandy beaches. Most of the entries are in well-protected bays so waves and current are minimal. 

 

HOW TO GET THERE AND BACK?

Most large US east coast cities have direct flights to Curacao (CUR). Customs is generally speedy and you’ll end up in an open-air waiting area where you can find your pickup. There is a small spot with AC where you can grab a soda/snack and cool off if you need to while you wait.

If you’re renting a car at the airport and plan to do shore-diving you should make sure to call ahead and see if you can get a vehicle with an old low-tech metal key instead of a fancy new key fob or electric lock/unlock buttons. Those key replacement costs are high if you end up with a fancy one and your key holder leaks! 

 

WHEN?

High season is mid-Dember to mid-April. That is mostly driven by North American & European weather and holiday schedules. Those are the months when folks are chilly and have some more time off work. Be prepared for rain during the first month or two of that high season. Those are also the months when the water is coldest and the visibility drops when the temp first drops and then when it goes back up so you’re taking a risk during the first and last month of the high season.

If you’re actually looking for the best time to be in Curacao, as opposed to avoiding something elsewhere, then late spring and summer can be great. Warmer water, more reliable visibility and lower prices since it’s not as crowded

No matter what time of year you go, if you’re a fan of night diving (or even just willing to be dragged along kicking and screaming) we recommend going just after the full moon. Wait until about 20 minutes after sunset and then go out and settle yourself somewhere in a sandy spot in ~15 feet of water. Wait until it is completely dark and then switch off your light and watch the water come alive with the ostracod. A great spot for this is Playa Kalki in front of the Go West dive shop. 

 

WHAT DOES IT COST?

Short answer – not bad for a week or two of caribbean diving with some boat and some shore and a moderate number of dives. All West is going to give you the most dives for your money. But if you’re looking to optimize cost/dive you’ll need to head somewhere you can squeeze in more dives such as Bonaire.

• • Flights: $400/pp from a major east coast city
  • Hotel / dive package (15-20 dives total; don’t forget taxes, fees and dive master tips which add an extra 25% to these posted costs):
    • All West: $1,000 (assuming double occupancy…add 50% if not); includes: 3 days of 2-tank boat dives, unlimited air, car, ocean-view room
    • Sunscape: $1,500 (double occupancy); includes 5 days of 2-tank boat dives, unlimited air, garden-view room, food/alcohol
    • Lions: $1,500  (double occupancy); includes 5 days of 2-tank boat dives, unlimited air, food/alcohol, garden-view room

• • Rental car (necessary for shore dives):
    • All West: included
    • Sunscape or Lions: $400
  • Food: 
    • All West: $500 – assumes you’re doing your own breakfast and some dinners in the room
    • Sunscape: $100 – assumes some lunches or a dinner off-campus
    • Lions: $800 – assumes most meals out

 

• TOTAL: $2,200 – $3,500 /pp for 7 days and ~17 dives

• • All West: $2,200 ($130/dive at 17 dives)
  • Sunscape: $2,775 ($165/dive)
  • Lions: $3,475 ($205/dive)

 

WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW?

• Language – nearly everyone interacting with tourists speaks great English. Many also speak Dutch. Most of the locals speak Papiamentu when not dealing with tourists. 
• Currency – Netherlands Antillean Guilder (ANG)
• Driving – right side of hte road
• Electricity – US plugs fit but might run ‘hot’