Pam
Curacao Diving and Accomodations
Curacao Diving and Accomodations
Hey all - I have already planned a week long trip to Bonaire end of Mar 2010 but am thinking of extending the trip and heading to Curacao. Needs some help with accomodations, diving, and dive operators. I would really love to have your input
Pam
Pam
pam
Re: Curacao Diving and Accomodations
I went to Curacao about 3 years ago and stayed at the Breezes - it's all inclusive, has an onsite dive op (Ocean Encounters) and has a pretty nice house reef.
It's not broken - it's just missing duct tape!
Re: Curacao Diving and Accomodations
Cindy and I headed to Curacao on Friday and staying at the Scuba Lodge. I'll post more lodging info when we return.
Re: Curacao Diving and Accomodations
Do the beaches have sand fleas?
SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES..... THEY ARE NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING ... BUT THEY STILL BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN YOU PUSH THEM DOWN A FLIGHT OF STAIRS
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cera17
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cera17
Re: Curacao Diving and Accomodations
Hi Pam,
We're just back from our Curacao - Bonaire - Aruba trip so here's the scoop.....
Accommodations:
There are two main areas people stay in Curacao; Willemstad and Westpunt
Willemstad is the main city on the island. I would compare it in size to Olympia. The advantage to staying in Willemstad
is that you have restaurants, supermarkets, etc. The down side is that the city is crowded and a 45 minute drive from the divesites, which are in Westpunt.
Westpunt is on the northwest tip of the island and, outside of the apartments and hotels, there's nothing much out there but beaches.
We stayed at the Scubalodge in Westpunt. It's a cool little place on the water and walking distance to the downtown area. The staff was great with helping us figure out the island diving and they have a decent house reef. At $100/ night the price was very reasonable.
In Westpunt we went by All West Apartments and Bahia Apartments. Both had on site diving operations and looked pretty reasonable.
Another option would be the Hilton which is located on the coast between Westpunt and Willemstad. We met another couple who stayed there and they seemed to like it.
Diving:
Like Bonaire most of the diving on Curacao can be done from shore although you can opt to do boat trips (which is typically a boat taking you to a shore diving site). Unlike Bonaire the dive sites are not well marked so it takes a bit of navigation to find things.
My overall impression is that the diving on Curacao is not as good as diving on Bonaire. Unlike Bonaire Curacao doesn’t protect it’s reefs and marine life and it really shows. There’s a definite lack of larger fish and the coral is damaged in many places. Also, Bonaire is a completely set-up for divers with rental pickups, pick-up and go tanks etc. On Curacao you pretty much need to figure all of that out for yourself.
Top Dive Sites:
The Superior Producer – A really good wreck dive
Mushroom Forest – The best coral and marine life on the island
Puertomarie – Nice double reef.
Dive Operators:
We used the Scubalodge for all of our shore diving needs but did do one charter with Dive Charter Curacao. They run a 21 ft RIB and specialize in doing advanced dives on the North and east points of the island. It was definitely a good operation and the diving in these remote sites is far better than the typical shore dives on the island http://divechartercuracao.com/
Another operation we herd good things about is The Dive Bus. They pick you up at your hotel and take you diving on various shore dives around the island. http://www.the-dive-bus.com/
I hope this helps! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
Bill
We're just back from our Curacao - Bonaire - Aruba trip so here's the scoop.....
Accommodations:
There are two main areas people stay in Curacao; Willemstad and Westpunt
Willemstad is the main city on the island. I would compare it in size to Olympia. The advantage to staying in Willemstad
is that you have restaurants, supermarkets, etc. The down side is that the city is crowded and a 45 minute drive from the divesites, which are in Westpunt.
Westpunt is on the northwest tip of the island and, outside of the apartments and hotels, there's nothing much out there but beaches.
We stayed at the Scubalodge in Westpunt. It's a cool little place on the water and walking distance to the downtown area. The staff was great with helping us figure out the island diving and they have a decent house reef. At $100/ night the price was very reasonable.
In Westpunt we went by All West Apartments and Bahia Apartments. Both had on site diving operations and looked pretty reasonable.
Another option would be the Hilton which is located on the coast between Westpunt and Willemstad. We met another couple who stayed there and they seemed to like it.
Diving:
Like Bonaire most of the diving on Curacao can be done from shore although you can opt to do boat trips (which is typically a boat taking you to a shore diving site). Unlike Bonaire the dive sites are not well marked so it takes a bit of navigation to find things.
My overall impression is that the diving on Curacao is not as good as diving on Bonaire. Unlike Bonaire Curacao doesn’t protect it’s reefs and marine life and it really shows. There’s a definite lack of larger fish and the coral is damaged in many places. Also, Bonaire is a completely set-up for divers with rental pickups, pick-up and go tanks etc. On Curacao you pretty much need to figure all of that out for yourself.
Top Dive Sites:
The Superior Producer – A really good wreck dive
Mushroom Forest – The best coral and marine life on the island
Puertomarie – Nice double reef.
Dive Operators:
We used the Scubalodge for all of our shore diving needs but did do one charter with Dive Charter Curacao. They run a 21 ft RIB and specialize in doing advanced dives on the North and east points of the island. It was definitely a good operation and the diving in these remote sites is far better than the typical shore dives on the island http://divechartercuracao.com/
Another operation we herd good things about is The Dive Bus. They pick you up at your hotel and take you diving on various shore dives around the island. http://www.the-dive-bus.com/
I hope this helps! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
Bill
