12 months after yr, the Scuba Diver Journal Readers’ Alternative Award for “Finest Total Caribbean Dive Vacation spot” goes to Curacao for its mixture of white sand seashores, luxurious inns, and crystal blue dive websites.
This information for scuba diving Curacao is concentrated on dive websites close to Willemstad and the island’s east finish. These are probably the most accessible websites on the island for cruise ship passengers and all-inclusive friends. There are glorious websites on the West Finish, however they’re borderline distant for morning dives out of your Willemstad lodge.
Curacao Dive Website Map
Under is our Curacao dive website map. It not solely has the websites indicated, however supporting dive outlets as nicely. This map is meant for informational and logistic planning solely. We advocate contacting native dive outlets or, higher but, reserving a guided dive to expertise these websites safely and of their full glory.
Seashore Dives West of Willemstad
There are fabulous seashores west of Willemstad with eating places, seashore golf equipment, and scuba outlets. Every seashore has a unique vibe, which we discover deeper in our seashores of Curacao piece. For diving, we’ll think about the seashores from east to west, stopping at Kokomo.
- Piscadera Bay is a beautiful little bay supported by The Diveshop Curacao. What makes diving notably enticing right here is that they’re solely 5 minutes from the cruise ship terminal and supply half-day actions with cruise passengers in thoughts.
- Blue Bay is an upscale seashore expertise with wall diving and coral gardens inside attain of the seashore. Blue Bay dive store -> Blue Bay Dive & Watersports Curacao
- Boca Sami is a pure bay on the mouth of the Sint Michiel estuary with a neighborhood vibe and a number of the finest burgers on the island on the Niffo Huts. Boca Sami dive store –> Dive Wederfoort
- Kokomo Seashore has a well-developed coral reef in a pure bay and sufficient occurring topside to help a full day on the seashore, even for non-divers. Kokomo Seashore dive store –> Trunk Divers
Seashore Dives East of Willemstad
The seashores east of Willemstad are locations unto themselves. Mambo and Jan Thiel seashores are sprawling complexes with a number of outlets, eating places, and seashore golf equipment.
- Marie Pampoen isn’t a lot of a seashore, however the bay helps Twin Divers and the Sea Trek route.
- Mambo Seashore is understood for its large break wall, which impedes shore dives however facilitates many glorious short-trip boat dives like Automobile Piles, Cornelius Bay, Shipwreck Level, Saba Wreck, and Stella Maris Reef. Mambo Seashore dive store –> Ocean Encounters
- Jan Thiel Seashore in all probability has the most effective seashore diving on the east aspect of Curacao, plus a dive store that leads guided shore dives across the island. The big pure bay and a very good platform to enter the water make diving at Jan Thiel Seashore so good. Dive outlets: Dive Middle Scuba Do, Fundiving, Jan Thiel Diving
Sandals Diving
Sandals is making a splash within the all-inclusive dive resort scene in Curacao. With eight eating places, three meals vehicles, a number of swimming pools, and a seashore filled with water sports activities, the non-divers in your group will likely be okay with you blowing your bubbles. Sandals location on the mouth of Spanish Waters offers glorious entry to Director’s Bay websites (Tug Boat, Director’s Bay, Little Wall) and Marine Park Websites (Eel Backyard, Katy’s Paradise) with an in-house dive middle too.
Double Reef
Double Reef is a basic Curacao dive throughout a uncommon double reef in remarkably fine condition, contemplating how shut it’s to Willemstad. This space is understood for turtle sightings; boats can help mild drift dives underneath sure situations.
Superior Producer
Superior Producer was a 240-foot cargo ship that sank in 100′ of water on its strategy to Venezuela in 1978. The overloaded ship sank shortly, and the cargo of denims and t-shirts was a Christmas current to many Curacao households.
It’s an exquisite dive website as a result of it’s so near port, however it presents its personal issues. Divers can solely attain the Superior Producer when no cruise ships are in port.
Saba Wreck
The Saba wreck is a sunken tugboat surrounded by considerable sea life. It’s more durable to achieve from shore than the extra well-known “Tugboat Wreck” in Director’s Bay, so the location receives much less strain and is usually in higher form.
Tugboat Wreck
Tugboat Wreck is a basic Curacao dive website that’s well-liked for snorkeling too. In truth, there are even underwater scooter excursions accessible to achieve the location.
Director’s Bay
Director’s Bay has a captivating historical past. It was the non-public property of the Director of the Shell Oil Firm. The Queen of the Netherlands even thought of visiting right here. Nonetheless, the seashore turned public property when Shell left Curaçao in 1985.
Highlights of this website embody an enormous staghorn coral restoration venture and the pilings from an previous protecting cage. Tales differ, whether or not that was a shark cage or jellyfish nets, however both method, its days are gone.
Little Wall
Little Wall, aka Small Wall, is the following dive website previous Director’s Bay in direction of the open ocean. This website feels very very similar to an extension of Director’s Bay, particularly when the dive plan has you surfacing on the coral restoration venture, however that isn’t a nasty factor. Each websites are comparatively shallow and full of vibrant sea life.
Katy’s Paradise
Fuik Bay is a non-public bay owned by the Mining Firm of Curaçao primarily used as a loading terminal for cargo of phosphate rock. A lot of the bay is sheltered by a big, pure break wall with a small passage that offers entry to the dock.
The water across the bay is a part of the Marine Park, with a number of glorious dive websites. Eel Valley and Booby Entice are coral reefs on the western fringe of the bay’s break wall. The japanese fringe of the wall protrudes out from the coast and shelters the Katy’s / Kathy’s Paradise websites.
Katy’s Paradise is 4 miles away from Sandals and virtually seven miles from Mambo Seashore. The prospect of a 14-mile spherical journey retains informal journeys away and leaves these websites comparatively unvisited.
Klein Curacao
If dive boats are going to make a protracted journey east, the apparent locations are Lagun Blanko and Oostpoint for superior drift dives and Klein Curacao for a number of the best diving round. The whole lot is greater, brighter, and clearer on Klein Curacao as a result of it has ample clear water flowing in and little or no strain.
One factor to notice is you can add on diving with Diving Klein Curacao out of your Klein Island boat journey. Non-divers can discover the island and even get a therapeutic massage whilst you can safe a one or two tank dive leaving from the seashore.
Guide your Klein Island tour with Island Routes or Viator hyperlink
Wrapping up Diving in Curacao
By now, it must be apparent why Curacao is famend as an total diving vacation spot. The dive websites are plentiful and delightful above and under the water, with many choices for a way you scuba dive in Curacao and who you go along with. Maybe, most significantly, there’s all kinds of websites, from shallow reefs in sheltered bays to superior drift dives and shipwrecks. As an added bonus, Curacao is outdoors the Hurricane Belt, making it a really perfect vacation spot for summer time diving.
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