CURACAO

GEOGRAPHY

Curacao is part of the "ABC" (Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao). It is situatued in between Aruba and Bonaire, north of Venezuela. It's dimensions are 60 km long and 11 km wide. The capital is named Willemstad. Bonaire was a long time known as the most important diving site in the Caribean basin. It has not been a long time since we took conscience of the quality of the waters and the richness of the marine fauna and flora in Curacao. Curacao is benificiary of the same climate as Bonaire but it's major advantage is the size of it's perimiter, offering more diving space and a wider variety of under-water sites accesible by divers.

Curacao offers a great advantage on it's neighbor concerning activities we can practice once the dive is finished. Willemstad offers excellent restaurants and bistros where it is very pleasant to spend some time. It is also a very important harbour which receives cruise boats from all over the world. In it's tax free zone, the harbour offers very advantagous shopping conditions.

The small distance seperating Cuaracao from Bonaire (only 10 mins. by plane) makes it very easy to dive both islands and take advantage of these two fabulous destinations where, beleive us, you will want to go back many times.

Curacao, a world to discover!

DIVING

Oswaldo's Drop-off

Starting at a depth of 6 meters, right in front of the Princess Beach hotel, and reaching deep down into the sea, this is an excellent site for illimited diving, right from the beach. Because of a small current, it is recommended for beginners to be accompanied by a more experienced diver.

We can find there many very large coral heads, elkhorn and staghorn corals and also magnificient gorgons. The top of the reef is a beautiful coralline plateau, the cliff starting at a depth of about 12 meters to later meet, at a 45 degree angle, the second plateau at a depth of 48 meters.

Car pile

You can visit a car wreck, dating from the 1940's, where you will be able to be photographed sitting on the front seat. An impressing marine life has developped around that "car", including many tubes and sponges. This is equally a wall and current dive.

Jan Thiel

Dive accessible baot by the beach and by boat and at a depth of about 6 meters, this dive is situated right in front of the Playa Jan Thiel. We can find, on the plateau, very nice coral heads ond gorgons, and, on the cliff, magnificient star coral, sponges and anemones.

Anemone

Pledra di sombre

Here is a wall, starting at a depth variating between 9 and 12 meters and bringing you deep down into the depths of the ocean. All along this cliff you can find many little caverns and squirrel fish. The wall is covered with strings of coral, black and star coral and huge sponges.

Towboat

This towboat wreck is in very good condition and can be found at a depth of only 6 meters. It is an excellent site for photographs. A very nice marine life is starting to appear and is an easy and agreable diving site.

Punt'l Piku

An excellent not to steep cliff, completely covered with fine coral plateaus, fire coral and large amounts of sponges. An impressive marine life!

Piedra Petru

Situated at the extreme end of the marine park, this site is absolutely fantastic if you accept the inconvenience of accessing the site. Depending on the period of the year, boats have to confront the winds and the waves before arriving to destination. Arfer a cliff starting at a depth of 9 meters, you will discover one of the most amazing walls of the carribean covered with a forest of black coral reaching a depth of 40 meters. Once you will have reached the bottom, huge green muraenas will be waiting...

Superior producer

A cargo wreck between 27 and 34 meters in depth not very far away from the Willemstad harbour.

Blauwbaal

A cliff which starts at a depth of 9 meters reaching down to 46 meters, the home of a rich and active marine life.

Vaersenbaal

An excellent site for apnoea diving followed by a cliff similar to the others around the island. Depth between 9 and 30 meters.

Playa Lagun

Cliff starting between 9 and 12 meters deep, the wall, nice enough to be on a postal card, is covered with a variety of hard coral.

Playa Kalki

Accessible from the beach or by boat, this site has absolutely no bare bottom and the mass of bottom coral resembles a hobbit village.

OUR DIVING OPERATORS

Princess Divers

Operation by Peter Hughes

Diving center equipped with a photographic laboratory, offering the possibilty to rent photo and video equipment and also the developement of E-6 films.

On the site, the Princess Beach Resort and Casino hotel will offer you the comfort of a superior quality hotel, with all the services including swimming pool, restaurant and especially the casino.

 

Underwater Curacao

The Underwater Curacao diving center offers the whole range of services including storage compartments for all participants and also the possibility to develop films and the rent of photo

and underwater video equipement.

Lion's Dive hotel and Marina

This 72 room hotel with TV and ventilation is very appreciated by all divers and it's excellent food and relaxed atmosphere makes it also very prised by the local population.

 

 

 

 

 

Technical information