Beginner Diving in Curacao??

[nldunn]

Lions is nice with a great breakfast buffet, great beach, and a couple restaurants on site, plus a very short walk over to Mambo Beach with tons of food and shopping and beach bars. We enjoyed it for two trips, but wanted to cut costs, so went to bungalow type facilities not on the beach/ocean and buy/cook on our own with an occasional meal out.

Dive operation (OE) is right there on the compound with a dive shop and boats.

Thank you for that information. I think for the first time, we want to go where there is a lot of assistance/easy access to help and information so I think we will do Lions Dive as long as there is space.

 

[nldunn]

Hi all,
My husband and I just had a refresher course in Cozumel after 30 years of not diving and when we did dive, we only went a few times back then. We did two long dives the second day of our refresher course, 40 feet deep.
We would love to dive Curacao but I'm concerned because we are not experienced. I don't want to shore dive alone, I don't want deep dives and am looking for a "hand-holding" experience, at least for the first few dives.
Can anyone recommend some dive shops that are good with older (early 60s) people who are newbies and one of them (me!) who is still nervous? Thank you!

Nancy

I just booked a trip for April!! So excited!! I loved Cozumel, but excited to try another place!!
Thanks for the all information! Feel free to keep it coming!

 

[FishWatcher747]

You will find Curacao diving to be way more likely to inspire confidence than Cozumel. Cozumel can be a little bit steep on the learning curve at best for both current and depth. When the current really rips it is not a good place for a new diver.

 

[nldunn]

You will find Curacao diving to be way more likely to inspire confidence than Cozumel. Cozumel can be a little bit steep on the learning curve at best for both current and depth. When the current really rips it is not a good place for a new diver.

Yes, we did our dive at Paradise Reef so she could make sure we were ok! We ended it fairly close to a cruise ship, and I still had about 1500 on my regulator, so we were drifting pretty fast! And in Cozumel, 40 feet is shallow, which doesn't sound shallow to a person who is really still a beginner!
I'm glad we decided on Curacao! Thank you!

 

[morecowbells]

Curacao is an excellent choice for a beginner. Plenty of sites with gentle entrances. Our typical dive is 60 feet max one way, then around 40 feet on way back. I have not used The Dive Bus, but hear great stories about them. When you are comfortable diving without a guide, I would repeat one of the guided sites, so you are familiar with the site. Another suggestion, is to practice using a compass. While most of the reefs are easy to navigate, the double reef at Porto Marie tend to make me feel turned around. There are several Youtube videos that are short and educational on using a compass. Have fun!

 

[nldunn]

Curacao is an excellent choice for a beginner. Plenty of sites with gentle entrances. Our typical dive is 60 feet max one way, then around 40 feet on way back. I have not used The Dive Bus, but hear great stories about them. When you are comfortable diving without a guide, I would repeat one of the guided sites, so you are familiar with the site. Another suggestion, is to practice using a compass. While most of the reefs are easy to navigate, the double reef at Porto Marie tend to make me feel turned around. There are several Youtube videos that are short and educational on using a compass. Have fun!

Thank you! I appreciate you sharing your experiences!
And I'll be looking for a waterproof compass. I only have one for hiking!
Nancy
PS - Love your name! LOL!!!

 

[sgandza]

I just booked a trip for April!! So excited!! I loved Cozumel, but excited to try another place!!
Thanks for the all information! Feel free to keep it coming!

We are just heading back to Curacao for our 3rd time this Christmas - have done Cozumel 3 times as well.
If you are all about the diving you will love Curacao. Once you get comfortable shore diving and can do it without a guide - the cost of each dive drops to the cost of a tank refill - about $10 if you get a package. Rent a car and go. Not sure if you have seen this link to dive sites before, but there are a number that have videos and tell you which are shore dives and which are boat, etc. If you want to do a boat dive - I would highly recommend Watamula - one of the best I have been on in the Caribbean. My favorite shore dives - Tugboat, Directors Bay, Playa Kalki. I hear Porto Maria/Cas Abou area is nice and plan to try that this time around along with Carpile.
Also - if you use google maps street view - you can see many of the sites/entry points and the beaches. Many also have dive shops and restaurants on them. You can't go wrong.

 

[nldunn]

We are just heading back to Curacao for our 3rd time this Christmas - have done Cozumel 3 times as well.
If you are all about the diving you will love Curacao. Once you get comfortable shore diving and can do it without a guide - the cost of each dive drops to the cost of a tank refill - about $10 if you get a package. Rent a car and go. Not sure if you have seen this link to dive sites before, but there are a number that have videos and tell you which are shore dives and which are boat, etc. If you want to do a boat dive - I would highly recommend Watamula - one of the best I have been on in the Caribbean. My favorite shore dives - Tugboat, Directors Bay, Playa Kalki. I hear Porto Maria/Cas Abou area is nice and plan to try that this time around along with Carpile.
Also - if you use google maps street view - you can see many of the sites/entry points and the beaches. Many also have dive shops and restaurants on them. You can't go wrong.

Thank you for all of that information! I'm very appreciative of you taking the time to share your knowledge. And have a wonderful trip!!
nancy

 

[dmaziuk]

Thank you! I appreciate you sharing your experiences!
And I'll be looking for a waterproof compass. I only have one for hiking!
Nancy
PS - Love your name! LOL!!!

$50 from Dive Gear Express. If your hiking one is liquid-filled, it should be OK for diving too.

 

[rhwestfall]

Weels down in Curacao tomorrow afternoon. @Saturated and satisfied - warm up the bus!