Curacao-Roughness, Aquatic Life

[ReedFamily]

After two days of trying to find the perfect place to go in Caribbean, i think I have decided on Curacao.

We were planned to go to Cayman but we are rethinking that to try a new place to go like Curacao. We will be going in July.

My questions are what is the diving like, I have read all the information from the dive sites or hotels and of course they try to make it seem perfect. What can we expect on a dive? We are used to Cayman and Cozumel diving. Is it similar?

Second Question, last year when we were in Aruba, the seas were rough, i don't know if this is normal, but 3 of us got sick out of 4. Is Curacao rough when you go out to go diving on the boats?

Thanks for the advice.

 

[drgreenthumb]

From anywhere in the US, Curacao and Bonaire will yield you similar flight or vacation package expenses. Between the two or all of the ABC islands of the dutch antilles, Bonaire wins hands down. My second bet will be Aruba (usually much cheaper and more accessible than the other 2 islands) and this mainly because of Antilla, the german world war II wreck. It does NOT even come close to the "tugboat" on Curacao.

Curacao has a charming dutch papiamento architecture in and around Willemstad compared to the other two but your main goal is to dive there. These are just my honest and humble opinion. Some may disagree with me on this.

 

[DiverVince]

Reed Family..Here's my advice..short & sweet.. For diving go to Bonaire; no comparison. For shopping go to Curacao; no comparison.

 

[Curacao Sunshine]

Hello, Family Reed
Since it sounds like you've already decided on Curacao, I'll help out with some answers. Diving is done mainly along the south coast with the calmer waters being out at the west end. That said, except for the long ride to Klein Curacao, getting sick on the dive boats is not at all common. Hurricane season is from June through November and while we are technically out of the H belt, when there is a large storm, the tail whips around and the wind comes in from the south stirring up the seas. It's fairly rare but does happen.
I dive mainly in the West. There is almost no current here but again every once in a while it comes in strong and the dive boats plan drift dives. I would say there are no large sightings but in the last 4 months there have been dolphins even with the snorkelers and turtles as well. Again, it's a rarity but in this past year divers have seen whale sharks, a hammerhead (emphasis on the word a), manta rays, trigger fish nests, along with the more common Caribbean fish. Shore diving is easy here and the topography changes; a few wall dives, soft coral and some massive coral sites like Watamula. Visibility is usually about 80 to 100 feet unless the seas are up and then nearby the beaches might be stirred up but the sites along the cliffs are not as affected. There is a wreck bigger than the Tugboat called The Superior Producer. We live in Westpunt and can see divers (lights) in the water all hours of the night. As a family, you might be planning some dry excursions as well and Curacao has a lot to offer there. If you are hard core divers, you might consider staying out west. Habitat is in St. Willibordus along with a quite a few nice villas. There is no beach there but Daibooi and Porto Marie are a very short drive away. Sunset Waters is in Santa Marta, again with nearby villas and a beach. There are condos and apartments in Lagun and in Westpunt we have an apartment, All West Apartments have air 24/7 and there is the higher end Lodge Kura Hulanda. There's nothing much on the west side; except smoother seas, Mt. Christoffel, hiking and biking trails. If you want casinos, nightlife and yes, shopping, you might be happier staying in town. Willemstad is at least a half hour drive from anywhere in Banda Bou (west end). There are number of museums and attractions to see there. Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions. curacaosunshine@gmail.com

 

[TN Traveler]

My humble opinion - having been to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao:

If you want to do nothing but dive, dive, dive- then Bonaire is the place. It is set up for this - little else to do.

Grand Cayman and Cozumel - great boat/wall diving. Grand Cayman is EXPENSIVE. Better chance of seeing large animals

Aruba - this is a great place to shop and gamble - diving is fair - viz is not good - not impressed with the Antilla.

Curacao - a great blend - you can shore dive or boat dive - not much in the way of walls or big fish, but great coral (wide variety and different from site to site) and small sea life. Lots of other stuff to do when not diving - lots of choices in restaurants with many different cuisines - hiking (Christoffel, west end blow holes) - ostrich farm, etc. You can have it quiet (West End) or cosmopolitan (Willemstad).

Personally, our choice is a return to Curacao - for us it just has the right mix.

PS - if you want to see sharks - go to the Bahamas.

 

[lmorin]

Curacao, IMHO, offers diving that equals what Bonaire has to offer. At least that is my impression having been to Bonaire 3 times and Curacao (west end) once. Note that my Curacao experience is limited to the boat diving from Sunset Waters. We did about 10 dives north of the resort and all were excellent. The two we did toward the south were fair. I specifically am not generalizing to include the diving off Willemstadt because I know nothing about how beat up those reefs are. Habitat, Sunset Waters and resorts at Westpunt all have easy access to reefs that are pristine and beautiful to dive, regardless of the fish species seen. They also have great house reefs for unlimited shore and night diving. The choice of accommodations in Curacao is considerably less than Bonaire and tends to be more expensive.

 

[Just another Cinderella]

Curacao/ Bonaire lack truly dramatic walls. The small critters are better with rare to occasional big stuff to see. If all you are planning is maximum submersion time then I would say Bonaire. But if you want some Deco time then Curacao. This is especially true if you are traveling as a family and want a little diversion.
While I will always yield to the sound Sunshine advise, IMHO this past month has sucked on the boats. Curacao has had lots of wind with rough seas and not so great vis. Usually however the summer months are calmer. The nice thing is you can shore dive or boat dive depending on the conditions.
Regardless of where you stay, East or West, get a car and explore all the sites. Kalki, Porto Marie, Habitat from the shore,plus the dive Bus or boats from OE/Lions Dive, OE West to name a few. That should keep you busy.

 

[ReedFamily]

Thanks for all the help. I think we decided to try Curacao this year. Thanks again everyone

 

[WarmWaterDiver]

ReedFamily,

Don't miss out on the Curacao NOW promotion incentives, if you weren't aware of them already. This definitely puts a difference expense-wise between Bonaire and Curacao while this promotion for Curacao is available.

Curacao NOW | Great Deals for your trip to the Caribbean Island of Curacao

 

[chauncy19]

Another positive (haven't been there or done that yet) is you can use AA frequent flyer miles to get to Curacao. I planning on doing both soon although won't get to Curacao till 2010.
enjoy