Then I see a post that the 2 dive resorts in Curacao have closed. 2?
I may have posted 2 but I meant 2 of XX since there's many more if you expand the category to include all the ones you listed also:
Caribbean Club, Beach Comber Villas, Hamlet Oasis, Captain Don's Habitat, Buddy Dive, Sand Dollar (choice of Dive Friends or BDA), Eden Beach Resort, Windsock Resort, Belmar, Den Lamen...Eden Beach and Sand Dollar
My take on it is that the only two "Dive Resorts - i.e. that market themselves primarily as that are Buddy Dive and Capt's Don's Habitat. From my perspective all the rest are condos with a focus on diving. In that list, I'd also include Port Bonaire since there's a Dive Friends shop there. Interesting that you didn't list the only full AI "Dive Resort" on Bonaire - the Plaza. Since they have a full AI dive package since last year. But I don't think of the Plaza as a dive resort either - it's too sprawling and non-conducive to easy diving with the shop at one end and their house dive the other.
So let's compare to Curacao:
The two real "Dive" Resorts are Lion's Dive Resort and Scuba Lodge - although SL doesn't have their own boat afaik. Sunscape is also since you can bundle diving in an AI package with Ocean Encounters on-site. Curacao is slightly different than Bonaire in that they also have hotels with on-site dive operators so including those, here's that list: Santa Barbara Resort, Holiday Beach Resort, Blue Bay Resort, the Hilton, the Marriott Piscadera Bay, Atlantis Apt/Diving, Trupial Inn, Bahia Resort/Diving, Lagoon Ocean Resort, Lagun Blou Resort, All West Apts and Lodge Kura Hulanda (last two share Go West Diving). I left off places that have packages with someone but no onsite operator - like Marazul condos. Similar to Lagoen Hills on Bonaire - technically the 4th "Buddy Dive location".
Curacao also has a
bar with it's own dive shop - Pirate Bay. And a housing complex with it's own - Coral Estates - both are Diveversity locations. And Curacao has the Dive Bus - nothing like that on Bonaire. Ever dove with a shop that includes a beer in the price? Plus I can name at least 5 shore dive sites with their own dedicated operator, Playa Lagun, Varsenbaai, Porto Mari, Jan Thiel, Pierbaai (the Dive Bus calls it their "house reef") and the Tugboat. There's also dozen or more non-affiliated operations on Curacao like Bas Harts, Twin Divers, Wedefort, Goby, Curious 2 Dive, Relaxed Guided Dives, Van de Van, Want to Dive etc.
So I kind of think it is both. I know people that have been to Grand Cayman - usually via cruise ship. Yet virtually none of them know it's also one of the Dive mecca's in the Caribbean also. I think Curacao itself under-represents itself as a diving destination. When I mention it to non-dive friends they almost all ask if that's the place with the colorful shops downtown.
I suspect part of the issue is looking at Curacao diving from a Bonaire mindset.
1.) Do I need to 'plan' where I'm going to dive in advance? Since some sites will have rental tanks & some won't? If I dive mostly sites with them, is there extra hassle to 'make arrangements' for rental tanks I can take off-site for the few dives I want to do elsewhere?
More so than on Bonaire since the sites are farther apart. Most of the popular dive sites have rental tanks available. I don't understand the 3rd question. Is it a hassle to carry tanks from most of the dive resorts on Bonaire to your car - except for Buddy's. And actually Relaxed Guided Dives on Curacao is similar - tank fill station mid-island. Discover Diving has a truck height tank loading dock in Lagun also.
2.) If I bring rental tanks from elsewhere, is there a usage fee to dive at the site? How much? What if I don't use their rinse tank, chairs, umbrella, etc...?
Often but you're confusing the dive operations with the beach toy operators. They're often different. The fee is in guilders - I think it was about $4. I pretty much held out my Curacao coins and let them take what they wanted. My friend the accountant didn't seem shocked by this so I probably did alright.
If you go to a dive site where the operator has a facility, rents gear, rents tanks, has showers, lockers (some) rinse tanks and a dive dock would you pay something for that on Bonaire? You would on Grand Cayman. Or at Habitat on Bonaire. Often the beach operator has plastic chairs, umbrellas etc. and there's a separate fee for those. But many of the beach sites also have public picnic benches, many also with permanent shade. Those are all free to use. You only pay a fee if you use someone's private facilities/equipment.
3.) If you rent tanks from some place to dive their site, do you have to show a C card & fill out liability waivers there?
Yes, just like you do at every shop everywhere except Bonaire since you have the BMP tag on your person. Every other dive location I've been to in the Caribbean has required that.
4.) All this sounds like it involves more human interaction. Not everybody is a 'people person.' A hermit could dive Bonaire and be happy.
A hermit could also die while diving on Bonaire and it could be a while before anyone noticed. At least on Curacao, an operator might notice your truck had been there all day and contact someone about it. Or wonder where your one-day rental tanks were. BTW at 2 of the dive sites, the operator
volunteered to watch our vehicles. I guess that could on Bonaire - if ANY site had an on-site operator outside of town.
And Curacao is evidently not Bonaire.
No it's better in most respects, easier entries - ever read anyone talking about a difficult entry on Curacao? - there actually is
one. Tanks available where you need them. One other thing I'd mention is one morning we pulled into Discover Diving bright and early and took 18 tanks with us - rented a truck just for tanks. (5 of us) I don't think you can do that on Bonaire.
One day we drove about 30mins west - did two morning shore dives (our tanks), moved to a new site (their tanks), did both a boat dive about 20mins. away and a shore dive later that afternoon - ate dinner on-site and night dove the last site again - their tank again that they left out for us. Gone all day but that would two trips on Bonaire, once for a 2nd set of tanks and then back again for dinner/night dive right?
