Looking at Curacao for our next adventure. Leaning toward Renaissance because of it's location near town (walking distance to many restaurants), we do plan on renting a car for shore diving. Yes this is a dive vacation not a vacation where we dive. We have been to Bonaire but are wanting easier entries. So do we find a dive package that has unlimited air (as most do in Bonaire) or should we rent tanks at the beach where we dive? What can we expect to pay per tank? Scuba lodge advertises 7 days unlimited tanks for $150. Our plan, because of the travel time between sites, is to do 1 tank going left, surface interval, then another tank going to the rightop. 3 tanks a day is about our limit. We are looking at late April. Any thoughts or tips are greatly appreciated ! thanks Bill and DeeDee
Tank costs.....what to expect
- Thread starter wildbill9
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I suggest you rent tanks at the place you are staying or close by if you decide to dive dive sites without facilities and rent tanks at the dive sites with facilities. This way you can use the local shops for information, rinsing, safety or for a simple o-ring if needed. It will cost a little more maybe......
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Check but I don't think there's a dive at the Renaissance, it sits on a cliff near the harbor so even their "beach" is around the pool on one side. Personally the Renaissance wouldn't be for me since it's right next to the Megaport cruiseport downtown.
Edited to remove links to the other Marriott (see below)
Scuba Lodge is also awkward for tanks if you're staying at the Renaissance. No boat dives from there and being on the fringes of the east side (Punda) of downtown (bisected by the harbor from the Renaissance) you'd have to drive back north over the bridge then south to get tanks. If you aren't planning to stay there it would not be convenient. Once we went to that area on a cruise day and traffic was so bad that after waiting about 1/2 hr. we parked in a field and walked in about a mile - it was really congested.
On the west side, there's Relaxed Guided Dives. Their location for tanks/fills is pretty convenient on the main road west just past the airport. If you dive West you're going to pass it every time. They also offer packages.
I'd guess over 10 days of diving, we used the on-site tanks about 1/2 the time. Some like Go West at Lodge KH just for the convenience, park in their lot right by the diveshop, down a flight of really bad stairs to their shop with lockers/restrooms/showers plus access to their dive dock that takes you far enough out to deeper water that you can stride off the end if the tide is in.
I don't have any recollection of what we paid for tanks onsite. Plus I was using up my guilders so I'm not even sure what I paid...lol But it wasn't enough to budget for. At some sites even if you show up with tanks, they may ask for a usage fee if you use any of their facilities/property. Some of the beach operators are pretty aggressive about it but for most tell them you're diving with the shop onsite and they'll leave you alone since it's included.
Sites where you'll definitely need tanks - Playa Jeremi, likely the Tugboat since the dive school there keeps closing/re-opening, Director's Bay, Pierbaai Beach.
Sites we rented on-site - Trunk Bay/Varsenbaai, Playa Kalki, Nos Kas (the old Habitat site) Porto Mari, 2-3 others I don't remember. Our first couple of days in Lagun, we rented from Discover Dive since they have a truck height loading dock and there were 7 of us so we actually rented a truck just to mostly haul tanks. Later we rented tanks from a since closed shop near town. Trunk Divers at Trunk Bay publishes the Curacao Shore Dive Guide.
I've read it both ways but unlike Bonaire our apt. mgr. told us to lock everything in the vehicles at the more remote sites. I've also heard Bonaire rules apply so I really don't know. Most times at a site with an operator they have a view of the parking area. One even volunteered to watch our vehicles if we pointed them out.
Edited to remove links to the other Marriott (see below)
Scuba Lodge is also awkward for tanks if you're staying at the Renaissance. No boat dives from there and being on the fringes of the east side (Punda) of downtown (bisected by the harbor from the Renaissance) you'd have to drive back north over the bridge then south to get tanks. If you aren't planning to stay there it would not be convenient. Once we went to that area on a cruise day and traffic was so bad that after waiting about 1/2 hr. we parked in a field and walked in about a mile - it was really congested.
On the west side, there's Relaxed Guided Dives. Their location for tanks/fills is pretty convenient on the main road west just past the airport. If you dive West you're going to pass it every time. They also offer packages.
I'd guess over 10 days of diving, we used the on-site tanks about 1/2 the time. Some like Go West at Lodge KH just for the convenience, park in their lot right by the diveshop, down a flight of really bad stairs to their shop with lockers/restrooms/showers plus access to their dive dock that takes you far enough out to deeper water that you can stride off the end if the tide is in.
I don't have any recollection of what we paid for tanks onsite. Plus I was using up my guilders so I'm not even sure what I paid...lol But it wasn't enough to budget for. At some sites even if you show up with tanks, they may ask for a usage fee if you use any of their facilities/property. Some of the beach operators are pretty aggressive about it but for most tell them you're diving with the shop onsite and they'll leave you alone since it's included.
Sites where you'll definitely need tanks - Playa Jeremi, likely the Tugboat since the dive school there keeps closing/re-opening, Director's Bay, Pierbaai Beach.
Sites we rented on-site - Trunk Bay/Varsenbaai, Playa Kalki, Nos Kas (the old Habitat site) Porto Mari, 2-3 others I don't remember. Our first couple of days in Lagun, we rented from Discover Dive since they have a truck height loading dock and there were 7 of us so we actually rented a truck just to mostly haul tanks. Later we rented tanks from a since closed shop near town. Trunk Divers at Trunk Bay publishes the Curacao Shore Dive Guide.
I've read it both ways but unlike Bonaire our apt. mgr. told us to lock everything in the vehicles at the more remote sites. I've also heard Bonaire rules apply so I really don't know. Most times at a site with an operator they have a view of the parking area. One even volunteered to watch our vehicles if we pointed them out.
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The Marriot has been sold and is/will be closed a year for renovation
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good to know, I'll stop referring people there...
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