Curacao Trip Report

[CheddarChick]

All right guys I know it's late but here it comes. And I am sorry it is so long...


3-8-07 to 3-22-07 Thursday to Thursday
Curacao Trip Report
14 days??? I get to be gone for 14 days!!!!! No phone, no clients, nothing to do but DIVE!!!!

Thursday March 8, 2007
Leaving from Chicago on Air Jamaica at 6:20 a.m. on Thursday March 8, 2007. Saved about $900 on airfare by not going Saturday or Sunday. I worried myself silly about bad reports. Plane left on time and arrived with all my gear on time!! Flight was smooth, short layover in Jamaica was…..interesting…..Small airport that has the runway right next to the Sandals resort. Huh? Bet that makes for loud times by the pool. Anyway, back in the air, on to Curacao!!!
Landed at the new & improved Curacao airport, at 3:40 p.m... Bon Bini all!! Customs was easy, baggage pick up, a piece of cake and out the door to a short walk to the rental car site on the right. We went thru Budget Rent a car, as they were the most reasonable rates I could find. Under $400 for the 14 day period. Rental insurance, nah, what for? Outside the brand new 2007 Toyota Yaris was clean, and shiny. Couldn’t help thinking, “hmmm, dive gear stinks after 1 day”. Ah well, not my car. As they drive on the same side of the road as USA, and follow the same driving rules (err, mostly. But I think you have to pass the horn blowing class before they let you drive). We had driven there last year so it was easy to find our way around to the apartment we had rented. The apartment is called the “Kolibre House” It is an owner operated 4-unit that sits on the far end of the island towards the south side. Hmmm, concrete wall with electric and barb wire fence covered with blooming flowers. A townhouse style split floor apartment that has 2 bedrooms and 1 bath on the upper floor. Master bedroom has a balcony overlooking the lanai below. Mini kitchen, living room, 2nd bath, sliding doors that open onto private lanai. Each room has separate AC unit and big windows. Rent at $630 per week did not include utilities. The additional $90 for water and electric, I felt was reasonable. We felt very secure here, steel bars on all windows, security lights, locking mechanisms on all doors. The only draw back is the circular stairway from the main level to the lower level. Very steep and tricky at first, though you got the hang of it after awhile, (about a week). Getting to the apartment by 5:00 pm, we just settled in and relaxed. Must find grocery store soon!!! There are a couple in the area that are very nice. The Centrum is the furthest away, past the Marriott on the road to West Punt. All stocked most Americanized foods and dry goods. And the Danish meats and cheeses are to die for. Make sure you buy the $3 map, it is great even if you don't drive.

 

[erparamedic]

Cheddar.... sounds good... but I wanna hear more!!!

How about the diving?

 

[CheddarChick]

Friday March 9, 2007
Up and at ‘em right away Friday morning, we had Nitrox training at Caribbean Sea Sports at the Marriott. Felt like we were coming home as we had spent 2 weeks here last year. Hugs and kisses to all our friends there. They have a great dive shop set up right on the beach at the Marriott hotel. Full service dive shop with full training, beautiful boats, and well trained staff. The class took most of the morning and included a 2 tank boat dive the next morning. So after class, we jumped into our gear, and get right in the water. Ahhhhhh, salt water….The reef at the Marriott has a break wall that separates the protected cove from the wave action. I will say that while we were there the surf was really high!!! On to the reef! So much to see, and after being dry for 6 months, it took awhile to get eliminated again. I took too much weight, had trouble equalizing, and worked myself into a fine state. Then I saw a black and white spotted eel, and forgot everything but watching… All anxiety gone, we went into the current and marveled at the amazing life on the busy reef. Damsel fish guarding, parrot fish munching, gobies darting in and out. How wonderful. I took my Sealift DC500 and got a couple of good shots. Though I had a big learning curve to get through with it.
Brain Coral head

Amazing….. Exhausted, we headed back to the beach after 45 minutes, hung our gear at the Sea Sports drip zone, locked everything else into a locker and headed back to the apartment. As it was about 15 minutes south on the other side of Willemstad, we stocked up at the grocery store on the way home. Yippee! Back in paradise. Found ScubatexasTony’s phone number and gave him a call! What a great guy, planned to meet at the Dive Bus the following afternoon.

 

[CheddarChick]

Saturday March 10, 2007
Saturday morning back at the Marriott for our Nitrox dives on the Caribbean Sea Sport boat. We had 6 divers aboard with room for at least 6 more. Bridgett was our Captain and Anna our DM. After taking dramine and Bonine and ginger, I felt I was prepared!!! Well, turns out, not so much, waves were at least 5-6 footers, so we wallowed our way to the Carpile. And of course I chummed the water. Into the water as quick as possible please! The Carpile is not really cars so much as big hunks of coral covered twisted metal. Some were recognizable as car frames. 97 feet for 45 minutes. Reef was a bit shabby and covered with fishing line and trash. I suppose if I had felt better I would have liked it more, I just wanted to get it over with. This is the main reason I love Curacao, the best shore diving in the world. No need to get on a nasty boat at all! We wallowed our way back to the Holiday beach area, boat pitching and heaving along with my stomach…Not a great reef again with the current running strong, we whisked along for only 32 minutes at a depth of 37 feet. As we waited on the surface for the boat, the viz was so bad we couldn’t see 5 feet below us!! And of course I chummed there too! Nothing like trying to get on a rocking, bobbing, pitching boat while you are seasick. Mommy, get me back to the Marriott!!!!. Finally, we docked, and laughing we asked Bridgette how bad would it have to be to call the dive, and she said “ about this bad!” OK, no harm, no foul. Note to self: Just stay off the boats for the remained of the trip. We had plans to meet up with ScubaTexasTony so we took 4 tanks and clean towels, and loaded up the Yaris. Yup, dive gear stinks in only a day in the tropics, and so does the brand new Yaris. Plus, I think there will be enough sand in the rear to build a sandbox.



Finding the Dive Bus was easy as pie. It sits right on PierBaai Beach. Next to a great restaurant called the Seaside. Seaside is long on good food, short on amenities. You can eat on the beach with your toes in the sand. As with many island restaurants, service is slow, but the food is great! The Dive bus is a small dive shop run by Mark & Suzy Pinnell. Along with a select crew of great dive masters, it was a great Dive Op!!! We loved following Andy around on our tag-a-long dive. As we walked up to the Dive Bus hut, I heard the lilting overtones of the non-native species: Texasdisplacedus. I said to my better half, “I bet that is ScubaTexasTony”. Leaping up from his seat, with a looong, Texas drawl, was a vision. “ Hi, he said “I’m Tony!!! And it was as if my better half and Tony were separated at birth. They talked about their jobs, hunting, fishing, guns, diving, music…He and his wife were married shortly after Jeff & I were married in 1975. So they also have a 32 year anniversary coming up this year. He introduced us to Mark Pinnell, a tall, thin English accented, Korean Irishman. He was a hoot! We asked about diving in Pier Baai, and he said “gear up, let’s go!!! So we did a leisurely dive to “pick up the bottom” as Mark put it. Entering the water at the beach we floated out to the buoy line and descended to the bottom. Fairly flat and sandy bottomed, We followed the breakwater that protects the beach around the corner. The reef here, though used a ton by the locals and divers, was very healthy looking. I will remark at this point the locals don’t seem to care too much about dumping garbage in wherever they are. I guess the fishermen are the worst, We saw a ton of bottles, sardine cans, plastic cups, ect on the bottom. Mark said the locals really don’t think anything about just dumping their garbage anywhere they can. It does show up as you drive the island also. Collecting fishing line and trash as we went, we got in an easy, 69 minute dive. In this dive we saw more fish here than in the 2 boat dives we had done earlier in the day. I carried 14 pounds and decided it was too much. As we got closer to the beach, we spotted a very cool fish I have never seen before. Racing after it, I was able to get a picture of it as it floated across the sand.

 

[CheddarChick]

Wow! A flying Gunard. Beautiful wings expand as it shoots across the sandy bottom of Pier Baai. They move fast! Leaving the water toting a ton of line and garbage, I was content. Sitting with Jeff, Mark and Tony after the dive in the setting sun I felt great. Finally, diving like I love it. This spot is very popular for night diving as it has easy access off the pier or beach entry. We did a night dive here later in the week. Proclaiming starvation had set in; Tony took us to a restaurant called “The Rib Factory”. Wonderful food!! The ribs and chicken was so tender the meat fell off the bones as you ate it. Served with cole slaw, fries, and a side of corn on the cob, it was still under $20.00 per person. A great value for the quality and potion of the food they serve. After dinner we discussed the Scubaboard meet & greet the following day at the Habitat Beach. As we had no idea who to expect, it was very low key. We agreed to meet Tony out there about 10:00 on Sunday, his only day off. No spotting of the mysterious Suzy Pinnell anywhere…Is she a myth?

 

[CheddarChick]

Sunday March11, 2007-Habitat Resort Dive Shop
After a 30 minute drive north of Willemstad, we followed the main road to a turn off by the rock with the dive flag painted on it. (This system marks all the dive spots on the island) There was also great signage along the way, you can’t get lost on the island. We arrived at the Habitat resort. The hotel has clean, beautiful grounds that surround one of the best reefs on the island. The resort was busy as we unloaded the gear in the parking lot for a fair walk down a series of stairs to the well appointed dive shop. Meeting Ann Marie, the dive shop operator, was a lot of fun. We registered our c-cards with her and she took a printing of our credit card so we would be set up for as long as we wished to dive here. I talked with Ann Marie about the Scubaboard meet & greet that was supposed to happen later that day. She told us to sign in on the white board as you go down the steps and see who would show up. As it turns out, it was only Tony and us! Everyone else was underwater or out and about at the time! Ah well, organizing stuff like this is like herding kittens, fun but not productive.
Got to get in the water! Down another series of steps to ocean front where a long pier juts into the calm water. Not a ton of beach to speak of at the resort. Habitat has 2 boats that do the work of carting divers to various reefs off shore. Nice to look at but no way am I going to get back on a boat…….The dive op is a great set up with lockers, dunk tanks, showers, and easy access to the tanks. It is an honor system here so keep track of your usage. Very nice setting for a perfect dive.

 

[CheddarChick]

We entered with Tony, did an easy back float out to the where the reef drops off below you, and WOW!!!! Coral heads, and tons of fish everywhere. The reef teems with an abundance of fish and coral. I took my camera again, as did Tony. As we followed the reef into the current there was so much to see and photograph me kind of felt like the anchor. But Tony and Jeff were great, allowing me to meander and snap pictures as long as I wanted. So many time I would look up to see Jeff pointing out something else to marvel at.

Hs is so at ease in the water, I am jealous. At one point his bandana worked its way off his head, so at 45 feet he stopped, took off his mask, and dew rag, and spent a minute rearranging himself. We were in awe….
As we traveled up the reef, He stopped and showed us the BIGGEST lobster I have ever seen. It has as long as my arm. And thicker than my forearm.

 

[CheddarChick]

And I know that things look a third bigger underwater so I held my arm out next to him as he walked down the reef like he was a king. And as old as he was, I’m sure he was the king…After 1500 pounds were gone we turned around and headed back to the rope marking the entry to the beach. Our surface interval we spent at the restaurant where we looked at our pictures. I hated most of mine, too blue. What am I doing wrong???? Tony showed me how to change the f setting on the camera, I was stoked!!! Let’s go back in!!!!!

 

[CheddarChick]

Monday 03-12-07 Porto Marie
Easily my favorite dive spot on Curacao. Porto Marie is a diver’s dream. The well stocked dive shop has tanks, showers, bathrooms, dunk tanks all stocked and waiting for you! Small entry fee for the beach and chair rental is required. The site offers a restaurant and bar combo, where you can rent locks for the lockers. We loved this spot for the double reef. The first one is a short back stroke out and drop to 30 feet. Rich coral feeds the abundant life here. We even saw a tube coral spawning here, in March….unusual at the very least. Suzy at the Dive Bus said it might be because of the solar eclipse. Or that “they were just feeling fruity”. Loved that girl….

The reef on Porto Marie is a double reef actually with the first set being at about 30-40 feet. They have placed manmade fish cribs in the sandy bottom close to shore to encourage small & big fish alike into the shore for snorklers.
As you drift out over the first reef, the first thing you notice is the amazing coral heads. Brain coral and soft corals are especially colorful and vibrant. Fish are teeming throughout the nooks and crannies. Cleaner shrimp set up work stations everywhere and the fish take advantage of their skills. Under the coral heads, lobster & crabs hide away until nightfall. By poking your head into the underside you can find the crusty keepers of the deep and snap away with your camera. At about 40-50 feet the reef stretches down into another sandy bottom. At about 60-70 feet the sand seems barren until you get close. Flounder blending in with the sand are everywhere. And look out for the Scorpion fish, they have a nasty sting and blend in completely.

Coming down on the second reef at about 60 feet the water deepens into an indigo shade. Calm water and almost no current lulls this diver into feeling totally at peace with life. Suddenly a silver flash across my prepherial vision, and a barracuda prowls by. Attracted by the ball of bait fish, she hunts with great skill, joining her are Jacks that turn and twist with the greatest of ease as they join the buffet. In the distance a HUGE grouper lurks just far enough away so I can’t get a good picture.

 

[CheddarChick]

Tuesday, 3/13/2007 Cas Abou
We decided the next morning to dive at Cas Abou today. We were here last year with our friends Julia & Anti, and really liked it. Located close to Porto Marie, it is also protected from heavy waves and currents. The beach is really nice, with bathrooms, beach huts, showers, (small fee) and dunk tanks. Add a restaurant and bar and I call it perfect. There is a charge of $3 guilders for chair rental and $3.5 guilders beach fee. While still and amazing dive I was so spoiled by Porto Marie. The dive is a short backstroke out, then drops to about a 20’ depth. The reef starts out as a sandy bottom and drops over the edge to a depth of over 100’ Very easy dive for beginners and great dive for the more advanced.
Jeff took over camera duties today. He had some really nice shots, one of the purple Tube sponge spawning. Completely at the wrong time of year for this to happen, so we were stunned. He was surprised by how much air you go thru when taking pictures. Tons of eels, and we saw a feeding frenzy of a number of different fish all after the same thing. Couldn’t figure out what they were after though. Really like this beach also, but with all the other places to explore, we won’t come back.