Diving in Curacao For the first time

[aerogirll]

My husband and I are going to Curacao next month. We will be staying at Breezes and from what I understand, 1 dive a day is included in our stay. Does anyone have any advice for us? Is there any place we should not miss while we are there?

Thanks!!

[ronbeau]

My husband and I are going to Curacao next month. We will be staying at Breezes and from what I understand, 1 dive a day is included in our stay. Does anyone have any advice for us? Is there any place we should not miss while we are there?

Thanks!!

My family has stayed a Breezes Curacao twice in the last two years.

You are correct. One shore dive from the Breezes Curacao pier ins included per day. This shore dive includes all gear except a wet suit. You can either do the dive as a guided dive with the dive master (usually 2:30 PM) or on your own.

Other dive site I would recommend are as follows:

Caracas Bay (aka TugBoat) This location is excellent for a two-tank dive. I has full indoor and outdoor showers and a full-dive shop where you can rent tanks and weights.

Vaersenbaai (aka Police Bay) - This would be an excellent dive to do with Mark & Suzy from the The Dive Bus. Their operation is located right next door to Breezes Curacao. You simply walk out the front door of Breezes Curacao and take left past the end of the Breezes property. You will a sign for a restaurant and a dive symbol on the sign. The Dive Bus hut is located just behind and to the right of the restaurant.

The Dive Bus picks you up at the front door to Breezes and returns you to the same place. You don't even have to schlep your gear since the Breezes bus boy takes the gear to your room for you for free (there is no tipping allowed at Breezes).

Porto Mari - Full facilities including a full restaurant, rest rooms

Cas Abou

Mushroom Forest - We used Sunset Divers instead of Ocean Encounters. There were three of us so it was cheaper to rent a car and drive there than to go with Ocean Encounters that runs dive shop at Breezes. They charge you something like $90 per person since they bus you to their Ocean Encounters West dive location.

Sunset Divers provided "valet" type diving and even had us doing a cave snorkel during the surface interval. I would highly recommend Sunset Divers for the Mushroom Forest trip.

Ostrich Farm

Punda & Otrabanda (Willemstad) - There is a free shuttle that makes a trip in the morning and one trip in the afternoon to Willemstad

Distillery Tour where they make Blue Curacao liquor.

At Breezes you are entitled to eat in Pastafaris Italian restaurant and at Munasan (Japanese restaurant) at Breezes a minimum of 1 time per restaurant during your stay. I would strongly suggest that you determine which nights you would prefer to eat in these two restaurants and put your reservation in ASAP.

They take you reservation at the counter diagonally across from the main check-in desk.

Pastafari's has air-conditioning while Munasan is an open-air restaurant.

Pastafari's is good. Munasan is excellent.

Try to avoid rooms located close to the dive shop since the disco is right next door to the dive shop.

If you are not happy with your room push the issue and they will switch you to another is there are any open rooms.

I would recommend a room in the tower on the second floor or above. The rooms are spacious and you can let your wet suits and gear dry without having them disappear.

There is a towel hut on the beach where you can pick up beach towels. We picked up several and used them on the floor in the closet to catch any water as the wet suits and BCs dried in the air-conditioned room. When them swapped them for dry towels the next morning.

Feel free to ask any other questions i might not have covered.

[aerogirll]

My Husband wanted me to ask you- what is the best way to get our gear there. Should we bring it on the plane with us or should we have it shipped?

I really appreciate all your advice!!

[Damselfish]

Most people take their gear on the plane, no problem. No weights or tanks, of course. It takes a little practice to figure out just what to take and how to pack it, there are lots of threads around here with tips on this.

People talk about shipping and may do it once in a while in special cases, but I think shipping gear to a another country is uncommon and seems at least as likely to run into some kind of delay or problem as taking it on the plane with you. You have to worry about it getting there on time, not getting stuck in customs, who is receiving it on your behalf, what are they going to do with it until you get there...

[Santorini]

My family and I just got back from Curacao. We spent 12-days diving with Sunset Divers. I cannot express how nice our stay was largely in part to Sunset Divers. They accommodated every need. This was our third trip down and each time has been awesome.
If you get a chance, get out to Watamula. It is Mushroom Forest on steroids. It is at the far north end of Curacao, beyond Alice in Wonderland.
Have fun, we wish we were back there!

[Rich Coast Diving]

If you enjoy wreck diving, do not skip the superior producer in Otrobanda!!!

[naga]

If you are staying at Breezes, you are better off going 'next door' and seeing the crew at the 'Dive Bus', they are one of the finest operators on the island (and reasonably priced for multiple packages); and have access to the entire island, they offer a far more personalised service as opposed to the operator at Breezes.

They also have all the kit for rent, so use them if it is less hassle, i did and all the equipment is fine.

[nhaone]

I SECOND the motion for The Dive Bus. They are totally awesome! we stayed at
Breezes in January. Dove all dives with Dive Bus. Hands down one of the best dive ops, you cant go wrong

[dogenia]

Local guy here if you need assistance.