How is shore diving done in Curacao?

[Sirto]

I've been reading up on shore diving in Curacao and it sounds somewhat different than in Bonaire. In Bonaire you rent tanks and weights from an operator then drive to a site and do your dive.

From what I've read so far on Curacao it sounds like you rent a tank and weights at a specific beach then return them before you go on to your next dive site. It also sounded like there are entrance fees for the beaches.

Can someone verify for me just how shore diving works in Curacao? Do the dive sites have facilities; shower, rinse tanks, restrooms which is why there are entry fees? How much are the fees typically.

 

[Knight1989]

I've been reading up on shore diving in Curacao and it sounds somewhat different than in Bonaire. In Bonaire you rent tanks and weights from an operator then drive to a site and do your dive.

From what I've read so far on Curacao it sounds like you rent a tank and weights at a specific beach then return them before you go on to your next dive site. It also sounded like there are entrance fees for the beaches.

Can someone verify for me just how shore diving works in Curacao? Do the dive sites have facilities; shower, rinse tanks, restrooms which is why there are entry fees? How much are the fees typically.

You can actually do both. Many of the popular beachs have dive shops on them where you can rent gear, or you can drive it do the beach from anouther shop, usually what I did. Most of the popular dive beachs have showers, rinse tanks and things like that available, you may just have to ask someone to use them. Depending on the beach, they may be public or property of the respective dive shop. I never had a shop decline to let me rinse off in thier stuff the whole time I was stationed there. The entry fees vary, depending on the beach and the time of day. I only recall one or two beachs that made you pay all day, some of the others were just at night. I dont remimber the exact fees but it wasnt much, maybe 5 dollars. Shore diving on the island is extremly easy, I did the vast majority of my dives from the shore. Like I said, many beachs, but not all, have a dive shop you can rent from, or you can bring your own from anouther site.

 

[herman]

We dove there in July. The dive in frount of our resort was pretty good so we did not do to much exploring. We did dive 2 public beaches Cas Abao and Porta Marie. Both had rinse tanks, restrooms, shade and pretty good restaurants. The entry fee was in the $2 USD range (3.50 to 4.00 Guilders) per day. PM threw in a Coke with the entry fee. I don't recall Cas Abao having a dive shop but Porta Marie had a fairly nice one but, we used tanks from our dive shop. Having dove Bonaire so much I was a little put off by the idea of having to pay to dive but after diving at those 2 sites I changed my mind. It was nice having shade, restrooms and something to eat close at hand. If you have non divers with you, the sandy beaches and shade makes their stay at the beach a lot more pleasent.

 

[chuck e]

I've been reading up on shore diving in Curacao and it sounds somewhat different than in Bonaire. In Bonaire you rent tanks and weights from an operator then drive to a site and do your dive.

From what I've read so far on Curacao it sounds like you rent a tank and weights at a specific beach then return them before you go on to your next dive site. It also sounded like there are entrance fees for the beaches.

Can someone verify for me just how shore diving works in Curacao? Do the dive sites have facilities; shower, rinse tanks, restrooms which is why there are entry fees? How much are the fees typically.

see http://www.shorediving.com for detailed site descriptions.

 

[snorkelgeek]

Can someone verify for me just how shore diving works in Curacao? Do the dive sites have facilities; shower, rinse tanks, restrooms which is why there are entry fees? How much are the fees typically.

Though not a diver, I stayed two weeks in Curacao at Sunset Waters Resort. Sunset Waters has one of the dive sites on the island - the airplane wreck. While the wreck itself is not that impressive, the divers that were at the hotel at the same time favourably commented on the shore dives at the site. There is a dive shop at Sunset Waters that has an excellent rep. You can drive down to the beach to drop equipment off (you may have to park back at the top, not sure). Entry is through the lagoon at the resort. Because it's a resort, there is a restaurant, washrooms and showers at the site. Most of the divers while we were there, would go out with the boat during the day and would save the shore dives for night dives. I believe there was a small fee to use the beach if you were not a guest, but to be frank, I don't know who collected it!

Brenda