ronski101
Contributor
4 of us are going in april but can't decide between Bonaire or Curacao. Been to Bonaire a bunch of times but never Curacao. Is the diving comparable? How about value? What don't you like about each? Let's play nice...
Curacao vs Bonaire
- Thread starter ronski101
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
drrich2
Contributor
Here's a thread on Bonaire vs. Curacao, from back in June 2013, where a number of people gave thoughtful contributions. I have been to Bonaire 7 times but not to Curacao, and was 'Curacao curious,' so I participated in the thread and tried to find out some of what you are. Based on that thread and others, it's my understanding that if I went to Curacao I would find:
1.) Similar diving with longer swim outs but more easier sandy beach entries.
2.) Unlike Bonaire where a road closely hugs the coast all the way around the island, or close to it, in Curacao the road is further inland, and I'd often be turning off on side-roads to go to & from dive sites. Curacao roads are often unmarked, so getting to sites can be confusing.
3.) Some sites have 'facilities.' And some people seem to think this is a good thing. But with those facilities sometimes come usage fees! Perhaps a few dollars, yes, but unlimited 'no extra charge' shore diving is what I'm used to in Bonaire, and coughing up $5 or what-have-you would bite for me. If you're not so cheap, you might like it. It's not clear to me what all these facilities include.
4.) Curacao is larger, more populous, would probably have more cultural attractions. I hear it's got an ostrich farm.
5.) Curacao forbids solo diving, but it's thought this hardly gets policed, so it's doubtful the authorities will be following you around watching for it. (Late edit 12-31-13: Turns out Curacao doesn't forbid solo diving, but a number of dive op.s do; see later posts in this thread for more info.).
About how many dives per week do you do in Bonaire? If you're bent on 4 to 5 per day, each at a different site, you might find Curacao more annoying. But if you're taking non-divers who want to do other stuff, it might be just your thing.
Richard.
1.) Similar diving with longer swim outs but more easier sandy beach entries.
2.) Unlike Bonaire where a road closely hugs the coast all the way around the island, or close to it, in Curacao the road is further inland, and I'd often be turning off on side-roads to go to & from dive sites. Curacao roads are often unmarked, so getting to sites can be confusing.
3.) Some sites have 'facilities.' And some people seem to think this is a good thing. But with those facilities sometimes come usage fees! Perhaps a few dollars, yes, but unlimited 'no extra charge' shore diving is what I'm used to in Bonaire, and coughing up $5 or what-have-you would bite for me. If you're not so cheap, you might like it. It's not clear to me what all these facilities include.
4.) Curacao is larger, more populous, would probably have more cultural attractions. I hear it's got an ostrich farm.
5.) Curacao forbids solo diving, but it's thought this hardly gets policed, so it's doubtful the authorities will be following you around watching for it. (Late edit 12-31-13: Turns out Curacao doesn't forbid solo diving, but a number of dive op.s do; see later posts in this thread for more info.).
About how many dives per week do you do in Bonaire? If you're bent on 4 to 5 per day, each at a different site, you might find Curacao more annoying. But if you're taking non-divers who want to do other stuff, it might be just your thing.
Richard.
Last edited:
Having been to both - three times to Curacao - when people ask which to go to I most often say "it depends."
Are you all four divers, looking to Dive-Dive-Dive? Hard to beat Bonaire, which is essentially a land-based liveaboard trip in my mind. Curacao diving is the same, but as mentioned above, the logistics are different. I wouldn't hesitate to go to Curacao for a "dive, dive, dive" trip with three buddies. Especially if I'd been to Bonaire "a bunch of times" already.
The logistics are a bit more involved than simply stopping anywhere and jumping in the water (I think I've got a good write up on the topic in the thread that Richard cites, if not search my user name and keyword Curacao.) but it will absolutely be no problem at all to anyone who understands this going in.
As for "usage fees" at dive sites, the only one that I know of that charges anything is "Cas Abou" and technically they are only charging you for parking since the parking lot is theirs. All beaches on Curacao are public; you can certainly park out on the road and walk to the beach with your gear for no charge if you like. (It's a long walk, and I wouldn't do it.) I also find that if you tell them you are diving with Caribbean Sea Sports (the op on that beach) they won't charge you for parking. Many beaches/sites have rental beach chairs and umbrellas and such, and there's usually a nominal fee to rent them for the day. But you don't need to use them, and are welcome to bring a towel and plop yourself under a palm tree anywhere you like. It is nice to come up from a dive and have a bar/restaurant right there on the beach, with bathrooms, showers, etc.
If you or any of your party want to combine a nice "beach vacation" with a "dive trip" Curacao would be at the top of my list, especially if you've got a mix of non-divers or some folks that are 2-3x day divers and some that are 4-5x day. Curacao has real, honest to gash beaches with sand and palm trees and pina coladas that non-divers will happily hang out at while the divers dive.
As my wife says:
Bonaire is where divers go to vacation.
Curacao is where vacationers go to dive.
PS - I'm not sure where the idea that "Curacao forbids solo diving" comes from. The island itself, as with Bonaire, really has nothing to say on the subject. The dive ops on Bonaire are as anti-solo diving as any I've seen on Curacao. The fact of the matter is that on either island, any OP will rent you tanks... and as far as I know none of them will follow you once you load them in your car and drive away.
Are you all four divers, looking to Dive-Dive-Dive? Hard to beat Bonaire, which is essentially a land-based liveaboard trip in my mind. Curacao diving is the same, but as mentioned above, the logistics are different. I wouldn't hesitate to go to Curacao for a "dive, dive, dive" trip with three buddies. Especially if I'd been to Bonaire "a bunch of times" already.
The logistics are a bit more involved than simply stopping anywhere and jumping in the water (I think I've got a good write up on the topic in the thread that Richard cites, if not search my user name and keyword Curacao.) but it will absolutely be no problem at all to anyone who understands this going in.
As for "usage fees" at dive sites, the only one that I know of that charges anything is "Cas Abou" and technically they are only charging you for parking since the parking lot is theirs. All beaches on Curacao are public; you can certainly park out on the road and walk to the beach with your gear for no charge if you like. (It's a long walk, and I wouldn't do it.) I also find that if you tell them you are diving with Caribbean Sea Sports (the op on that beach) they won't charge you for parking. Many beaches/sites have rental beach chairs and umbrellas and such, and there's usually a nominal fee to rent them for the day. But you don't need to use them, and are welcome to bring a towel and plop yourself under a palm tree anywhere you like. It is nice to come up from a dive and have a bar/restaurant right there on the beach, with bathrooms, showers, etc.
If you or any of your party want to combine a nice "beach vacation" with a "dive trip" Curacao would be at the top of my list, especially if you've got a mix of non-divers or some folks that are 2-3x day divers and some that are 4-5x day. Curacao has real, honest to gash beaches with sand and palm trees and pina coladas that non-divers will happily hang out at while the divers dive.
As my wife says:
Bonaire is where divers go to vacation.
Curacao is where vacationers go to dive.
PS - I'm not sure where the idea that "Curacao forbids solo diving" comes from. The island itself, as with Bonaire, really has nothing to say on the subject. The dive ops on Bonaire are as anti-solo diving as any I've seen on Curacao. The fact of the matter is that on either island, any OP will rent you tanks... and as far as I know none of them will follow you once you load them in your car and drive away.
Curacao has the same diving as Bonaire. Both have there good dive sites and there bad. Yes the logistical part of curaçao is different than bonaire, but curaçao makes up for that with a lot more things to offer.
Bonaire is for diving. Curacao is for diving and having the option to do more.
Cas abao is not the only beach they will charge you. But paying a small fee for knowing your car is parked save and to have the option to use the facilities is more than worth it.
Bonaire is for diving. Curacao is for diving and having the option to do more.
Cas abao is not the only beach they will charge you. But paying a small fee for knowing your car is parked save and to have the option to use the facilities is more than worth it.
Looks like the post Richard linked is a shorter one, so here's the content of my two usual Curacao rejoinders:
----------------------------------
My wife doesn't dive, nor do my two children. Family trips to places like Hawaii or Cayman Islands can be difficult to dive, since diving there usually means being gone before they wake up and being absent for 2/3rds of a day out on a boat. One of our favorite family vacation spots is Curacao. Been there three times, and will be back many more. With plentiful shore diving, most of which can be done from some of the islands nicest beaches, I'm able to get a fair bit of diving in on a "non-diving" family vacation. Goes like this...
Nice, leisurely breakfast at hotel before heading off to a beach like Playa Porto Mari. When we arrive I tell the dive op on site I'm looking for a shore dive buddy and point out where I'm sitting and then set up camp at the beach with the wife and kids. Play with the kids in the sand and the water for a while. Tan, snorkel, read a book, etc.
At some point a single diver or buddy pair will approach me and ask if I want to join them for a shore dive. Before grabbing my gear I turn to my wife and say "I'm going for a quick dive... want me to grab you a pina colada on the way back?" and walk into the water. 45-60min later I'm back on my lounge chair with a cold beer and happy wife. Typically I can get 10 or so dives in during a one-week trip without anyone really noticing/caring that I did a fair bit of diving.
------------------------------
There's lots of great beaches, many/most of which have an on-site dive op if you want to rent tanks there. CSS has a pretty good deal on unlimited tanks for the week, so getting them at your hotel and driving around as in Bonaire is an option. I would make it a point (or punt, as the case may be) to get up to Westpunt for a day. Go to All West diving right at Playa Kalki, do a few shore dives in the morning right off the dock, have a burger for lunch at restaurant up the steps from the beach, then do an afternoon boat dive to Watamula or Mushroom Forest. When you get back from that have a few beers and enjoy the beach. Be sure to schedule this excursion on a day when Sol Food is open so you have dinner with Sunshine (above poster) and David at their great restaurant.
Do note that the geography/topography of Curaçao is very different than Bonaire, and shore diving/driving requires a bit more understanding of where you want to go before you set out. While the diving itself is very similar to Bonaire, the island's logistic/traffic situating is very different. If you look at a typical, no-detail "dive site map" of Curacao you'd think "wow, look how easy!"
But in reality, Curacao is much more irregularly shaped than Bonaire (certainly far more so than the map above) with many coves, hills, etc. Accordingly, unlike Bonaire, there is not a single "main road" that runs along the coast.
Link to hi-res version of above: http://www.caribbean-on-line.com/islands/cr/images/curacao-map.gif
Many people get to Curacao and are surprised to discover that driving from one divesite to another - though perhaps only a 1/2 mile apart - requires traversing back out the opposite direction, up to the main road, heading back towards the next site, down a series of poorly marked roads and turn-offs, getting to the wrong beach, heading back to the main road, and eventually finding your way to the next site.
As far as I'm concerned, it's no problem as long as you know that going in.
Enjoy!
Ray
----------------------------------
My wife doesn't dive, nor do my two children. Family trips to places like Hawaii or Cayman Islands can be difficult to dive, since diving there usually means being gone before they wake up and being absent for 2/3rds of a day out on a boat. One of our favorite family vacation spots is Curacao. Been there three times, and will be back many more. With plentiful shore diving, most of which can be done from some of the islands nicest beaches, I'm able to get a fair bit of diving in on a "non-diving" family vacation. Goes like this...
Nice, leisurely breakfast at hotel before heading off to a beach like Playa Porto Mari. When we arrive I tell the dive op on site I'm looking for a shore dive buddy and point out where I'm sitting and then set up camp at the beach with the wife and kids. Play with the kids in the sand and the water for a while. Tan, snorkel, read a book, etc.
At some point a single diver or buddy pair will approach me and ask if I want to join them for a shore dive. Before grabbing my gear I turn to my wife and say "I'm going for a quick dive... want me to grab you a pina colada on the way back?" and walk into the water. 45-60min later I'm back on my lounge chair with a cold beer and happy wife. Typically I can get 10 or so dives in during a one-week trip without anyone really noticing/caring that I did a fair bit of diving.
------------------------------
There's lots of great beaches, many/most of which have an on-site dive op if you want to rent tanks there. CSS has a pretty good deal on unlimited tanks for the week, so getting them at your hotel and driving around as in Bonaire is an option. I would make it a point (or punt, as the case may be) to get up to Westpunt for a day. Go to All West diving right at Playa Kalki, do a few shore dives in the morning right off the dock, have a burger for lunch at restaurant up the steps from the beach, then do an afternoon boat dive to Watamula or Mushroom Forest. When you get back from that have a few beers and enjoy the beach. Be sure to schedule this excursion on a day when Sol Food is open so you have dinner with Sunshine (above poster) and David at their great restaurant.
Do note that the geography/topography of Curaçao is very different than Bonaire, and shore diving/driving requires a bit more understanding of where you want to go before you set out. While the diving itself is very similar to Bonaire, the island's logistic/traffic situating is very different. If you look at a typical, no-detail "dive site map" of Curacao you'd think "wow, look how easy!"
But in reality, Curacao is much more irregularly shaped than Bonaire (certainly far more so than the map above) with many coves, hills, etc. Accordingly, unlike Bonaire, there is not a single "main road" that runs along the coast.
Link to hi-res version of above: http://www.caribbean-on-line.com/islands/cr/images/curacao-map.gif
Many people get to Curacao and are surprised to discover that driving from one divesite to another - though perhaps only a 1/2 mile apart - requires traversing back out the opposite direction, up to the main road, heading back towards the next site, down a series of poorly marked roads and turn-offs, getting to the wrong beach, heading back to the main road, and eventually finding your way to the next site.
As far as I'm concerned, it's no problem as long as you know that going in.
Enjoy!
Ray
- Messages
- 26,281
- Reaction score
- 5,874
- # of dives
- I'm a Fish!
Short answers:
Yes with exceptions. There's nothing like Mushroom Forest/Blue Cave on Bonaire. Both have a pier dive - Curacao's also has the Tugboat on-site. And Curacao has the Dolphin dives thru Ocean Encounters. Only the east side of Curacao is a marine park and it shows in some areas - more hard debris in the water. Equally good viz at either location. Same basic fish/animal life. In fact I told my non-Bonaire friends that one site we did out west could've been either island. Klein Curacao is an all day trip as the island is several miles south of the East End. Never been there.
About the same at either place. I paid about $2K for diving, a room in a condo/apt., food and shared vehicle rental. I don't remember airfare costs but for us Curacao was much easier to get to. Left Phoenix at 6AM and was in my apt. 30mins. outside of town by 3PM. Even did a dusk dive nearby - they have no Orientation although I think we did buy a tag once.
Curacao is more crowded - esp. downtown since there's a cruise dock, container port, oil refinery and larger city center there. Otoh there's much more to do at night - a dozen casinos, nightclubs, dancing, beach clubs, many good restaurants etc. The west end of Curacao is even quieter than the Belnem area of Bonaire - we stay at BelMar. There seemed to be more potential theft on Curacao - both resorts we stayed at had entry gates, barred windows at one and our rental agent made it clear that certain areas were "iffy" - at night. And to lock everything up.
What I really prefer about Curacao over Bonaire is the entries at the shore dive sites. Most are flat sandy beaches. It's like the reef is 100-200yds. or so farther out. Many also have an on-site operator - at some there's also a beach toy operator. Usually a small usage fee is collected unless you rent from them. We only did one boat dive all week on Curacao.
Curacao dive sites are also much farther apart - often requiring retracing your steps back to the main road then driving a few minutes back to the water at the next site. There's very few locations where you can drive past site after site like on Bonaire's south end. For that reason doing 4 dives/day almost inherently requires repeating one. In a couple areas the sites are 5mins. apart on the same road so those can be done in the same morning/afternoon. We only managed 5 once by eating dinner at a site we did in the afternoon then a night dive.
Curacao also has the Dolphin dive. And the Dive Bus if you're interested in escorted shore diving. They pick up at most properties in Willemstad and dive the best of what's nearby.
fwiw, I'll go back to Curacao before I go back to Bonaire. Just enjoyed it more topside.
Edit: oops seems like I was too slow in posting...
---------- Post added December 30th, 2013 at 07:47 PM ----------
Wrong - only certain operators do. At one a staff member helped me turn on my tank valve after I'd geared up and walked 60' down the dive dock. I think he'd have said something...Last trip I did about 6 solo dives - no one noticed/cared. But I didn't dive with the biggest operator - except for the Dolphin dive.
Who do you dive with on Bonaire? Many of those operators also have a no-solo stipulation on their rental agreement.
drrich2
Contributor
Good to know. I heard about solo being forbidden on Curacao in a post on this forum awhile back; I think a dive op. person told a visitor or perspective visitor that, and it was mentioned in a post on here. Here's a thread started by Kharon in which he posted:
On Bonaire, I've various dove with WannaDive (from Eden Beach Resort and Dive Hut) and Buddy Dive. I didn't read the customer agreements especially closely, and as far as I'm concerned, any anti-solo stuff is intended to protect them from liability in the event of a diver death.
DiverSteve, in another thread from one of your postings, this snippet concerning Curacao:
You said 'enforced.' I wonder how?
Richard.
On Bonaire, I've various dove with WannaDive (from Eden Beach Resort and Dive Hut) and Buddy Dive. I didn't read the customer agreements especially closely, and as far as I'm concerned, any anti-solo stuff is intended to protect them from liability in the event of a diver death.
DiverSteve, in another thread from one of your postings, this snippet concerning Curacao:
You said 'enforced.' I wonder how?
Richard.
- Messages
- 26,281
- Reaction score
- 5,874
- # of dives
- I'm a Fish!
Kharon has never been there...
Try walking in there and proclaiming you want to rent tanks to solo dive... Not likely to happen.
Try walking in there and proclaiming you want to rent tanks to solo dive... Not likely to happen.
drrich2
Contributor
Oh yeah, I don't plan to announce it! After all, there's really no point in doing so, and from a risk-management perspective, it could needlessly implicate a dive shop over choices I make. No point in starting a fight when there's nothing to win. Ronski101's small group may well not have any intentions of diving solo; I, however, do, so I mentioned it in case it became an issue.
Richard.
Richard.
At the risk of sounding harsh, you didn't "mention it" but in fact "made a pronouncement worded in such a way as if you were speaking with the authority of personal experience or specific knowledge... though had no idea what you were talking about, but merely repeating someone else's bad information."
:d
Those two things are a bit different... and likely to be of less than ZER0 value to the OP or anyone reading this thread.
Last edited:
Similar threads
