LeeParrish
Contributor
We just got back from a great 5 nights in Curacao. It was my first time diving after completing my open water certification, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. We booked this trip last year before I had ever thought of getting dive certified, and it just worked out to be a perfect trip. We usually look for trips we can do on American Airlines and Marriott reward points, since I usually have quite a few in my account due to my job that has me travel quite a bit. We were able to get 4 tickets with AA, and a great beach front room at the Marriott Beach Resort. We liked the Marriott, and the hotel did a great job at taking care of us. We had asked for a room near the dive shop, and they sure delivered, our room was about as close as you could get and still have a great ocean view. With a fridge in the room (we had requested one), a case of those small cans of Amstel, and a beautiful beach view, we never really wanted to leave. We rented a car as well, and went into town a few times to eat, and the family went in to shop around.
I spent my first morning diving with with Mark from The Dive Bus diving the Pierbaai reef right there at the Dive Bus hut. Being my first dives after certification, first dives in the ocean (I was certified in a local freshwater lake), and first with my own new equipment it was a great way to get started. Mark was so helpful with getting the new equipment set up, and then took time to help me get my bouyancy worked out it made the dives much more enjoyable. We went out and checked out the new growth that the staghorn corals have begun after being damaged in the hurricane last year, and saw quite a few really cool fish and corals in the area. Mark pointed out so many creatures both big and small along the way, it was a perfect guided tour of the area. Mark made it such an enjoyable and relaxed experience that I can't imagine how it could have been any better.
I made it back to the Marriott that afternoon and since I didn't have a dive buddy, I was lucky to be able to tag along with Raul of Caribbean Sea Sports who had a Discover Scuba class going out. It was a short, but still nice dive of the local Marriott house reef, which ended up being the only time I got out to the Marriott house reef. I wish I had a chance to get out on in this area more, but there is always "next time
".
The next morning Mark from The Dive Bus picked me up and we headed out to Vaersenbaai. We were the only divers there that morning, and we started out diving through huge schools of Creole Wrasse that were shoaling off the slope. It was a great pair of dives, and we ran into a big box crab, Scarlet Cleaner and Pedersons shrimp, golden crinoid starfish, arrow crabs, barracuda, moral eels, and an octopus (that had just dined on another big box crab, the fresh shell was still in the area). On the way back in Mark had a trumpetfish that was so tame it was swimming a few inches from him, just floating in the water as he hovered there. I was able to get right up on it to take some photos, and at first I thought that Mark had somehow hypnotized it. Overall, a couple of really great dives.
That afternoon I made it back to the Marriott and went out on the afternoon boat dive with Caribbean Sea Sports to the reef out from the Sea Aquarium. I was the only diver and dove with Neal while the boat had a load of snorkelers up topside. It was a great location, with some great hard and soft corals, as well as huge gorgonians. Big schools of Chromis in the area made it look like clouds when you looked up. Saw a nice fuzzy fire worm, as well as quite a few arrow crabs in the area.
The next morning I had scheduled a trip with the Cas Abao dive shop to the Mushroom Forest, but the other diver didn't show up so we couldn't make the trip. Instead I dove the Cas Abao beach area with Alain and JJ from the Cas Abao dive shop, which turned out to actually be a great misfortune. I did a total of 3 dives here, two in the morning and one after lunch. This was a great area, with an Eagle Ray cruising around, numerous Puffers, and even a yellow Frogfish. Since the afternoon dive was my last dive of the trip, it was a good one to cap things off. We ran into a turtle, as well as a Gray Angelfish, a red and black nudibranch, and a really interesting black and white crinoid starfish. All in all it was another great day, and the family enjoyed the beach there as well as some snorkeling.
Overall my trip to Curacao was nothing short of perfect. I really have to thank Mark from The Dive Bus for taking so much 1 on 1 time with me and helping me get to where I could really enjoy the beauty of Curacao diving. It made the trip much more enjoyable and an experience that I'll always remember. The Cas Abao dive shop was also very helpful in taking a cancelled trip and making it into another day to remember, and a great final day of diving. I can't wait to get back down that way again, and since on the way home the family was already talking about "next time", hopefully that won't be too far in the future!
I spent my first morning diving with with Mark from The Dive Bus diving the Pierbaai reef right there at the Dive Bus hut. Being my first dives after certification, first dives in the ocean (I was certified in a local freshwater lake), and first with my own new equipment it was a great way to get started. Mark was so helpful with getting the new equipment set up, and then took time to help me get my bouyancy worked out it made the dives much more enjoyable. We went out and checked out the new growth that the staghorn corals have begun after being damaged in the hurricane last year, and saw quite a few really cool fish and corals in the area. Mark pointed out so many creatures both big and small along the way, it was a perfect guided tour of the area. Mark made it such an enjoyable and relaxed experience that I can't imagine how it could have been any better.
I made it back to the Marriott that afternoon and since I didn't have a dive buddy, I was lucky to be able to tag along with Raul of Caribbean Sea Sports who had a Discover Scuba class going out. It was a short, but still nice dive of the local Marriott house reef, which ended up being the only time I got out to the Marriott house reef. I wish I had a chance to get out on in this area more, but there is always "next time
".The next morning Mark from The Dive Bus picked me up and we headed out to Vaersenbaai. We were the only divers there that morning, and we started out diving through huge schools of Creole Wrasse that were shoaling off the slope. It was a great pair of dives, and we ran into a big box crab, Scarlet Cleaner and Pedersons shrimp, golden crinoid starfish, arrow crabs, barracuda, moral eels, and an octopus (that had just dined on another big box crab, the fresh shell was still in the area). On the way back in Mark had a trumpetfish that was so tame it was swimming a few inches from him, just floating in the water as he hovered there. I was able to get right up on it to take some photos, and at first I thought that Mark had somehow hypnotized it. Overall, a couple of really great dives.
That afternoon I made it back to the Marriott and went out on the afternoon boat dive with Caribbean Sea Sports to the reef out from the Sea Aquarium. I was the only diver and dove with Neal while the boat had a load of snorkelers up topside. It was a great location, with some great hard and soft corals, as well as huge gorgonians. Big schools of Chromis in the area made it look like clouds when you looked up. Saw a nice fuzzy fire worm, as well as quite a few arrow crabs in the area.
The next morning I had scheduled a trip with the Cas Abao dive shop to the Mushroom Forest, but the other diver didn't show up so we couldn't make the trip. Instead I dove the Cas Abao beach area with Alain and JJ from the Cas Abao dive shop, which turned out to actually be a great misfortune. I did a total of 3 dives here, two in the morning and one after lunch. This was a great area, with an Eagle Ray cruising around, numerous Puffers, and even a yellow Frogfish. Since the afternoon dive was my last dive of the trip, it was a good one to cap things off. We ran into a turtle, as well as a Gray Angelfish, a red and black nudibranch, and a really interesting black and white crinoid starfish. All in all it was another great day, and the family enjoyed the beach there as well as some snorkeling.
Overall my trip to Curacao was nothing short of perfect. I really have to thank Mark from The Dive Bus for taking so much 1 on 1 time with me and helping me get to where I could really enjoy the beauty of Curacao diving. It made the trip much more enjoyable and an experience that I'll always remember. The Cas Abao dive shop was also very helpful in taking a cancelled trip and making it into another day to remember, and a great final day of diving. I can't wait to get back down that way again, and since on the way home the family was already talking about "next time", hopefully that won't be too far in the future!
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