Curaçao - Dive Operator

[azbarbosa]

Hi there!

Can anyone give some advice on wich dive operator to choose in Curaçao?

Just so you know, I preffer litlle boats e and few people on them.

Thanks.

And, anyone needing info on Brazil, don't hesitate to ask.

 

[ronbeau]

Hi there!

Can anyone give some advice on which dive operator to choose in Curaçao?

Just so you know, I prefer little boats e and few people on them.

Thanks.

And, anyone needing info on Brazil, don't hesitate to ask.

Curacao has excellent shore diving. Have you considered shore diving?

For shore diving you have two options rent a car/jeep or going with s shore operator such as "The Dive Bus".

Some places to consider in Curacao are

Porto Mari (full facilities and a double reef)
Caracas Bay (Tugboat) (full dive shop, food concession and showers)
Cas Abou (I did not dive there but a friend of mine did and really liked it)
Mushroom Forest
Alice in Wonderland

There are also many other sites. I have the Curacao dive map if you need any more dive sites.


My family and I stayed at Breezes Curacao and there house reef was pretty good. They had a dive shop on the property (run by Ocean Encounters). You receive one free shore dive on the house reef while you are stying at Breezes Curacao.

The "Dive Bus" picks you up at your hotel, loads all your gear into the VAN and returns you to your hotel and unloads all your gear for you.

They bring tables and chairs with them, provide a dive master familiar with the dive spots and provide lunch during the surface interval. I was very happy with the Dive Bus.

The only boat diving I did in Curacao was with Ocean Encounters The boat had about 20 divers on it but had ample room. The two-tank boat dive I did with Ocean Encounters was the Superior Producer (105 fsw) and Saba (60 fsw).

 

[ronrosa]

Habitat. Great house reef, boat dives if you want and much closer to the better shore dive sites on the west.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

One of my buddies swears by Sunset waters....My wife and I are thinking about planning a trip there for next year. Please post a trip report when you get back.

 

[cleung]

Since the Dive Bus does mostly shore dives, would there be any overall cost savings possible by using them for an entire stay rather than boat operators and the hotel/dive combos?

 

[CheddarChick]

Last year we stayed at the Marriott, and the dive shop there is Carribbean Sea Sports. They were great. We rented a a car $360 for 12 days and drove everywhere. The shore diving is spectacular. Scubatexastony has dove with the Dive bus and highly reccomends them. I liked the ease of just getting in my car and going when and where I wanted. The Marriott has a decent house reef, but on some days the current was strong. As we had our own gear, our cost was for weights & tanks and for 44 dives in 11 days (2 people) our diving costs were under $300. PM me if you need any other info.

 

[johnny_bravo]

I'll second the Ocean Encounters at Breezes resort. Not a bad dive op. The house reef was good they had some junk piles at different depths, a barge, etc.

I did one day trip with them to the Mushroom Forest as well and it was a great trip.

Have fun.

-J.-

 

[diveallthetime]

Check out the Dive Bus

you can find them here
www.the-dive-bus.com


They are great fun and very knowledgeable

 

[rogerSC]

My wife and I spent a week at Habitat last Nov. and had the best dive trip ever. In addition to having a great house reef, the boat dives were excellent as well. When you stay at a place like Habitat and purcahse a dive package you get unlimited shore diving and tank rental. Since we rented a car, we simply picked up some tanks (no charge) and went to a couple other shore dive spots around the island.

Hope this helps,
Roger

 

[cleung]

I understand that the former Holland Hotel and Casino (now a Howard Johnson Inn) which is very close to the airport has some diving opportunities that can be arranged from the managers. Has anybody ever stayed here and if so, would the airport noise be too much?