Steveplusplus
Registered
We just returned from a week down in Curacao and would recommend The Dive Bus. We had some booking problems with Ocean Encounters (despite written confirmations) and are still awaiting refund resolution.
Curaçao - Dive Operator
- Thread starter azbarbosa
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Damselfish
Contributor
We also had booking and other problems with Ocean Encounters last year and won't use them again unless I hear someone completely different takes over. (And maybe not even then - our previous experience with OE was 14 years ago, I imagine it must have been different management, and we had a lousy experience back then too - though for completely different reasons!)
I'm not sure how much I would "stick" with a dive op in Curacao...it has great shore diving and we saw most of the same things on the boat and off the shore. The only exception to this was I found a seahorse on a boat dive...but never off the shore.) I LOVED shore diving! You could go at your own pace and off some of the beaches you can get down to 100 feet.
We stayed with Louis at All-West Apartments and dove with his shop in Westpunt. He greeted us at the airport with our rental car and took us to the apartments. We got settled and then drove back into town for food. (This is a longer drive and there is a smaller supermarket closer to the West End.) Louis is a great guy...he was willing to help out however he could.
Here's an overview of our diving:
1. We did several days & night dives off the shore at All-West apartments. (50ft)
2. Boat dives - Mushroom Forest (50ft) & Watamula (64ft)
3. Shore dives at Cas Abao (103, 77, 84, 72ft)
4. Shore dives at Porto Mari (104 & 74 ft)
5. Boat dives - Black Coral Gardens (112) & Dead Tree (80ft)
We would just grab our tanks and toss them in the rental car and be off! I would follow the recommendations about not leaving ANYTHING in your car and leaving it unlocked!! We never had any trouble, but we followed this policy.
One thing we learned is that you have to pay to get into the beach areas...and they only liked Honduran money...exact change was appreciated. While we were at Cas Abao, there was no one else there...it was GREAT! A couple of the times we purchased food there, other times we had just packed our own sandwiches to take with us and just bought cold drinks.
If you're on the West End, you have to eat at JanncHie's. It's a local place, just walking distance from All-West, and they have GREAT food.
There were two things that disappointed us about our trip...Prior to arriving, we were told that we could do boat dives every morning and then shore in the PM. In actuality, they only took the boat out in the AM two days. (This ended up being okay because I liked the shore diving, but it was frustrating when all those boat dives were supposed to be in our package deal. Louis did adjust our prices.) We also weren't happy with the bed in our apartment. It was two twin mattresses (no box springs) put together in something like two waterbed frames...not very comfortable.
Since our stay there in 2004, I know that the apartments have been remodeled and more apartments have been added...things look great in the photos on their web site. It also appears that the dive shop is now called Ocean Encounters West. I'm not 100% sure if this is the same OE people have mentioned. Maybe they bought up smaller shops on the island...not sure. I know that no one in the current staff photos are people we dove with.
Jennifer
We stayed with Louis at All-West Apartments and dove with his shop in Westpunt. He greeted us at the airport with our rental car and took us to the apartments. We got settled and then drove back into town for food. (This is a longer drive and there is a smaller supermarket closer to the West End.) Louis is a great guy...he was willing to help out however he could.
Here's an overview of our diving:
1. We did several days & night dives off the shore at All-West apartments. (50ft)
2. Boat dives - Mushroom Forest (50ft) & Watamula (64ft)
3. Shore dives at Cas Abao (103, 77, 84, 72ft)
4. Shore dives at Porto Mari (104 & 74 ft)
5. Boat dives - Black Coral Gardens (112) & Dead Tree (80ft)
We would just grab our tanks and toss them in the rental car and be off! I would follow the recommendations about not leaving ANYTHING in your car and leaving it unlocked!! We never had any trouble, but we followed this policy.
One thing we learned is that you have to pay to get into the beach areas...and they only liked Honduran money...exact change was appreciated. While we were at Cas Abao, there was no one else there...it was GREAT! A couple of the times we purchased food there, other times we had just packed our own sandwiches to take with us and just bought cold drinks.
If you're on the West End, you have to eat at JanncHie's. It's a local place, just walking distance from All-West, and they have GREAT food.
There were two things that disappointed us about our trip...Prior to arriving, we were told that we could do boat dives every morning and then shore in the PM. In actuality, they only took the boat out in the AM two days. (This ended up being okay because I liked the shore diving, but it was frustrating when all those boat dives were supposed to be in our package deal. Louis did adjust our prices.) We also weren't happy with the bed in our apartment. It was two twin mattresses (no box springs) put together in something like two waterbed frames...not very comfortable.
Since our stay there in 2004, I know that the apartments have been remodeled and more apartments have been added...things look great in the photos on their web site. It also appears that the dive shop is now called Ocean Encounters West. I'm not 100% sure if this is the same OE people have mentioned. Maybe they bought up smaller shops on the island...not sure. I know that no one in the current staff photos are people we dove with.
Jennifer
Damselfish
Contributor
Ocean Encounters West is part of Ocean Encounters. It's the old shop and some of the gear is still labeled All West, but it's different management and I don't know if any of the people are the same. And same problem with the boat not going out.
you probably didn't mean Honduran money...?JenTeach:
jeepguy
Contributor
JenTeach:
gangrel441
Contributor
Another vote for Habitat. Talking strictly of the dive op, Habitat's diving is run by Easy Divers. I have never stayed at Habitat, but when I was there back in 2001, Easy Divers was the op at Sunset Waters, where we stayed. They have since moved to Habitat. Harry and Anne Marie run a first-class op, and we had a great time diving with them. I still usually see Anne Marie once a year when she travels to Chicago for the big trade show here. My wife and I dove with her op for one week a few years ago, and yet she remembers me every time I see her. Harry is quite a capable captain, and was always spot-on with picking our dive sites. If I ever make it back to Curacao, regardless of where we stay, I would certainly dive with ED again. No question.
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