alashas
Contributor
Among the many excellent dive sites in the western part of Curacao is a new one, Elvins Plane Wreck, located within 5 minutes of the Ocean Encounters West dock http://www.oceanencounterswest.com/
The plane is named for the late Elvin Joubert, a former partner in All West Apartments and Diving, who worked diligently with Louis Lopez Ramirez, owner of All West Apartments and Diving, for several years in acquiring the plane. Elvin, unfortunately, passed away before the plane was sunk, and the dive site is named in his memory. I am indebted to Louis and Andreas Kaufmann of All West Apartments and Diving and Ocean Encounters West for the very helpful background information about the plane. There is a helpful story about the plane here: http://www.allwestcuracao.com/di_plane.php that I will summarize. In addition to this story, both Louis and Andreas have shared some very interesting information with me via email.
The 80 passenger Fokker Fairchild 27 once flew regularly for Antillean Airlines as an island hopper between the ABC Islands, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. After its last flight, the plane remained at Curaçaos International Airport Hato for quite awhile. Louis says they spent four years working on the project of getting the plane. In 2006 the Fire Department donated the airplane to All West Apartments & Diving and Ocean Encounters West, and Louis began the tedious process of securing all of the necessary papers and permissions for the sinking of the plane.
Here is a photo of the plane with the wings still attached:
Photo courtesy of Louis Lopez Ramirez, Owner, All West Apartments and Diving
Louis says, When we were ready to start rolling, the problems really started. Look at the pictures. The police stopped us; the load was too high and too wide. We tried to rent a barge to pull it to the west but the risk was too big and the price $80.000, was too much.
In order to transport the plane the 50 kilometers from the Hato airport to the west end dive site, the wings and top portion of the tail were removed. In addition, the seats and instruments, except for the cockpit instrument frames, were removed. In November, 2006, the plane was transported from the Hato Airport to the west end of the island by Miles Trucking, in cooperation with the phone company UTS, Aqualectra, and the traffic department of the Curaçao Police.
Photo courtesy of Louis Lopez Ramirez, Owner, All West Apartments and Diving
After the plane had been transported to the west end, the group faced another hurdle, because the environmental department stopped the work and demanded a permit from them, which they successfully acquired.
In cooperation with Reef Care and Carmabi (2 foundations for coral reef protection and preservation) the right spot for the 100 foot long plane was chosen. On February 24, 2007, the plane was hoisted over the side of the cliff and gently placed in the water, supported by airbags.
Photo courtesy of Louis Lopez Ramirez, Owner, All West Apartments and Diving
Photo courtesy of All West Apartments and Diving and Ocean Encounters West
A fishing boat towed the plane approximately 1 km to the south:
Photo courtesy of Louis Lopez Ramirez, Owner, All West Apartments and Diving
An experienced team of 8 marine divers from DDC (Donderdadavond Duikclub Curaçao Thursday Evening Dive Club) and 4 Curaçao Industrial Divers accompanied the Fokker and safely moored the plane in its present location 50ft (17m) deep. The plane continues to be monitored regularly by the All West Divers and the Ocean Encounters West Divers.
Photo courtesy of All West Apartments and Diving and Ocean Encounters West
The severe weather that impacted much of the Caribbean this past March also hit Curacao hard and broke the cockpit from the rest of the body. Andreas says, The plane was secured with belts, but always made rolling movements. When the sea got rough that time [in March], obviously the front part rolled over, while the back stayed in the same position, with the result of the plane breaking into 2 pieces (see my blog [and more photos] on www.allwestcuracao.com, following the link Divers Talk News Blog March 30, 2008). The 2 dive shops securely fastened the 2 parts of the plane to the ocean floor. The plane can be penetrated, but divers are urged to use caution, especially at the sharp edges where the plane ripped apart.
We dove the Elvins Plane Wreck with OE West the morning of April 4. You can see from the location of the mooring ball just how close the dive site is to the entrance of Playa Kalki:
I descending a bit more slowly than I usually do, so that I could flood the wide angle lens on my Oly SP350 and get a couple of shots of other divers already at the plane:
You can clearly see by this photo of the 2 main pieces why divers need to be cautious when penetrating the plane:
You can see parts of the interior without swimming into the plane:
Elvins is a great place for a photo op! Here is my dive buddy, Ted:
And a friend said I should use this for a Christmas card greeting:
The reef is very healthy and vibrant on the west end of Curacao, and, when he briefed us on the dive, Andreas told us to spend as much time as we wanted at Elvins plane wreck but be sure to spend time at the reef, too. It is a very beautiful and colorful reef:
We saw more eels on Curacao than any place we have been in the Caribbean, including several at Elvins reef. We dove Elvins reef as a drift dive, and Andreas sent up the buoy for the boat when the first one of us reached 700 psi:
It was a real joy to dive Elvins plane wreck, and I appreciate the dive even more now that I have learned more information about its history, the extraordinary effort on the part of many in acquiring, transporting, and finally securing the plane on the ocean floor, and especially about the wonderful man, Elvin Joubert, whose memory lives on at the newest dive site on Curacao.
You can see more photos of our dive at Elvins here:
http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/gallery/4841921_ci4Vs#289719582_znxCC
A number of newspapers and magazines have written about Elvins Plane Wreck and you can find some of those articles here:
http://www.allwestcuracao.com/press.php?s=std
A description of the dive in Sport Diver Magazine can be found here:
http://www.sportdiver.com/travel_destination_dive_site.jsp?destinationID=11656&diveLocID=47
And a brief video in Sport Diver Magazine of a dive at Elvins before it was broken in two this past March here:
http://forums.sportdiver.com/videos/viewVideo.php?video_id=250&title=Elvin_s_Plane_Wreck
We had a fantastic time on our dive vacation to Curacao, and cannot say enough good things about All West Apartments and Diving, Ocean Encounters West, and our gracious hosts, David and Sunshine Livingston of Curacao Sunshine Getaway http://www.curacaosunshine.com/ We stayed 11 nights in their very comfortable, fully furnished 3 bedroom apartment on the second floor of their house: http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/gallery/4704684_Uv3jB#278276407_7nYf2
We also enjoyed 6 delicious meals at their Sol Food restaurant that is open on for lunch and dinner Fri Sun.
Westpunt is a quaint fishing village in the west end of Curacao and recommended very highly for folks who want to enjoy fabulous diving is a very relaxing setting:
http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/gallery/4706649_vEybR#278245708_uKAb7
There are 3 excellent beaches in the western part of the island, Playa Kalki, Forti, and Piscado: http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/gallery/4706483_Noe6q#278264532_L3TTS
Kalki is where Ocean Encounters West is located, and the 5* Resort, Kura Hulanda, as well as the great dive site, Alice in Wonderland, which we dived 4 times, including 2 night dives: http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/gallery/4772645_PJAgQ#290744913_K6zGk
Playa Piscado, AKA Fishermans Bay, the location of All West Apartments and Diving, is where many fishermen in the west end keep their boats. 2 resident seahorses are located just offshore, in about 15 of water, and the famous statue of Neptune is a bit deeper:
http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/gallery/4741129_cApmX#280873644_JJ5UY
I collected beautiful shells and sea glass at Piscado, while enjoying a breath taking sunset:
Playa Forti is the next beach east, and we saw a frog fish there on a dive at Kortape Point. I havent had the opportunity yet to edit those photos.
Much of the west end of Curacao is a national park, including Shete Boka, and Watamula:
http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/gallery/4706713_K7QBX#278262084_F8X7p
The dive at Watamula is so extraordinary that I have been struggling for nearly a month to find the words to describe the 2 dives we did there:
http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/gallery/4875158_Dx5YH#290592824_L2PU5
Ill leave you with a final photo of Watamula, the breath of Curacao, at the western end of Curacao:
I am looking forward to writing a full trip report when I get all of my uw photos edited.
You can see more photos of Curacao here: http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/
safe diving, alashas
The plane is named for the late Elvin Joubert, a former partner in All West Apartments and Diving, who worked diligently with Louis Lopez Ramirez, owner of All West Apartments and Diving, for several years in acquiring the plane. Elvin, unfortunately, passed away before the plane was sunk, and the dive site is named in his memory. I am indebted to Louis and Andreas Kaufmann of All West Apartments and Diving and Ocean Encounters West for the very helpful background information about the plane. There is a helpful story about the plane here: http://www.allwestcuracao.com/di_plane.php that I will summarize. In addition to this story, both Louis and Andreas have shared some very interesting information with me via email.
The 80 passenger Fokker Fairchild 27 once flew regularly for Antillean Airlines as an island hopper between the ABC Islands, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. After its last flight, the plane remained at Curaçaos International Airport Hato for quite awhile. Louis says they spent four years working on the project of getting the plane. In 2006 the Fire Department donated the airplane to All West Apartments & Diving and Ocean Encounters West, and Louis began the tedious process of securing all of the necessary papers and permissions for the sinking of the plane.
Here is a photo of the plane with the wings still attached:
Photo courtesy of Louis Lopez Ramirez, Owner, All West Apartments and Diving
Louis says, When we were ready to start rolling, the problems really started. Look at the pictures. The police stopped us; the load was too high and too wide. We tried to rent a barge to pull it to the west but the risk was too big and the price $80.000, was too much.
In order to transport the plane the 50 kilometers from the Hato airport to the west end dive site, the wings and top portion of the tail were removed. In addition, the seats and instruments, except for the cockpit instrument frames, were removed. In November, 2006, the plane was transported from the Hato Airport to the west end of the island by Miles Trucking, in cooperation with the phone company UTS, Aqualectra, and the traffic department of the Curaçao Police.
Photo courtesy of Louis Lopez Ramirez, Owner, All West Apartments and Diving
After the plane had been transported to the west end, the group faced another hurdle, because the environmental department stopped the work and demanded a permit from them, which they successfully acquired.
In cooperation with Reef Care and Carmabi (2 foundations for coral reef protection and preservation) the right spot for the 100 foot long plane was chosen. On February 24, 2007, the plane was hoisted over the side of the cliff and gently placed in the water, supported by airbags.
Photo courtesy of Louis Lopez Ramirez, Owner, All West Apartments and Diving
Photo courtesy of All West Apartments and Diving and Ocean Encounters West
A fishing boat towed the plane approximately 1 km to the south:
Photo courtesy of Louis Lopez Ramirez, Owner, All West Apartments and Diving
An experienced team of 8 marine divers from DDC (Donderdadavond Duikclub Curaçao Thursday Evening Dive Club) and 4 Curaçao Industrial Divers accompanied the Fokker and safely moored the plane in its present location 50ft (17m) deep. The plane continues to be monitored regularly by the All West Divers and the Ocean Encounters West Divers.
Photo courtesy of All West Apartments and Diving and Ocean Encounters West
The severe weather that impacted much of the Caribbean this past March also hit Curacao hard and broke the cockpit from the rest of the body. Andreas says, The plane was secured with belts, but always made rolling movements. When the sea got rough that time [in March], obviously the front part rolled over, while the back stayed in the same position, with the result of the plane breaking into 2 pieces (see my blog [and more photos] on www.allwestcuracao.com, following the link Divers Talk News Blog March 30, 2008). The 2 dive shops securely fastened the 2 parts of the plane to the ocean floor. The plane can be penetrated, but divers are urged to use caution, especially at the sharp edges where the plane ripped apart.
We dove the Elvins Plane Wreck with OE West the morning of April 4. You can see from the location of the mooring ball just how close the dive site is to the entrance of Playa Kalki:
I descending a bit more slowly than I usually do, so that I could flood the wide angle lens on my Oly SP350 and get a couple of shots of other divers already at the plane:
You can clearly see by this photo of the 2 main pieces why divers need to be cautious when penetrating the plane:
You can see parts of the interior without swimming into the plane:
Elvins is a great place for a photo op! Here is my dive buddy, Ted:
And a friend said I should use this for a Christmas card greeting:
The reef is very healthy and vibrant on the west end of Curacao, and, when he briefed us on the dive, Andreas told us to spend as much time as we wanted at Elvins plane wreck but be sure to spend time at the reef, too. It is a very beautiful and colorful reef:
We saw more eels on Curacao than any place we have been in the Caribbean, including several at Elvins reef. We dove Elvins reef as a drift dive, and Andreas sent up the buoy for the boat when the first one of us reached 700 psi:
It was a real joy to dive Elvins plane wreck, and I appreciate the dive even more now that I have learned more information about its history, the extraordinary effort on the part of many in acquiring, transporting, and finally securing the plane on the ocean floor, and especially about the wonderful man, Elvin Joubert, whose memory lives on at the newest dive site on Curacao.
You can see more photos of our dive at Elvins here:
http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/gallery/4841921_ci4Vs#289719582_znxCC
A number of newspapers and magazines have written about Elvins Plane Wreck and you can find some of those articles here:
http://www.allwestcuracao.com/press.php?s=std
A description of the dive in Sport Diver Magazine can be found here:
http://www.sportdiver.com/travel_destination_dive_site.jsp?destinationID=11656&diveLocID=47
And a brief video in Sport Diver Magazine of a dive at Elvins before it was broken in two this past March here:
http://forums.sportdiver.com/videos/viewVideo.php?video_id=250&title=Elvin_s_Plane_Wreck
We had a fantastic time on our dive vacation to Curacao, and cannot say enough good things about All West Apartments and Diving, Ocean Encounters West, and our gracious hosts, David and Sunshine Livingston of Curacao Sunshine Getaway http://www.curacaosunshine.com/ We stayed 11 nights in their very comfortable, fully furnished 3 bedroom apartment on the second floor of their house: http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/gallery/4704684_Uv3jB#278276407_7nYf2
We also enjoyed 6 delicious meals at their Sol Food restaurant that is open on for lunch and dinner Fri Sun.
Westpunt is a quaint fishing village in the west end of Curacao and recommended very highly for folks who want to enjoy fabulous diving is a very relaxing setting:
http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/gallery/4706649_vEybR#278245708_uKAb7
There are 3 excellent beaches in the western part of the island, Playa Kalki, Forti, and Piscado: http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/gallery/4706483_Noe6q#278264532_L3TTS
Kalki is where Ocean Encounters West is located, and the 5* Resort, Kura Hulanda, as well as the great dive site, Alice in Wonderland, which we dived 4 times, including 2 night dives: http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/gallery/4772645_PJAgQ#290744913_K6zGk
Playa Piscado, AKA Fishermans Bay, the location of All West Apartments and Diving, is where many fishermen in the west end keep their boats. 2 resident seahorses are located just offshore, in about 15 of water, and the famous statue of Neptune is a bit deeper:
http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/gallery/4741129_cApmX#280873644_JJ5UY
I collected beautiful shells and sea glass at Piscado, while enjoying a breath taking sunset:
Playa Forti is the next beach east, and we saw a frog fish there on a dive at Kortape Point. I havent had the opportunity yet to edit those photos.
Much of the west end of Curacao is a national park, including Shete Boka, and Watamula:
http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/gallery/4706713_K7QBX#278262084_F8X7p
The dive at Watamula is so extraordinary that I have been struggling for nearly a month to find the words to describe the 2 dives we did there:
http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/gallery/4875158_Dx5YH#290592824_L2PU5
Ill leave you with a final photo of Watamula, the breath of Curacao, at the western end of Curacao:
I am looking forward to writing a full trip report when I get all of my uw photos edited.
You can see more photos of Curacao here: http://honeymoon2.smugmug.com/
safe diving, alashas
