Did I miss the better sites on Curacao?

[Ironborn]

Someone suggested on a separate thread in the Bonaire forum that I may have missed the better dive sites on Curacao (i.e. better in terms of richness of marine life), in part because the sites to which the dive ops took me were not far enough west. Here are the sites:

Cas Abou
Daaiboi
Playa Largu
Playa Shon Moza
Aqualectra
Porto Marie
Tugboat
Marie Pompoen

Would you agree or disagree?

I have considered the possibility of returning to Curacao, but it has been a low priority for me because I did not see that much mobile marine life (compared to my subsequent trips to Bonaire and Cozumel) the first time. Now I am starting to wonder if the selection of sites did not do justice to what the island has to offer, and if it would be worth returning in order to see different sites richer in marine life.

 

[tkaelin]

Western sites are touted as better on SB on by others. On our one trip we only dove western sites* (Playa Grandi, Playa Kalki and Watamula) and I thought the best in order were Watamula, Playa Kalki and Playa Grandi. Watamula and Playa Kalki were better than your typical Bon site. Playa Grand was as good as your average Bon site. I realize this is subjective but we are heading back to CUR (instead of BON) staying and diving west most of the trip but will stay and dive on the other end of the island for two days before heading out. Airfare and to a lesser degree housing and food costs were the driver. We thought the diving was comparable to BON with airfare is 1/2 to 1/3 of what the air is to Bon.

* We did a dive at Playa Lagun but never made it out to the main reef so really can't judge the site.

 

[Bas Harts]

SI may have missed the better dive sites on Curacao

.

I do believe Curacao has more to offer than you have seen. The dive sites you did dive where meeting you experience level at the time..

Maybe the fact that you were less experienced and new to diving made you not see or miss half the wild life??...

Next time we show you the rest,,,,

 

[morecowbells]

I have only dived the western part of the island. While I do not believe that Cas Abou and Porto Marie are the best sites on the island, the beautiful beaches are what draw me in. Playa Shon Mosa on the other hand is stellar. I do agree that Curacao does not have quite the fishbowl or abundance of marine life I encountered in Bonaire. However, I feel the vibrant coral, number of eels(especially green morays) turtles and sting rays are more prevalent in Curacao. You will find several discussions comparing Bonaire and Curacao.

 

[Ironborn]

Yes, Bas, I think that I may not have been able to appreciate Curacao fully because of my lack of experience at that time, and that it might be worth returning as a more experienced and capable diver - that was part of the reason for this post.

I had gotten better at spotting marine life on my own by the time that I went to Cozumel and Bonaire, which may have skewed my perceptions. Still, even if one accounts for that, it did strike me that the density and numbers of fish and other mobile marine life was noticeably higher on Bonaire and Cozumel than it was on the Curacao sites that I visited. The reef life (coral, sponges and gorgonians) on Curacao, however, seemed just as healthy as Bonaire and perhaps healthier than Cozumel.

I also realize that the selection of dive sites was probably suited to my low level of experience at the time, which also made me think that it would be worth returning for more challenging and potentially more interesting sites. I have also gotten my air consumption down to respectable levels and got a Nitrox certification, so I can get more bottom time and see more.

 

[Ironborn]

Yes @tkaelin, I heard about Watamula as one of the top sites. Was the current strong there?

 

[Ironborn]

I have only dived the western part of the island. While I do not believe that Cas Abou and Porto Marie are the best sites on the island, the beautiful beaches are what draw me in. Playa Shon Mosa on the other hand is stellar. I do agree that Curacao does not have quite the fishbowl or abundance of marine life I encountered in Bonaire. However, I feel the vibrant coral, number of eels(especially green morays) turtles and sting rays are more prevalent in Curacao. You will find several discussions comparing Bonaire and Curacao.

Yes @morecowbells, it was going to Bonaire that put Curacao in perspective for me. The health and constitution of the two island's reefs (coral, sponges, and gorgonians) were quite similar, but Curacao lacked the "fishbowl" effect of Bonaire, as you put it. That difference between the two islands was part of what prompted my post.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @Ironborn

My wife and I had a fabulous trip to Curacao and plan to return someday. We stayed in the west end. In many ways the diversity was greater than that on Bonaire. We dived Watamula twice, it was really excellent, current brisk on one of the dives. The reef north of Elvin's Plane Wreck was very good. The house reef at Go West, Playa Kalki/Alice in Wonderland is nearly as good as Bari Reef on Bonaire. We found several seahorses on both visits to Rediho. I remember Playa Lagun, Scooter, and Sana Cruz as being good dives.

I'm not familiar with the sites you visited, perhaps you did not see the best of Curacao. If I'm lucky enough to return, I would love to take @Bas Harts up on seeing some of the less visited/remote sites Dive Curacao with BAS HARTS DIVING CURACAO

Good diving, Craig

 

[tkaelin]

Yes @tkaelin, I heard about Watamula as one of the top sites. Was the current strong there?

There was a slight current. Because of that and that there was only our group of six and the guide on the boat we did the dive as a drift dive.

 

[Ironborn]

There was a slight current. Because of that and that there was only our group of six and the guide on the boat we did the dive as a drift dive.

@tkaelin So Watamula is a boat dive...what operator took you there?