Can you give us an idea of exactly when you are coming, or what you are diving and when? I'm just asking because from your post either I really really want to be there when you are, or I want to find some hut on the exact opposite side of the island!
Seriously if you need any pointers/tips/ideas, give a shout. At least make sure to come to Iguana Cafe one night for dinner and drinks to regale me with diving tales, and hit Sunshine up in Westpundt one weekend night for the best pizza this side of everything.
Cheers,
Jeff
Hi Jeff--Fair questions. We will be in Curacao parts of the first and second weeks in October. Currently, 5 of us dive with 2 more thinking about it. If I pick up the pace, I should have the 2 OW certed by the trip & maybe get them AOW certed in warm water. So I will probably need some advice on some appropriate dive sites for that. We will be staying in Jan Thiel (sp?) so Iguana Cafe is so close it should be on our list of things to do.
You made me curious, as it's almost at the end of the hurricane season. And sometimes nature has a surprise.
So let us know where you're staying and what divespots you're gonna visit and may be we can surprise you.
Hans: we will have to talk. My typical process to a new country is to hire a DM for a day, feed him/her, provide copious amounts of alcoholic beverage of choice & drive from site to site, get a beach speech, take detailed notes, question the DM about little out of the way places and favorite hideaways (this is where the alcohol pays off), and local styles of diving that works well there. Pay the DM well & of course tip them as though we dove. Then make plans for the next week of diving. You may have better suggestions.
There are no hard plans, but a couple of things look appealing to the group: Klein Curacao, dolphin dive & at least one night dive.
On my list, I would like a day for myself on a little more of the remote diving sites--rough water entries are okay. Westpundt area diving is high on my list (yes Sunshine, you have been noticed). So surprises (for me) are quite welcome.
There are two things that have me a bit stumped:
Car Rentals: When I contact some of the smaller companies (I try to support local whenever I can) they seem really nice, but some are closed on Sundays (hard to get to the airport) and many won't meet me at the airport, so a taxi out to the business makes the transaction awkward at best. On the other hand, there seems to be a 12%
shocked2
airport fee on the rental, so any suggestions? We will need a couple of vehicles, probably a van, SUV, or a pickup.
Where/how to rent gear: At least one of the divers will be new, so will end up renting for at least 5 days of diving, the rest (of course) will need tanks and weights (I would be surprised if I can get anyone to dive more than 2x a day). Are the beaches/dive sites like Grand Cayman where you MUST rent the tank from the on site shop, or is it more like Hawaii, show up with tanks and dive? Any shop recommendations? Any local caveats that I should be aware of?
Dive Well
--tom--