San Juan area shore dives in Curacao

[morecowbells]

Returning for my third trip to Curacao I hear that the dives in the San Juan area offer excellent shore dives. On previous trips we (okay I) chickened out of the more remote areas. Since we are going with a group, I would like to give one of these areas a try:

-Playa Manzalino
-Playa Shon Moso
-Playa Largu

I believe these sites are located very close to one another. Any suggestions on which is the best of the three? From what I have read, these areas are on private land and there is usually a small fee paid to landowner. Any information is much appreciated.

 

[bkpix]

All of the dives in the San Juan area are good dives. There is some damage from the storm of '08, but not enough to keep it from being a good location. If you have never been here before you probably will not even notice most of it.

It is on private land, and there it a 5 Guilder fee that will be collected as you go past the Landhouse. No big deal. Unless it has rained very hard it is not a bad drive in, We always had a truck, but have seen many cars back at all of the sites.

Shon Mosa has been our favorite of the dives there, but they are all good. Lots of sponges etc. First time there in '08 we saw Frogfish and Seahorses. This last time there this past March we didn't see any of those critters.

The sites are all fairly close together, just follow the signs on the road to take the proper turn for each site. The entries are easy for the most part, coral and loose gravel. It can be a bit tricky getting out if there is much wave action, having to make a couple of big steps in very loose material.

The site at the far left, I can't remember the name right off hand, is more exposed to waves and you might have to go back to it another time of day if it looks to rough for an easy entry.

The area as a whole is a great place to spend a day. Take enough tanks to do the three dives. There used to be another dive there. It was a right turn just as you got past the Landhouse. Again, I don't remember the name but someone will probably jump onto this thread who knows it. The last couple of times there it had a chain and padlock across the road leading down to it. If you can get to it, it is another really nice dive.

Where are you going to stay on Curacao? What other dives do you plan on doing?

Have fun! Be safe!! BK

 

[Kukuisa]

The San Juan area has four small beaches that are close to each other. From east to west they are:

• Playa Largu
• Playa Shon Mosa
• Playa Mansalinja
• Playa Chiki

The last two are very close to each other. I'd suggest forgetting about Chiki and going to Mansalinja. When diving to the right you cover both sites. For groups this is also the easiest one.
The other I would suggest is Playa Largu. Go there to the far right at end of the strip, near the Point Half Day for the best diving. The Playa Largu is a strip of coral rubble, no sand there. Make sure your vehicle doesn't get stuck.
When time left you can also go to Shon Mosa.

The last time we were at San Juan the access was 5 guilders. It is advised to come with a 4-wheel drive car, because the dirt roads are not equalized on a regular basis.

 

[Diver OnLu]

Hi morecowbells,

I prefer both Playa Largu and Playa Shon Mosa over Playa Mansalina. I'll give you directions once you're here again, ok?

Greetings from sunny Curacao
Andreas

 

[Curacao Sunshine]

Hi J.
Just 4 more weeks of torturous SB/Curacao postings to go. David went to San Juan yesterday with a couple staying at All West. He said Playa Largu was crystal clear and that at Shon Mosa they saw an eagle ray, stingray, turtle and a couple of errant divers who started to follow them instead of their buddies. I think these dives would be a great addition to your dive list this year.
Sea you soon!

 

[morecowbells]

Thanks everybody for the replies! I really appreciate the descriptions and the detailed logistics on how to get to these sites. Bkpix, we will be in Curacao Jul. 3--Aug 7. We were hoping to return to All West, but by the time I got my dates sorted out, they were booked. We will be at the Lodge Kura Hulanda for the first time. I will post my input after diving some of these sites. See some of you soon I can't believe we will be there in less than a month.

 

[morecowbells]

Okay, I read everybody's advise and decided to give some of my input.

Getting there was not a problem. We had a 6 passenger van and did have any issues with getting stuck or stranded. We paid the 5 guilders to the man at the entrance. The painted rock/signs were very helpful in finding the right sites. We went diving at Playa Shon Moso first. Easy entry and no current. Vis was near perfect. Saw a turtle, large barracuda, two huge green moray eels, large and juvenile filefish, many drumfish including large adults and juvenille, and quite a few golden tail eels.

During surface interval it started to storm. We waited it out then headed to Playa Largu. The waves were choppy and the entrance was somewhat intimidating. We decided to head to Playa Mansalina instead. Entrance was not as rough and current was practically non-existent. The corals were absolutely pristine! Perhaps more impressive than Playa Shon Moso; although the marine life was not as varied.

We followed the normal precautions about not leaving anything valuable in the van. Due to the rain, we left the windows rolled up but left the doors unlocked. Nothing was taken or vandalized. My only regret was not diving these sites during previous visits to the island! Hopefully I will eventually visit Playa Largu. Thanks again SB'ers for the directions, description and input!

 

[Les Corkill]

How did you like the Lodge Kura Hulanda? We are considering it and the new Hyatt for a late October trip. How was the house reef at the Lodge? Did you dive the East side? The East side of the island is advertised as less dived and therefore more pristine - would you agree? Our last 3 trips were to Bonaire and we thought we would try something new. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks for your help.

 

[Curacao Sunshine]

MCB ventured much farther and adventurous than her last two visits. She'll have a more personal east trip report.
We moved to Westpunt so we are biased towards the West end dives. The Hyatt is beautiful - it's a Hyatt. I'd still recommend focusing on the west end for diving. If you decide to dive mid island, it would be almost the same distance in time than from the Hyatt, just not to the boat for the far east end dives.
The house reef at the Lodge, Alice In Wonderland is my favorite shore dive but we are often in the bay behind the house. David likes Largu, Andreas likes Shon Mosa. (MCB report^) We recently went to Hundu but were not impressed to go very often.
Since you are booked on 11 boat dives, I'm not sure how much extra time you have to spare.

 

[Damselfish]

Kura Hulanda Lodge near the western point of the island is beautiful and the house reef is great. Usually it is the West End of the island that is advertised as better diving and I would agree.

I have not heard anything yet about the new Hyatt or diving from there. They're more towards the East end of the island. We didn't think the diving we did to the East (leaving from Lion's Dive just east of town) was as good. But the Hyatt is much further east so I don't know. We have a bunch of Hyatt points so I am tempted to try it out sometime.

(ANYONE been to the Hyatt yet? I'd love to know what the OE dive setup is there. And how crowded the boat is. If they have a boat dedicated to the Hilton and not too many people might be good. If it's likely to be a cattleboat I'd pass.)