Sidemount Diving in Curacao
We have wanted to travel to the island of Curacao for many years now. We actually have a DVD that we requested from the Curacao Tourism Board many ago! Would you believe how hard it is to find a DVD player in the house now? At long last, we finally decided to book a trip. Not wanting to pass up the chance to go scuba diving, we started to look at local dive shop options. Based on some past experiences, I was not keen about being herded and rushed onto a dive boat, but I was also a little skeptical about the quality of shore dives.
Based on recommendations from other divers who had been to Curacao, we reached out to a local dive centre specializing in Shore Diving. I let the dive shop know that I was a Sidemount diver and wanted to dive Nitrox all week. Not a problem, they said, we have AL80 with Nitrox, but they are all standard valves (no left/right). So next, I booked the flight, booked the resort, and completed the paperwork with the dive shop. Then I had to go home and tell my wife to start packing her bags (for the trip)!
Once we landed in Curacao, clearing customs and picking up our luggage was very quick. We were soon outside at the appropriate waiting area. Once the bus arrived, everyone put their luggage on board, and the trip to the resort was short. Unfortunately, it seemed like we arrived at the resort at the same time as two hundred other people and check-in took some time. * Side note, when our week ended, we took a taxi for our return to the airport. Best decision ever! It cost us $40 USD, but while everyone was still at the resort lining up and then waiting to check in at the airport, we were already through security, enjoying a beverage and not standing in line. I would suggest that anyone visiting give this some consideration, to or from the resort.
The following day, we got up early, sat on the balcony looking over the beach, then quickly packed up all my gear and walked to the off-resort dive shop. The dive shop was probably only fifty metres from our room, but due to the resort’s layout, we had to walk the few minutes to the main gate and then walk on the sidewalk outside the resort back to the dive shop. The house reef was right in front of the resort, which allowed my wife to watch us coming and going.
Dive Day #1
The day started with everyone getting together at the dive shop and then walking across the street to the house reef. Worried about the term “house reef”, check out this dive shop and reef video. This particular dive shop typically does not allow cameras on dive #1. They want everyone focused on the task at hand, allowing the divemasters a chance to assess the divers, complete their buoyancy checks etc. Don’t worry; there was a local videographer in the water with everyone. Dive #2 went further and deeper into the house reef. Both dives were fantastic.
I have been diving in Caribbean waters previously, but I had different gear for this trip versus my last, so I dove the house reef a few more times in the afternoon, working on trimming out my BC and doing empty cylinder weight checks. Since the dive shop was literally across the street from the reef, it couldn’t have been much easier.
For the week, I used a “hybrid BCD,” and I was moving my weights every day, still trying to achieve the best possible trim. I have heard from many others that have had similar problems with hybrid BCD’s. This hybrid has since been replaced with an XDeep Stealth 2.0 Tec. If you are thinking about trying Sidemount, check out our “Interested in Sidemount” blog.
Dive Day #2
It was only a short drive to an area called The Tugboat. There was a large ship tied up at the dock, a small sitting area and a nice beach area. Dive #1 went along the wall and around the sunken tugboat with plenty of smaller fish. Dive #2 went under the pier, zig-zagging around the pilings as we went. We saw a few eels, a few lionfish, and many smaller fish. Tugboat Beach is also a very popular spot for snorkelers which is excellent for non-divers.
Dive Day #3
It was a little longer drive, about thirty minutes, and on the way, we passed an area with flamingos. After stopping for a few quick pictures, we continued to a site called Kokomo beach. This was another great area, with lots of seating, a little bar etc. Any non-divers in your group would have been hard-pressed to find a better way to spend the day.
Dive Day #4
On day four, we went to an area called Playa Porto Mari. Once again, the beach was terrific, with lots of seating and even a few wild pigs to greet you. Yes, wild pigs. A local website indicates, “Porto Mari is our beach choice for you. Offers white sands, crystal-clear waters and amazing cliffs. It also has a beach bar with food, and a great variety of cocktails and smoothies.” This location is again a great spot for any non-divers or snorkelers in your group.
Dive Day #5
For Dive Day #5, we went to a location called Playa Piskado. Travel time was just over half an hour to get there. Playa Piskado is a local fisherman’s beach and can get very busy. The diving was great, but there is limited seating and amenities for the non-diving members of your group. This location is very well known for the sea turtles. We saw several turtles and even a massive bait ball with hundreds if not thousands of fish. It is impressive watching them all change direction at once.
I was a little hesitant to write this article as I’d like to keep Curacao for myself, but at the same time, I’d like to share it with others; I’m so conflicted! My shore diving experience in Curacao is definitely near the top of my favourite places to visit. The dive shop that we used, The Dive Bus, has excellent reviews online, and they were an absolute blast to dive with. Warning, every morning starts with a weird pose/fun picture.
I do have a few observations that I can share about this experience:
I was the only one diving EAN 32 for the week (with our group). Most cylinders had a removable plug for DIN regs, but a few did not. Don’t forget to bring your DIN to Yoke adapters.
Not one person got seasick from a rough boat ride.
There was no mad rush to get kitted up and jump in the water. Everything was relaxed and at a nice steady pace.
Our safety stop wasn’t a “stop”; it was more of a safety swim. Rather than hanging out on a line staring off into the abyss, we would come up from the deeper water, 10m – 16m on average, into the shallow water on the way back to the beach. There was almost always more sea life to look at, making the safety stop time pass by effortlessly.
The water was 28° C all week. After my fourth dive on day #1, I was starting to get a slight chill in my shorty wetsuit. From that point on, I wore my 3-mil full wet suit and was completely warm for the remainder of the week.
I also dove with my Full Face Mask all week, and there were several times newer divers turned and swam right in front of me, and I got fin kicked. My mask didn’t move, but it is funny watching the video from the Paralenz and hearing the “thud”. If you are thinking about trying Full Face Mask, check out our “Full Face Mask” blog.
Driving to the different dive spots around the island allows you to see other areas of the island, something you may never know if you stayed at the resort and only went into the “main business district”. Even if you had chosen to go on boat dives, the boat went to many of the same spots as we did. The boat divers got to see the island’s outer edge, and we got to see the inside.
Feel free to bring a non-diver with you or rent a vehicle (which some dive shops can help with) and follow the dive shop bus or ask the dive shop if there is room in their vehicle. The non-diver can enjoy the different beaches and see other parts of the island like you are. If they like to snorkel, there are lots to look at from the surface.
Don’t forget to take pictures above the waterline. We returned from Curacao with over 11 hours of underwater footage on my Paralenz and only a few dozen on-land photos. I spent so much time in the water; my wife calls this “Separate vacations at the same resort!”
On the day before the flight out, we took some time to go into the downtown district, shop around a little, and walk across the Queen Emma bridge. We felt completely safe walking around and wished we had rented a vehicle to explore a little more.
Would we return? Absolutely! We are already working on planning our next trip, and I will probably spend just as much time underwater as on land. There are still many dive sites that we still have not gotten to, like Directors Bay or the Superior Producer. I saw one dive map that showed over 70 dive sites? We plan to rent a vehicle on our next trip to explore the island (after my daily underwater dose).
