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Curaçao 's more than 100 dive sites are famous all over the world with visibility ranging from 60 to 150 feet and water temperatures a comfortable 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Curaçao was originally formed from volcanic limestone, on which coral has been growing for centuries. There are the most magnificent coral reefs close in to the coastline. The breathtaking underwater flora and fauna, which have been there for more than 60 million years has made scuba diving one of the most popular sports on Curaçao. |
With some 100 good spots for scuba diving along the whole of the south coast, Curaçao is considered by many to be a diving paradise. Just admiring a shallow reef is an unforgettable experience. Once you reach the deeper water beyond the edge of a reef, one of Curaçao's greatest and most impressive sights opens up for you.
Curaçao is surrounded by lovely places to go scuba diving, but the best of them are all off the southwestern coast off the island. The area from the western point to the lighthouse on Cape St. Marie is called Banda Abao. The Central Curaçao diving area covers the whole area between Bullenbay and the Princess Beach Hotel. The Curaçao Underwater Park is a 12.5-mile coral reef that has been protected as a National Park. It is the most southerly area, from the Princess Beach to the eastern point.
If you are not a frequent diver, films and photographs of brilliantly colored fish tropical fish escorting divers will probably seem incredible, but you'll soon discover that such shots are not trick photography. Because underwater tourism has developed only very gradually, the fish look upon newcomers as a new sort of fish and they don't feel threatened for a moment. It's hard to think of a better place than Curaçao to learn how to dive.
Diving in Curaçao is unique for many reasons; it is set apart from other Caribbean destinations by it's diversity and its density of sea life, its many underwater landscapes, and it's reef proximity to shore. Curaçao's reefs surround the island attaching to the shore like a narrow fringe. These beautiful gardens of delicate corals are home to a rainbow of marine life.
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The island's volcanic beginnings are evident in massive coral formations extending into the depths with deep-water fish patroling the plunging walls. There is plenty to see, underwater and on the surface. You shouldn't be surprised to see dophins playing, turtles sunning, or pilot whales migrating. |
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The waters around Curaçao also contain several wrecks (Superior Producer, near the water distillation plant, and a tugboat in Caracas Bay), which have foundered on the coral reef just offshore. The reef surrounds the island and consists generally of a gently sloping terrace to a depth of about 10 m, then a drop off and a reef slope with an angle of about 45°. The coral formations are spectacular in places and there are many huge sponges; one in Boca Sta Martha is so big it is known as ‘the double bed’.
There are lots of fish and you are likely to see barracuda, moray, eels, spiny lobsters, turtles, manta rays and maybe sharks. Underwater visibility averages 24 m and water temperature varies between 24-27°C. There are lots of opportunities for successful underwater photography. Scuba diving is very popular in Curaçao and many of the large resort hotels have dive shops on site. They have been encouraged by the establishment in 1983 of the Curaçao Underwater Park managed by the Netherlands Antilles National Parks Foundation (Stinapa), which stretches from the Princess Beach Hotel to East Point. The park extends out from the shore to a depth of 60 m and covers 600 ha of reef and 436 ha of inner bays.
Over 40 permanent mooring buoys for boats have been placed at dive sites along the south coast as part of Stinapa’s programme for sustained utilization of the reef. A few of the sites can be dived from the shore (West Point, Blauwbaa, Port Marie, Daaibooi, Vaersen Bay, San Juan, Playa Kalki), but most of the coastal strip is private property and boat dives are necessary. No harpoons or spear guns are allowed and make sure you do not damage or remove coral or any other sea creature.
