Curaçao report
Curaçao, Dutch Antilles, Caribbean.

by Jens Hucke

There are many different reasons to choose a diving destination. In our case we had a small group consisting of two BSAC Advanced Divers as well as one Sport Diver, all wishing to go to an exotic and easy going dive destinations. The glitch was it had to be February 2003, as we had all booked time off work already. We also wanted to avoid any destination that might be politically sensitive, as the situation in the gulf was still unclear, and implications for westerners travelling to parts of Asia uncertain. After much research and ringing around, we got a confirmation from Hayes & Jarvis to go on our chosen dates to the Dutch Antilles, Curaçao. Mid-February was in their wet season, but on such a hot and dry island, we would hardly notice.

Getting there
A short flight to Amsterdam was followed by the 9 hour flight to Curaçao in the southern Caribbean. H&J put us down for 20kg baggage each, but a phone call to Heathrow and KLM confirmed that we could take an extra 10kg each as divers, a concession won by John Bantin in 1997 ( thanks, and well done). I wouldn't hesitate using KLM again in the future. On our arrival, unfortunately no one was there to greet us. 30 minutes and 5 phone calls later we found a lady who confirmed that her company dealt with H&J customers and as we had the right paper work, she would organize transport for us. A bit scary to have to trust a total stranger, but we got lucky. Make sure to carry several photocopies of your booking details, as everyone from the transfer bus to the hotel and the dive outfit expect their own "Voucher", which we didn't have. But photocopies worked just as fine, and everyone was very helpful.

Climate
On our visit in February, land temperature was 35°C, and sea temperature 27°C. Although in the wet season, the air felt dry. An occasional cloud and the near constant light breeze made it easy to cope with the heat. We had the occasional raindrops, but nothing much, and never for longer than a 5 minute stretch.

Health
Mosquitos are virtually inexistent, and beyond tetanus, we didn't require any of the usual "tropical" jabs. As all fresh water on the island is desalinated and processed seawater, it is safe to drink, tastes fine, and won't upset any stomachs either. Same applies to food served in restaurants. There are decompression facilities on the island, as well as a larger hospital.

Currency
We only carried US dollars and credit cards, and that worked well. The local Antilles Guilda is the official currency, and might be given to you as change when breaking up larger notes. Within the resort, the diving, phone, food, drinks, and purchases can all be charged to your "diving number" identity, and settled on your departure.

The Dive Resort
Our destination was the Habitat Curaçao Dive resort. A collection of small "holiday cottages" in part surrounding a shallow salt water pond, and offering a pool, a bar restaurant, a full gym and massage service and the most relaxed dive outfit I had ever seen. Easy Divers who run the diving aspect, are true to their name and slogan of Diver Freedom. More on that later. The rooms are air conditioned, and of high standard. Main voltage is the US American 110 volt, but the dive centre was kind enough to let us use their 220 EU socket facilities to charge our torches. The food was good, and while we had an open air kitchen and cooked some of our own meals, the cost of supermarket products was very high. The climate is suited for cactuses, flamingos and the occasional goat, but not ideal for farming. We didn't dare having the goat burgers, after all we had seen the lovely beasts earlier grazing on the road side. Why on an island surrounded by fish, so few make it onto the menu is also a mystery. Despite a regretful lack of local specialities in the resort's restaurant (except the above mentioned goat burgers), there was plenty to keep us happy and smiling, at very competitive prices, mainly aimed at a US clientele.

The Diving
Harry from Easy Divers runs the dive centre, following in the tradition of Captain Don's "Diver Freedom" concept first established in Bonaire. We got a small guided tour of the facilities, signed the forms, and had a first day to shore dive at our leisure. The house reef is incredibly diverse with soft as well as hard coral and sponges, rich in sea life with loads of trumpet and parrot fishes, morays and octopus. Any depth can be had from 5 metres bimbles to 50+ metres on the drop-offs. BSAC qualifications are welcome, and Nitrox easily available if you book it. If you are a nitrox instructor, you could even enquire about the possibility of booking nitrox for your students which illustrate how accommodating the staff is trying to be.

As part of our dive package (5 days of 2 tank boat dives) we could make as many shore dives as we wanted, 24 hours a day. The cylinders and dive kit lockers can be accessed any time. You will find 12, 10 and 8 litre cylinders, all A-clamp only. The boats were purpose built for divers, with plenty of space and free cold drinking water dispensers, radio, O2, life rafts, flares and a medi-kit. Most of the sites had an aspect of wall diving, and it is "easy" to dive deep. The guides were totally unfazed by what we did. You can follow them, or do your own thing as long as you are qualified to do so, come back with 50 bars, and are back by the boat within an hour. Surface interval was typically 45 minutes, before a second dive, recommended to be kept shallower at typically 18 metres, but with potential for more, was carried out. Again, the one hour limit was more than enough to have a very satisfying dive. The permanent anchorage points in 5 metres make finding the boats easy, and the safety stops a real visual feast. Instead of watching the shot and clock, you see fish, the occasional ray, sea horse, turtle, frog fish, morays and so on, on the reefs. The dive centres on the island have a "voluntary" code of practice that includes looking after moorings and the cleanliness of the reefs, and a donation of $10 wouldn't go amiss, although not yet enforced.

Wreck Diving
Wrecks are few. The Superior Producer is said to be great, but was out of bounds due to the presence of a US frigate nearby imposing a "proximity" ban. A small tug boat in 5 metres is an ideal snorkelling site, and photo opportunity if you care for that kind of thing. A barge at Bullaen Baai, starting at 20 metres and going down on a slope to 60 was the only wreck we saw. A pile of old US cars in the same area is an alternative depending on the current. However, the quality of the reefs made the lack of wreck diving inconsequential. The whole of the south coast is diveable at more or less any time. Current, if any, is slight, and it is recommended to always start you dive heading against the current, and coming back with it.

Photography
If you are interested in progressing your underwater photography skills, then this place is ideal. The available light, rich sea life, and clear water makes taking pictures relatively easy. The dive centre even hires cameras out, and offers E6 slide processing. It is a good idea to inform them on your arrival that you will require processing so that they will have the appropriate chemicals ready in stock, or time to get them.

Drive and Dive
Some visitors preferred hiring a car, and following the widely available maps showing shore dives around the island. West Point was highly recommended. Be aware that stories of items stolen from cars or from the beach are very frequent if valuables are left unattended. If possible, dive in waves with a shore cover, or make sure that nothing of value is left on shore. Within the resort however, there was never any problem.

Getting around
The resort offers a courtesy shuttle service that will take you to the supermarket or town centre and back. You can also hire a car on site, which some people did. The Taxi services are also quite good, but like so often when being a tourist abroad, it is advisable to agree a price with the driver prior to even getting into a car. The resort reception can advise you on best practices and standard fees.

Other attractions
We were there for the diving, and didn't bother much with sightseeing. The hotel carries a good range of information regarding the main town which is some 30 minutes drive away by courtesy bus and worth a visit, as well as brochures and info sheets on other attractions such as the aquarium, the slaves museum, the caves and more. Further info for research can also be found on the Curacao Tourist Offices web site. While there certainly are things to do for the non diving family members and friends, I think that after a week's visit they probably wished they were diving too.

This was our first taste of "Diving in the Caribbean", and we couldn't have had a better introduction to wet our appetites than Curaçao. We just need to find an excuse to get to St Thomas next, and then Bonaire... and then ...

Links:

Hayes and Jarvis
www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk
Well known tour operator which we used, gives a discount to BSAC members.

Curacao Tourist office
www.curacao-tourism.com
The main site for Tourist information with info on everything including diving, accommodations, and everything else...

Habitat Dive resort
www.habitatdiveresorts.com
This is the resort we stayed at, and is highly recommended

Easy Divers
www.easydiverscuracao.com
Easy Divers run the dive centre at Habitat, as well as operating a second dive base along the shore.

Curacao Dive Operators Association
www.cdoa.org
The CDOA has a good web site with plenty of information for divers as well as non diving tourists, and generally tries to look after the long term future of the diving sites.

Report by Jens Hucke (OceanSUB, BSAC 2355) April 2003
Pictures with kind permission Rachel Baldwin, Mark Barnes, JJH.