Your Guide to Diving Curaçao

Diving Curaçao Overview

A short hop from Bonaire, this island's colorful, historic, cosmopolitan Dutch city of Willemstad offers something for the nondiver, making it popular with diver/nondiver couples and as an extension to a Bonaire sojourn . . . There's good diving, international shopping for highrollers, nightlife, hiking (bring boots), an orchid-filled forest, beautiful rural villages and country homes, windsurfing, half-naked Europeans, and horseback riding. Excellent Indonesian restaurants offer all-you-can-eat rijstafels (rice tables). Tours of the Amstel Brewery are also available . . . The Marine Park, southeast of the public aquarium offers rough boat rides in exchange for the best wall dives on the island. There's outstanding beach diving from protected coves on the northwest side of the island, which is usually calmest and has easy access by car. The windward side is almost always too rough to dive, but the diving's good if the wind shifts from its prevailing pattern. Favorite boat dives include the wreck of the Superior Producer. Favorite shore dives include Blauwbaii, Vaersenbaii, Playa Lagun, and Playa Kalki . . . Expect water temperatures in the low 80°Fs (around 25°C) most of the time . . .

Curaçao Seasonal Dive Planner

With no more than a few degrees difference between average summer and winter air temperature and very low annual rainfall, the main factor affecting diving in Curaçao is the wind. The trade winds blow year-round but are highest from January through April. The best dive months are June through November. Very little diving is done on Curaçao’s north coast because of rough seas. However, for short periods between August and December, the water is calm enough to allow diving. Experiences of diving the north side can vary. One experience might involve lots of sharks, the other disappointment. Water temperatures vary from 75°F (24°C) in the winter to 85°F (29°c) in the summer.

Diving Curaçao Reader Reports and Feature Articles

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Latest Reader Reports from Curaçao from the serious divers who read Undercurrent All Reader Reports from Curaçao	All 10,000+ Reports
Dive Destination Report in Curaçao/Sint Willibrordus "A nice week of diving, but....." filed Nov 11, 2023 by Rick Bates (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 15 reports, Contributor )
This was a return trip to Coral Estates Luxury Resort. I previously said I would probably not return due to issues in our group’s visi... ... Read more
Dive Bus Curacao/we rented an AirBnB house near the Report in Curaçao/16 sites spanning the island "Fine diving for the Caribbean, good dive operator for shore diving" filed Oct 4, 2023 by Lee The (Experience: 501-1000 dives, 7 reports, Sr. Reviewer )
We normally dive in the Philippines, Indonesia and New Guinea. Nothing in the Caribbean comes close to the diversity found there. But f... ... Read more
Ocean Encounters Diving/Sunscape Curacao Resort Report in Curaçao "My second of the ABC's" filed Sep 15, 2023 by James Ringer (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 16 reports, Contributor )
Excellent resort and dive operators. Diving varied and very accommodating. Conditions generally good and marine life very good, not a... ... Read more
Goby Divers/Marriott Beach Resort Report in Curaçao "Great Hotel and Dive Center" filed Jun 7, 2023 by David Bader (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 20 reports, Sr. Contributor )
We chose the Marriott Beach Resort for it's location and the onsite availability of the Goby Dive Center. The hotel is well appointed ... ... Read more
Ocean Encounters Diving/Lionsdive Report in Curaçao "Another Great Dive Experience with Ocean Encounters" filed Mar 22, 2023 by PAUL MILA (Experience: 501-1000 dives, 10 reports, Sr. Reviewer )
Boats were comfortable & large enough for number of divers, usually 15-20, with 2 dive masters. Rental gear was in good shape and stora... ... Read more

Editor's Book Picks for Scuba Diving Curaçao

The books below are my favorites about diving in this part of the world All books are available at a significant discount from Amazon.com; just follow the links. -- BD

Travel Edition of Reef Fish Identification: Caribbean, Bahamas, South Florida
by Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach

Today's airline weight restrictions not only limit the amount of dive gear and cameras you can pack for overseas trips, but also those valuable prized marine life identification books. And with spotty Internet access overseas, it's not like you can look a critter of or fish up easily online. For the divers who still want a book in their hands post-dive to look up the fishes they encounter, Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach are offering "Travel Edition of Reef Fish Identification: Caribbean, Bahamas, South Florida." It's lightweight enough to thrown in your carry-on but rugged enough to withstand frequent saltwater washings on board.

Click here to buy it at Amazon.

World Atlas of Coral Reefs
by Mark D. Spalding, Corinna Ravilious, Edmund P. Green, United Nations World Conservation Monitoring Center.

If there is one book that belongs in every traveling diver's library, this is it. The superb World Atlas of Coral Reefs has everything you want to know about the reefs from Costa Rica and Cuba to the Coral Sea and Cayman. The information is specific and up to date. The photos, maps and layout superb. And the price, for this 424 page, full color, hard bound volume, is a steal at $31.50

The Atlas was released in September by the United Nations World Conservation Monitoring Center to document and conserve the world's coral reefs. Clearly written with divers in mind, it's an invaluable resource for global travelers. Here's what you'll find.

• 94 maps, including global maps of biodiversity and reef stresses, regional maps showing 3-D bathymetry and high resolution maps showing reefs, mangroves, population centers, dive centers and protected areas.
• 280 color photographs, showing reefs, wildlife, people and places, Including 84 photographs taken from space by Shuttle astronauts.
• Text explaining the formation, structure and ecology of coral reefs; their various uses and abuses at the hands of humans; and the techniques used in coral reef mapping.
• Detailed texts describing the distribution and status of coral reefs in every country.
• Data tables listing information on biodiversity, human use, and protected areas. These include statistics on coral reef area, biodiversity, fish consumption, and threats.

For example, you can learn about pollution damage to the reefs at Providenciales and the lack of human impact, as well. Or, where extensive bleaching took place in Honduras 1998. You'll read that Milne Bay in Papua New Guineas has the most extensive reef system in that country and where, in Fiji, the bumphead parrotfish and tridachna clams will not be found, thanks to overfishing. Order now.

The Reef Set: Reef Fish, Reef Creature and Reef Coral (3 Volumes):
Paul Humann ID Books
by Paul Humann, Ned Deloach

The three set fish, creature and coral ID books by Paul Humann are the unparalleled sources for information on Caribbean sea life and identification. Paul and his partner Ned Deloach recently released updated and expanded editions of each, with scores of new critters, even better photos, and information unavailable anywhere else. Why, the Reef Fish Identification book, at more than 500 pages, is 20 percent larger than the previous volume, which came out in 1994. Whenever I travel to the Caribbean, I tote all three books and spend my down hours figuring out what I saw and where to look to find rare creatures. Paul's splendid Reef Creature book (420 pages), covers sponges, nudibranchs, octopus, crustaceans, Christmas tree worms and plenty more. His Reef Coral ID book (276 pages) helps you identify all the hard and soft corals, spawning, and even the growth on top of corals, as well as algae and other plant life. Beginners may want to ID only fish, but I'd recommend that all three books be part of every diver's library. And, if you have an old set, by all means replace it. You'll be delighted at the additions and improvements. Each book normally retails for $40, but are discounted when you order here. And the boxed 3-volume set is available now at a bigger discount, up to 30%. Click below to buy them at Amazon:

* Reef Fish Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas,
* Reef Creature Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas, and
* Reef Coral Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas
* The Boxed Set of all three (you can save up to 30%)

A Guide to the Coral Reefs of the Caribbean
by Mark Spalding

This book doubles as a guide to the natural history of the coral reefs and a diver's travel guide. In addition to providing information about some of the most popular diving and snorkeling, it also offers practical suggestions to divers who want to protect these sites. Author Mark Spalding, a coral reef scientist who has worked on coral reefs in over thirty countries, delves into the eco-problems with a focus on what each person can do to protect the reefs. The guide section covers 35 dive destinations with key information on the reefs, marine parks, remote places, and unusual species as well as excellent maps and a photographic field guide of the marine flora and fauna.
Order Now at a reduced price of only $16.47.

There's a Cockroach in My Regulator
by Undercurrent

The Best of Undercurrent: Bizarre and Brilliant True Diving Tales from Thirty Years of Undercurrent.

Shipping now is our brand new, 240-page book filled with the best of the unusual, the entertaining, and the jaw dropping stories Undercurrent has published. They’re true, often unbelievable, and always fascinating. We’re offering it to you now for the special price of just $14.95.

Click here to order.

You might find some other books of interest in our Editor's Book Picks section.