Curacao
Climate: Curacao enjoys dry season from April to November bringing average air temperatures of 31°C / 89°F. Rainy season is from December to March with average air temperatures of 26°C / 79°F
Water Temperature: 25 – 28°C / 78 – 82°F
Time: UTC -5:00 (ET)
Language: Dutch is the official language. Local Papiemento, English & Spanish are widely spoken.
Currency: Antillean Guilder (ANG) also called Florin. U.S. Dollars accepted throughout the island
Electricity: 110 – 130 Volts. U.S. Standard Plug Type.
Marriage Requirements: Please contact the local tourism board for instructions and requirements.
Airport(s): Curacao International Airport (CUR)
Hyperbaric Chamber: St. Elisabeth Hospital
While in Curacao, you can dive the famous Tugboat, the world’s cutest wreck. Just a few short fin kicks from shore and you’re on the dive of your life. Check out the star coral in the Mushroom Forest and the Superior Producer, another famous wreck that stands upright at 104 feet, brilliant with orange coral. Curacao is located at 12 degrees north and 69 degrees west in the Caribbean, Curacao is just 35 miles north of Venezuela, 42 miles east of Aruba and 30 miles west of Bonaire. Highest elevation is Mount Christoffel at 1,239 feet. The capital, Willemstad, is a UNESCO World Heritage site, rich with culture, unique architecture, museums, and an array of restaurants celebrating native, Caribbean and worldwide cuisine. The island is also recognized for its world-class diving and many land-based activities.
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Sue
The room at All West was so so. The location was great, but some things were lacking. The kitchen could really use a microwave. We prepared our own food.
The diving was great. This was my favorite Caribbean diving ever. We did mostly shore diving. There is a pier where the fisherman clean their fish and throw the waste into the water. As a result, a lot of turtles come in to feed. We found a dead barracuda and ended up hand feeding it to the turtles. It was so much fun that the next day we bought a couple of fish. We ended up finding an eel to feed and even an octopus. The octopus loved the fish. It actually stole one whole fish and walked away with it. It was fantastic.
And at a different dive site we spotted an eagle ray. And instead of disappearing it hung in the sand feeding. We watched it for about 30 minutes. I took pictures and video of everything. It was wonderful!
Julie
Our trip was fabulous. Diving was great, the divemasters were wonderful and very relaxed - no hurrying anyone, it wasn't too crowded and the accommodations were very comfortable. Airport transfer smooth - they were waiting with a placard and our name on it. And for the return to the airport, we returned one of their rental trucks, so we did not need a ride. Only negative was a delayed departure from Curacao by American Airlines, but that is to be expected at times.
Susanne
We just got back from Curacao. We had a wonderful time. The All West apartments and Go West diving were very nice. We LOVED the shore dive in front of the apartments. We saw so many octopus, including 2 Atlantic long arm octopus mating during the day. We also found the home of 3 octopus and they were there 3 days in a row. We saw lots of squid too. The dock at the beach where the fisherman come in was fun. The fisherman would throw fish guts into the water and turtles would swarm the area. We actually did a full 2 hour dive at that site. The reefs are healthy.
I can definitely see us returning there for a family trip!
Mike
Love Westpunt. Good dive sites, restaurants, beaches. All West Apts was fine, no problems; Ocean Encounters boat dives were great. Dive masters were very attentive.
Bill
The apartment was fine and we found the local restaurants in West Punt to be very good. The dive operator was okay, although a couple of the dive masters seemed a little bored. Our biggest concern was the lack of marine life, except for reef fish, on all of the dives except one. No lobster, a couple of small crab, and no large fish at all. We did see many fishing boats in the dive areas and since our apartment was near the local dock, we got to see the catch they brought in every day. It's no wonder we didn't see any large fish. We heard many divers say they wouldn't be coming back to Curacao and we fall in the same category. It definitely is not a protected marine environment and I expect the local fishermen to over fish themselves and the dive industry out of business. For that I am truly sad.
Roger
The All West Apartments and staff were great. There was a mix up with room assignments as there was a large group checking in at the same time. However, it was all straightened out in short order. The rooms were great. We turned the living room into a second bedroom with the pull-out couch, so we each had a bedroom. In all of my years diving I have never stayed in an apartment, so it was an interesting (good) adventure. However, we stopped at the grocery store when we came from the airport, and we set up house. The diving behind All West and also the dive shop was very good. And after hour tanks were always available.
The dive operation Ocean Encounters (All West Diving) was super. They run a fine operation and are very helpful & friendly. The diving was very good. I didn't see any new things, as it was my 5th time in Curacao. However my son is a new diver and almost everything was new and exciting to him.
We did a lot of sightseeing and ate out three nights. We ate twice at The Sol and had the pleasure in spending some time talking to Sunshine. The food was excellent and Sunshine's smiling personality left smiles on our face too. What a great place to eat and spend an evening.
We had a great time and are ready to come back.
A.
We had a great time in Curacao. The apartment at All West was very nice and the diving was terrific. The staff at the hotel and dive shop was always helpful.
Curacao. Can We Say Choices?
Curacao. Can We Say Choices?
If you are trying to choose your next dive destination, you may want to look no further than Curacao. Who would have thought that an Island just over 444km² (171sq miles) would constantly be named one of the top dive destinations in the Caribbean so many years in a row by so many divers and so many dive related publications? The word Curacao is thought to drive ...
Read BlogDestination Spotlight: Curacao
Bon Bini! (Welcome!)
Where’s our next stop on our virtual tour of beautiful beaches, resorts, and dive destinations?
Curacao! (But you knew that already though, you cheated and looked at the title!)
One of the Caribbean’s hidden treasures and part of the “ABC Islands,” Curacao is famous for its vibrant culture, gorgeous beaches, and almost untouched marine life (which is pretty much ...
Read BlogMust Do Dives: Curacao Pt.I
Curacao is a unique, southern Caribbean, Dutch influenced island that has quickly become a popular dive destination. We've witnessed this islands popularity increase among scuba divers; especially, within the last 5 years, as a variety of dive sites have been discovered.
Counting down the 10 Must Do Dives is no easy matter! How can you choose just TEN amazing Curacao dive sites? We needed a...
Read BlogMust Do Dives: Curacao Pt.II
A continuation of our 10 Must Do Dives: Curacao
As we mentioned in our Must Do Dives: Curacao Pt.I, Curacao is an unbeatably popular dive destination that is only growing amongst divers.
Below are the last 5 must-do-dives of Curacao.
Happy Diving!
Mushroom Forest
This expansive area of coral flats is named for the extensive, striking mushroom-shaped, coral formations. One of the top dive...
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