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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Beth
Resort was nice, the diving was good, transfers were smooth. We had a great trip!
Mike
Dive center was very friendly and helpful. Room was nice. Restaurant on site was hit or miss and always had slow service. Restaurants away from resort were lower priced with better food and service. Diving was fun, house reef was a nice wall, but there wasn’t any variety in the boat trips. Lots of similar dive sites. No wrecks or swim throughs. All small fish and coral. No macro life. Boat didn’t go to some of the more recommended dive spots (too far). We enjoyed the trip, but the diving we did in the Virgin Islands and Cozumel was better.
Larry
No problem getting the car rental and nice that the counter and car are on the airport property with no need for a shuttle. The description of the car as being "mid-size" is totally inaccurate. The car as described on the rental counter signage is a "mini-compact". You should be made aware that no more than two people could travel with baggage to the hotel as the back seats must be lowered to fit the luggage. Car comes standard, not an issue for us but might be for others.
The hotel is probably a 25 minute drive from the airport. The hotel has a beautifully landscaped property and all staff were very friendly. The room was very spacious with a nice covered patio. There is a small kitchen counter/cupboard with toaster, coffee pot, electric fry pan dishes, glasses, silverware and sink. The shower is a problem as it is probably 8 feet long with only a 3 foot glass panel nearest the shower head. The drain is against the wall below the shower head. The shower floor is level with the bathroom floor with no lip. Thus, water ends up all over the bathroom floor unless proper precautions are made. After the first shower and flood we started to use towels to make a damn so the water wouldn't flood the rest of the bathroom. Interestingly, each shower is equipped with a long handled squeegee so obviously the flooding issues is known. Lastly, we could not open the safe as the previous occupant left it locked but management came.
Diving was excellent and would recommend this to new divers as we seldom went below 50 feet with no current. We had to speak with the manager as we were coming up at 45 minutes with half a tank of air. The shop appears to be designed for resort course divers who take their class then first boat dives using up their air quickly. After our talk our dives were 60 minutes. They were using a rented dive boat as their boat is out for repairs so I can't comment on what the regular boat would be like. The rental left a lot to be desired.
So that's my report. A great trip with no flight or luggage problems.
Nick
Our stay at Oasis Coral Estate was very enjoyable. The property was beautiful and well maintained, the restaurants served amazing chef prepared meals and the diving was great! Shore diving is popular, however, we did almost all of our dives by boat. Their dive boat, The Anaconda, is an older but adequate platform to dive from. However, they did experience engine problems and we were put on a newer center console towards the end of our visit. Unfortunately, that boat also had engine issues and there were no more boats available. So they hooked us up with a dive shop that operated out of West Punt, shuttled us to and back and we made great dives thru that operation. The dive operation at Coral Oasis was very attentive to our needs and requests and went the extra mile to ensure we had great dive experiences even when their boats were not operating.
Jennifer
The Oasis Coral Estate is a beautiful resort hidden away from everything. The rooms are beautiful and the staff is very nice. The food is tasty at both of the restaurants on site. I went to Curacao to dive and the reef is beautiful and vibrant with color. Coral Divers is a great company with very professional Dive Masters. I would definitely recommend them.
Jeff
Our comments on our trip to Oasis Coral; great location and diving.
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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