Photos by: Turtle & Ray Productions
It never gets old.
Though I’ve been diving almost daily in these waters for eight years now, it’s never the same scene twice. And I never know what I might run into! A whale shark, spinner dolphins, a giant ray, sea turtles, even a humpback whale have all wandered into my path below. That’s the beauty of diving around Curaçao: it’s natural diversity. Healthy coral reefs are attracting all kinds of marine life visitors, and hopefully more human visitors now, too. Curaçao is surrounded by more than 104 sq. km (40 sq. miles) of some of the best coral reefs in the Caribbean, but has still remained off radar for most diving enthusiasts. We hope to change that! Curaçao, is the largest island in the Dutch Caribbean (formerly known as the Dutch Antilles which included Curaçao, Bonaire, St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius). Today, Curaçao is an independent country within the Dutch Kingdom. It is 61 km (38 miles) long and between 5-14 kms (3-9 miles) across. It is located in the southern Caribbean approximately 60 km (37 miles) north of Venezuela next to Bonaire and Aruba. The coral reefs are normally found 18-300 meters (65 to 1,000 feet) from shore where they start at a depth of approximately 10 meters (30 feet) and then gently slope down to a depth of over 100 meters (300 feet) in some places.
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CURAÇAO
In addition to the amazing fringing reef system, large inland bays can be found around the island in which mangroves and seagrass communities thrive and serve as nursery areas for certain types of reef fish that are less abundant on similar islands that have no inland bays. While living coral reefs are still growing around the island, Curaçao itself was formed by ancient coral reefs that were raised above the water as the sea level changed.
From the south eastern tip known as “Oostpunt” to the northwestern tip known as “Westpunt”, the underwater world is completely different and unique. Eastern Curaçao is known to locals as “Banda Ariba”. This area is truly an unspoiled and largely still unexplored sanctuary inside of Curaçao’s only National Marine Park. This preserve has amazing sheer walls covered with extensive healthy coral and sponge colonies while the shallow plateaus are overrun by magnificent examples of Elkhorn, Staghorn and Pillar coral communities. On the other side, Western Curaçao is known to locals as “Banda Abou”.This is a bucolic haven for boat and shore diving, offering near perfect conditions year-round because of the natural shielding from the easterly trade winds offered by the mountain range running through the middle of the Christoffel National Park.