CURACAO
February 4-11, 2007
Captain Don's Habitat and Easy Divers ... A small group of us (only four!) recently went on an incredible trip to Curacao. Diving in Curacao is much like that of Bonaire ... you can either dive by boat or be adventuresome and go shore diving! Our package had alot of boat dives, so we only made three shore dives ... the "Superior Producer" wreck and two dives at "Playa Kalki".
I highly recommend both! The "Superior Producer" was an awesome dive ... clear water and no current and just a short swim from shore. The story goes ... the boat was loaded with Christmas goods and clothes; shortly after leaving the dock the cargo began to shift and the boat sank. The islanders received word of this and within a few days, all of the goods were gone! The Decompression Chamber had never treated so many cases of the bends. The T-shirts were highly identifiable, easy to spot, and became known as "Salty Clothes". The wreck was loaded with fish life and growth. It was tricky finding exactly where the entry was, but it was well worth it!
"Playa Kalki" was also an awesome dive. The reefs were pristeen with huge sponges, wire coral, black coral, etc. Not to mention I have never seen so many lettuce leaf slugs on one dive site before! The entry was jumping off a pier in front of a dive shop, so it could not have been any better! Afterwards we had a primo spot to watch the sunset!
Curacao is about 38 miles long and varies between 1.5 to 7.5 miles wide. Unlike Bonaire, there is one main road that runs through the center of the island and fingers off, so it is harder to get around and takes you a little longer to get to the dive sites if you are shore diving. Like Bonaire, Curacao is harder to get to than most other destinations, but it is well worth making the effort!
I hope to have photos posted soon, so check back.
Until next time ...
S. Scott