Diving and Snorkeling in Curaçao

Shocking to many, perhaps due to the island's arid landscape, the underwater landscapes surrounding Curacao are striking and diverse. 

Beautiful gardens of coral reef and an array of colorful marine life draw snorkelers and divers from around the world into the waters and keeps them wanting more. 

It is the island's volcanic origins that created the steep walls, cliffs, and coral formations.  Visibility ranges from about 60 to 150 feet.  In recent years, Scuba Diver magazine ranked Curacao as having the healthiest marine environment in the whole of the Atlantic.

In Curacao, introductory scuba diving courses typically cost between $75 and $140(USD), and are necessary for novice divers.  After you've learned the ropes, you can hire a dive company to take you out for a day of diving for between $40 and $85(USD) per person.

Snorkel equipment is often available for free at your resort, but can also be found at dive shops for around $10 to $15(USD) per day.

Sites with Sights

Along Curacao's southern coast line is the Curacao Underwater Park.  Stretching out for 12 miles, the park has sites for both divers and snorkelers to explore including more than 30 species of hard coral.  Most notably, there is a snorkel trail marked with information about sites along the way.  Divers, meanwhile, will delight in the steep walls and shallow wreck sites. 

There are over 80 dive sites to explore in Curacao, so visitors have a plethora of options to choose from, many of which are popular for their coral reef, reef walls, sponges, wrecks, and marine life. 

Tips

• Pay attention to currents and how your body responds to them; you don't want to drift too far off course.
• Wear a water proof watch to ensure you don't lose track of time, which can be easy to do underwater.
• Don't feed the fish or touch the animals or coral, this could cause their protective layers to be stripped away.  Note that it is illegal to touch soft coral in marine protected areas.
• Never stand or walk on a reef, and tread carefully in shallow water around reefs. Shuffle your feet to avoid stingrays, and watch out for sea urchins.
• Never wear jewelry. Caribbean fish, barracudas especially, seem to be drawn to shiny objects that look like their natural prey, small silver fish.
• Avoid jellyfish, fire coral, and other stinging creatures.
• Never reach into holes or crevices; animals - especially moray eels - like to make their homes in them.
• Shark sightings are rare, and sharks that are spotted are usually passive. If you do see a shark, stay calm, and if necessary, move slowly out of the water.
• Never remove anything from dive sites and reefs.
• Wear waterproof sunblock.  Sunburns are a common side effect of the hot Caribbean sun, even under water.

With so many dive sites to choose from, one could spend their entire life visiting the island and not see everything there is to see.  Still, seeing one is better than none, so pull on your flippers, hook up your scuba tank, and dive in to Curacao.