WHERE TO DIVE

Curacao offers a wide variety of diving adventures … with walls, wrecks, reefs and more. Both the experienced and new diver will have much to explore.

From well-known dive sites like The Mushroom Forest to amazing wreck diving in the clear blue waters and unusual programs like diving with sea lions and dolphins in association with Curacao's SeaQuarium – there is an experience worth trying at every turn.

DIVE CENTERS

• All West Diving & Apartments
• Caribbean Sea Sports
• Sunset Divers
• Ocean Encounters

Other Dive Operators Here's a short list of some of the other dive operators on Curacao. For more on dive operators check out padi.com or the Curacao Dive Operators Association.

• Atlantis Diving
• Curacao Seascape Dive and Watersports
• Diver Center Scuba Do
• Down Town Diving
• Duikschool Wederfoort
• Habitat Curacao Dive Resort
• Holiday Beach Diving
• Limestone Holiday & Apartments
• Ocean Encounters Lions Dive
• Silent Immersion

TEN TO DIVE

Watamula On the very northern end of the island, Watamula is a popular site for most dive operations. See numerous sponges, anemones and gorgons along with turtles, sharks, mantas, barracudas and more.

Mushroom Forest (and Cave) A gentle, sloping reef with huge formations of corals in the shape of – you guessed it – mushrooms. Here you'll also find a large cave filled with fingerlings or sometimes a napping nurse shark. The dive ranges from 40 to 60 feet.

Superior Producer Located on the southwest side of the island, this wreck lies in about 100 feet of water and although visibility can be more than 100 feet, seas can be rough.

Porto Marie Reportedly one of the most beautiful dives in Curacao. The site can be accessed from the beach and teems with turtles, nurse sharks, barracudas, stingrays, eels, scorpion fish, parrotfish, angelfish and more.

Habitat Resort's House Reef Just offshore in front of the resort, this reef is named "Nos Kas" which means "Our Home" and is known as one of the healthiest reefs in Curacao. Habitat Resort Reef is often featured in magazines and ecological studies.

Saba A great wreck dive with a fully-intact tugboat sitting upright on a shallow plateau. Covered in corals and flush with sea life, this is a site not to be missed.

Klein Curacao A small island 15 miles to the south, Klein Curacao offers spectacular reefs, pristine beaches and crystal clear waters. A popular destination for dive and snorkel operators, its reefs are said to be some of the best in Curacao.

Director's Bay This site has an amazing array of unusual sea life including seahorses, frogfish and schools of Creole wrasse. Look for the large octopus and the old shark fence among the corals and sponges.

Tugboat This wreck is just a few yards offshore in a protected bay filled with corals and huge tube sponges. Close by is a wall that's used as a hideout by schools of Creole wrasse. At only 25 feet deep, this is also a popular snorkeling site.

Hell's Corner About a 10-minute boat ride, this site is named for the crashing waves that batter the shoreline nearby. Huge barrel and tube sponges along with an enormous elephant ear sponge make a colorful backdrop.

Harry's Hole A great dive with the best sightings at between 15 and 40 feet – everyone can enjoy this one. Look for peacock flounders, spotted drums, spotted eels and the stars of the dive – seahorses.

Playa Kalki/Alice In Wonderland Just south of Watamula, Playa Kalki is a popular snorkel and dive spot. With calm conditions most of the time and accessibility from the parking lot, the site features great visibility and a wall that drops to 60 feet.