Curacao’s reputation as a world-class dive destination has now become firmly entrenched in the dive world. Its shores are surrounded by beautiful coral reefs and a number of wrecks including the Superior Producer and two sunken tugboats. In October 2010 Curacao became an autonomous island-nation and the world’s newest country. Curacao has miles of coastline dotted with isolated beaches, a bustling downtown with great shopping, historical sites and nightlife and exciting diving right offshore.
Diving in Curaçao
Curaçao is the largest of the A-B-C (Aruba – Bonaire – Curaçao) island chain at 37 miles long and just over 8 miles wide with an area of 171 square miles. A shallow shelf encircles the island, followed by a vertical drop-off The drop-off begins at 30 to 40 feet and descends to well over 100 feet and is typically not far from the beach, making it an ideal place for shore diving. Curaçao has over 80 dive sites – most of them accessible by shore. Three of Curaçao’s must dives are; Mushroom Forest, Wreck of the Superior Producer and Hell’s Corner.
Mushroom Forest has been repeatedly rated one of the world’s best dives by Sport Diver magazine. This dive site got its name from the mountains of star and boulder coral that have a mushroom-like appearance due to decades of erosion from sponges and clams. As you swim between the towers of coral you will spot numerous species of fish such as parrotfish, grouper, green and spotted morays, yellowtail snapper, smooth trunkfish and spotted drum fish.
The Superior Producer is a 240-foot cargo ship that sank in 100 feet of water off the coast of Curaçao, just beyond the bustling harbor of Willemstad. The ship was filled beyond its capacity with clothing and crates of whiskey, headed to Venezuela for the Christmas shopping season, and left the port against the captain’s recommendation. It sank almost immediately after leaving the port and can be accessed by either boat or shore. The Superior Producer sits upright with its wheelhouse at 80 feet and the hull at 100 feet. This wreck dive site is one of the top 10 dive sites in Curaçao and one of the best wreck dives in the Caribbean. When exploring this ship, you will find barracuda, blackbar soldierfish, grouper, yellow and purple tube sponges and sea anemones.
Hell’s Corner, by the tip of Santa Martha Bay, gets its name from having unpredictable currents. With little protection from the open ocean and nearby steep cliffs, this site is for experienced divers who will be rewarded with a wealth of marine life including large gorgonians, schools of jacks, sea turtles, spotted and green morays, barracudas, tube sponges, and spiny lobsters along with an assortment of incredible brain coral.
Curaçao’s climate allows for year-round diving with water temperatures averaging a warm 78-80 °F with visibility at 80 to 100 feet. A few of Curaçao’s topside attractions are, Museum Kura Hulanda, Seaquarium, The Curaçao Ostrich Farm, Floating Bridge, and the Dolphin Academy. In addition to its diving, Curaçao offers a large selection of sports activities, for all ages including hiking, biking, bird watching, horseback riding, paintball, sailing and more.
Dive Primer
- Water Temp: 78-82°
- Visibility: 100′+
- Wetsuit: 1.5mm to 3mm
Best Time to Travel
- Year-round
Favorite Dive Sites
- Mushroom Forest
- Superior Producer
- Hell’s Corner
Topside Attractions
- Kura Hulanda
- Ostrich Farm
- Floating Bridge