Curacao by El Gropo

El Loco and I spent 7 days in January diving Curacao for our annual "Boys' Night Out". We stayed at the Princess Beach - big rooms, a little on the musty side. Although we had originally planned on boat dives with Princess Divers we found that a Toyota Tercel and a load of air was the way to go. (Not a great car when the swells exceeded 4 feet, though). Seriously, the beach diving was a lot of fun, allowing for frequent wrong turns due to somewhat erratic maps. To the west, Porto Maria is great - be sure to circle the reef and look for nurse sharks on the outside. Hawksbills at Casa Abou, and spotted eagle rays at Vaersenbaai. Real nice boat dive to the Mushroom Forest with Anton at Easy Divers, Coral Cliffs. Playa Kalki was good too. Don't expect many big fish, but enjoy the coral and sponges. East of Princess Beach, do a few dives at Jan Theil Bay. We did the Superior Producer with Andy of Princess Divers. Short dive to 110 ft, with a 0.5 to 0.7 knot current ripping along. Also with Princess, did a night dive at the tugboat which was only so-so due to relative absence of animals. Feel free to skip the Car Pile, which reminded El Loco of diving in the East River.

If you go, expect a typical profile to include a plus or minus 200 yard swim over a sandy bottom to the dropoff at 30 feet, with a relatively steep drop to more sand at over 100 feet. Typical vis was 40 to 60 feet. Really beautiful sponges and coral but fish over 2 feet are rare. Water temperature was 79-82 F from top to 125. Also expect to meet lots of Dutch divers, virtually all of whom were friendly and eager to share their dive stories.

As for Curacao, it's dry and windy, with infrequent cold showers. The nightlife doesn't kick in until very late, which means that serious divers may never see a crowded bar. Drivers are nuts, so go slow. Try the roadside stands and beach cafes for good and cheap lunches, like fish soup and chicken satay. Local Amstell beer was fine, but comes in those little 8 oz. cans, which means you get to see the bartender a lot. Last but not least, the Dutch women are stunning.

All in all a good trip, but I don't think we'll go back, as the dives were relatively repetitious. You'll see more big fish in one dive off Belize than in a week off Curacao.