Caribbean · Curaçao
Curaçao
Shore and boat reefs, plus wrecks from a shallow tug to a harbour-mouth hull
Photo: LASZLO ILYES · CC BY 2.0
Curaçao is an island where divers are the largest group of visitors after cruise passengers, and its reefs, walls and wrecks are dived from beaches and boats. Off Westpunt lie the reef slope at Playa Kalki and the hard coral of Watamula; Mushroom Forest is named for its mushroom-shaped coral formations; and the entrance to Willemstad's harbour channel hides the upright hull of the Superior Producer, with a small tug wreck in the shallows at Caracasbaai.
About diving in Curaçao
Plenty of dive schools offer courses and certifications, and the island's sites are dived both from the beach and from boats. Playa Kalki is entered either way, and boats from there run to Watamula and Mushroom Forest, which has no shore access. The wreck of the Superior Producer lies a few hundred metres off the shore beside Willemstad's harbour channel, and dive access there is restricted whenever cruise ships are in port.
The complete southwestern side of the island is one large coral reef. At Playa Kalki the reef starts around 5 m and slopes past 30 m. On Mushroom Forest most life sits around 12–14 m (40–50 ft), where giant star coral formations draw moray eels, porcupine fish, barracuda and lobster. Boca Hulu is a steep wall where soft corals start to appear among the stony coral, and Elvin's Plane Wreck is a Fokker that once flew between the ABC Islands. A boat-only reef between Klein Knip and Playa Jeremi holds big hard coral colonies, sponges, barracuda, green morays and lobsters.
Watamula's currents can run north to south, south to north or in circles, so dive leaders plan the drop and pickup points, and the site becomes a drift dive when the flow is steady. In calm conditions it is open to Open Water divers; when the current is stronger it is best left to Advanced Open Water divers or those with drift experience. Currents can also build near the Superior Producer by the harbour entrance, and its depth calls for Advanced Open Water certification.
Best time to dive Curaçao
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair |
| Sea surface | 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 28°C82°F |
| Daytime high | 28°C82°F | 27°C81°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F |
| Rain | 35 mm1.4 in | 20 mm0.8 in | 12 mm0.5 in | 7 mm0.3 in | 13 mm0.5 in | 15 mm0.6 in | 20 mm0.8 in | 23 mm0.9 in | 31 mm1.2 in | 64 mm2.5 in | 94 mm3.7 in | 53 mm2.1 in |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 28°C82°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 28°C82°F | 27°C81°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 35 mm1.4 in | 20 mm0.8 in | 12 mm0.5 in | 7 mm0.3 in | 13 mm0.5 in | 15 mm0.6 in |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 28°C82°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 20 mm0.8 in | 23 mm0.9 in | 31 mm1.2 in | 64 mm2.5 in | 94 mm3.7 in | 53 mm2.1 in |
2011–2025 averages. Sea surface: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, measured at the surface, so deeper water can run colder. Daytime high and rain: NASA POWER.
Curaçao is dived in every month, and mornings usually bring the calmest water. The rainy season runs from October to February. From December to April the water is at its coolest and the island is busier with visitors. May to November brings the warmest water, excellent visibility and fewer crowds. On the wreck by the harbour mouth the sea is often calmest between April and November, when fewer cruise ships are in port.
Best months: March, April, May, June, July, August, September
Curaçao water temperature and weather by month
The sea surface stays between 27 and 29 °C (81–84 °F) all year. Most rain falls from October to January, peaking at about 90 mm (3.5 in) in November; it stays largely dry from March to June. Daytime highs sit around 29 °C (84 °F) all year. The coldest water here is about 26 °C (79 °F), so pack a 3 mm full suit.
Dive types & marine life
Lagun is one of the best spots for turtles, and seahorses and frogfish have turned up at Playa Piskado. Rediho gives the best odds of seahorses and eagle rays. Night dives at Playa Kalki bring out octopuses and lobsters, and the Superior Producer's crevices hold nudibranchs, shrimps and small blennies.
- Reef
- Wall
- Wreck
- Drift
- Night
- Sea turtles
- Eagle rays
- Frogfish
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
- Barracuda
Best dive sites in Curaçao
- 1
Mushroom Forest
Wide coral flats of mushroom-shaped formations, a boat dive from 10 to 30 m (30–100 ft).
- 2
Watamula
Pristine hard coral field and a top island site, flanked by sandy patches of giant barrel sponges.
- 3
Superior Producer
Wreck sitting upright beside Double Reef at the harbour entrance, from 22 m on deck to 30 m.
- 4
Playa Kalki
Westpunt beach entry to Alice in Wonderland, with calm water that suits divers of all levels.
- 5
Tugboat
Small, intact tug in 5 m at Caracasbaai, suited to beginners, snorkellers and photographers.
Site guides
Rare black coral among sea fans and bottlebrush corals
Cave & cavern
A shallow air-filled cavern next to Mushroom Forest
Artificial reef
Cars, trucks and a barge stacked down a slope into deep water
Reef
A shallow bay reef with 11 metres of water at most
Eagle rays and seahorses on a fringing reef just off the beach
Reef
Elephant ear sponges and brain corals on a drop-off well offshore
Seahorses and frogfish along a vertical wall towards Small Wall
Artificial reef
A wreck and a platform on sand, 15 metres at most
A house reef with a sunken pontoon barge and car wrecks next door
Reef
Star coral grown over centuries into mushroom-shaped heads
A cliff-ringed cove with jawfish and squid on the reef
Sand-beach entry onto a reef that slopes past 30 m
Reef
A cliff-walled cove with an inner and an outer reef
A King Neptune statue guarding the lip of the drop-off
Reef
Two parallel reef lines with a valley between them
Spinner dolphins raising their young over the reef
Drift
A drift east over dense coral overhangs and sharp drop-offs
Reef
Coral spawning on a hard-coral slope in September and October
Elephant ear, barrel and stove pipe sponges on one wall
Wreck
A 50 m freighter upright at the harbour mouth, dived from shore
Reef
A natural rock bridge, 6 metres high, at 20 metres
A sunken tug in 5 m of water, straight off the beach
Reef
Where two currents meet at the island's north-west tip
How to get to Curaçao
Curaçao International Airport (CUR) is served by international and regional carriers and sits a 10-minute drive from the city centre. Buses from the Otrobanda station serve the west of the island, including the airport, Piscadera and Westpunt.
Photos from Curaçao
LASZLO ILYES · CC BY 2.0
dronepicr · CC BY 2.0
dronepicr · CC BY 2.0
amanderson2 · CC BY 2.0
amanderson2 · CC BY 2.0
dronepicr · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Scuba Diving at Mushroom Forest in Curaçao: An Iconic Curaçao Boat Diving Site (4K Video) · Dive Curaçao on YouTube
Shore Diving the Superior Producer in Curaçao: Exploring an Iconic Caribbean Shipwreck · Dive Curaçao on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Can the Superior Producer wreck be dived on any day?+
No. Diving it is not allowed while cruise ships and other vessels are moored at the Mega Pier, which lies almost directly inshore of the wreck, so the pier's berthing schedule decides the day.
Is Watamula a shore dive?+
No. Currents there can be unpredictable and strong, so shore access is neither recommended nor common and the site is dived from a boat, over 6 to 36 m (20–120 ft) depending on the captain's route.
Where do beginners start on Curaçao?+
The Tugboat at Caracasbaai sits in 5 m (15 ft), needs only Open Water certification and is reached by an easy walk across the sand, so most divers visit it from the shore.
Sources
- Dive Sites (Go West Diving) — Go West Diving
- Curaçao — Wikivoyage
- Mushroom Forest Dive Site — Dive Curaçao
- MV Superior Producer — Dive Curaçao
- Tugboat Wreck — Dive Curaçao
- Watamula — Dive Curaçao
- Alice in Wonderland — Dive Curaçao
Photo credits
- Divers descend through blue water past a school of creole wrasse on a Curaçao reef by LASZLO ILYES, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A peppermint goby perches on great star coral on a Curaçao reef by LASZLO ILYES, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Aerial view of the small tugboat wreck resting in shallow turquoise water off Curaçao by dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Colorful reef fish swim around a shipwreck resting on the sandy bottom off Curaçao by dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A hawksbill turtle swims over columns of star coral with rounded, lobed tops on the Playa Kalki reef by amanderson2, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr
- A wooden dive pier stacked with scuba tanks runs out over turquoise water at Playa Kalki by amanderson2, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr
- Aerial view of the sandy beach and turquoise water at Playa Kalki on Curaçao's western point by dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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