Curaçao · Curaçao · Cave & cavern
Blue Room
A shallow air-filled cavern next to Mushroom Forest
Area photo: LASZLO ILYES · CC BY 2.0
An air-filled cavern at about 5 metres on the Santa Cruz coast of Banda Abou, next to Mushroom Forest and usually dived on the same boat trip. It is a short, shallow site rather than a full dive, and its season is late August into September, when silversides fill the dark crevices inside.
Where it is and how deep
12.2972° N, 69.1554° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The Blue Room sits at the end of a one-kilometre stretch of land in the Santa Cruz area of Banda Abou, next to Mushroom Forest, and operators generally run the two together on one boat trip. Depth is about 5 metres, so the site costs almost no gas and works as the second half of a morning out rather than as a dive on its own.
Inside is an air-filled cavern, dark enough that a light changes what you see of it. Late August through September is the time to be there: silversides light up the crevices and move through the cave in a single mass. It is shallow and simple enough for beginners, but it is still an enclosed space, so follow someone who knows the entrance and keep the way out in sight.
Background
Dive Curaçao credits the first widely seen images of the Blue Room to wildlife photographer Amos Nachoum, who shot the cavern in 2006 while on a photo expedition with Ty Sawyer, then editor of Sport Diver. The cave has been a fixture of island dive itineraries since, almost always paired with the neighbouring Mushroom Forest reef on the same boat trip.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Curaçao: Diving runs all year; October to February is the rainy season, and May to November brings warmer water and fewer crowds.
Know before you go
- This is an overhead environment despite the shallow depth: go in behind a guide who knows the entrance, carry a light and keep the exit in view.
- Recreational and commercial boat traffic works this coast — surface and ascend with an inflated marker buoy.
Dive videos
The Blue Room Cave, Curacao (45 minute hike to an amazing underwater cave) · Jordan Outside on YouTube
Questions divers ask
When are the silversides in the Blue Room?+
From the late days of August through September. That is when they light up the dark crevices of the cavern and flow through it in a mass.
How deep is the Blue Room?+
About 5 metres, which is why it is rated for beginners and is usually combined with a second site such as Mushroom Forest on the same boat trip.
Sources
- Blue Room Dive Site — Dive Curaçao (divecuracao.info)
- Dive Sites (Go West Diving) — Go West Diving
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