Curaçao · Curaçao · Reef · Coral garden
Mushroom Forest
Star coral grown over centuries into mushroom-shaped heads
Area photo: LASZLO ILYES · CC BY 2.0
A boat-only reef off Curaçao's remote north-west coast near Santa Cruz Bay, where star coral has grown over centuries into mounded heads that read as giant mushrooms. The reef runs from 10 to 30 metres, and the formations sit close enough together to make a maze of crevices, tunnels and hiding places.
Where it is and how deep
12.3018° N, 69.1543° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Mushroom Forest lies on Curaçao's more remote north-west coast, near Santa Cruz Bay, and boat diving is the only way in. The reef sits between 10 and 30 metres, and the shapes that give the site its name are obvious in the first minutes: enormous star coral colonies, grown over centuries into heads that look like giant mushrooms.
Between and beneath those heads the reef turns into a maze of crevices, tunnels and hiding spots, and that is where most of the dive goes. Spotted moray eels sit back in the coral, southern stingrays cross the sand patches between formations, and turtles graze on sponges and sea fans. Nurse sharks turn up occasionally, resting under ledges.
Visibility usually runs 25 to 30 metres, so it pays to swim wide of a cluster now and then and look at the whole formation rather than one head at a time. Open Water divers can dive the site, but the reef bottoms out at 30 metres and the maze makes it easy to lose track of depth, so agree a maximum on the boat before you drop.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Stingrays
| 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
- Recreational and commercial boat traffic works this coast: an inflated surface marker buoy is required, and the group should surface together at it.
- The coral heads run down to 30 m and the route between them is not linear, so it is easy to drift deeper than planned — set a turn depth before entry.
Dive videos
Scuba Diving at Mushroom Forest in Curaçao: An Iconic Curaçao Boat Diving Site (4K Video) · Dive Curaçao on YouTube
SCUBA Dive Curacao - Mushroom Forest · Journey and Beyond on YouTube
Mushroom forest Curacao · alexflink on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Can you shore dive Mushroom Forest?+
No. The site is on Curaçao's more remote north-west coast near Santa Cruz Bay, and boat diving is the only way to reach it.
How deep is Mushroom Forest?+
The reef runs from about 10 metres down to 30. Open Water divers dive it, but the deeper end sits past standard Open Water limits, so set a maximum depth before the dive.
Sources
- Mushroom Forest Dive Site — Dive Curaçao (divecuracao.info)
- An Underwater Photographer's Guide to Curaçao — DivePhotoGuide
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