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Divers descend through blue water past a school of creole wrasse on a Curaçao reef

Curaçao · Curaçao · Reef

Snake Bay

Coral spawning on a hard-coral slope in September and October

Area photo: LASZLO ILYES · CC BY 2.0

Snake Bay, or Slaagenbaai, is a small sandy beach at Playa Wachi in the village of Boca Sami, busy with locals at weekends. It is a shore dive onto a coral slope, and it is best known for the coral spawning that takes place there in September and October.

Also known as Slaagenbaai, Playa Wachi, Snake Bay at Playa Wachi.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Snake Bay: typical dive 6–36 m (20–118 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit6 m36 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 50 m (164 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

12.1378° N, 68.9970° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

Divers normally surface swim to the drop-off, but in heavy waves they cross the sandy plateau underwater until the reef begins at around 10–13 m. Below it a 45-degree slope of hard corals and sponges falls away.

The direction depends on the current, though the preferred route is east (left). It gives an easier swim and leaves the best sights, between 10 and 15 m, for the return leg.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Snake Bay
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodFairFairFair

Season follows Curaçao: Corals spawn here in September and October.

Dive videos

Tauchen auf CURACAO - Playa Wachi aka Snake Bay "Nord & Südseite" 4K/60FPS 🦑 St. Michel · Ollywood - Dive & Travel on YouTube

Questions divers ask

When do the corals spawn at Snake Bay?+

In September and October, when the bay's hard-coral slope hosts the spawning it is best known for.

Sources

  1. Snake Bay at Playa Wachi, Boca Sami — Dive Curaçao
  2. OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap contributors

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