There are over forty Curacao dive sites on the island and Sunset Divers provides easy access to the very best Curaçao has to offer. We are a quick fifteen minute boat ride from the famous Mushroom Forest. We frequent 20 of the best dive sites on the island.
Santa Cruz
This is furthest west that we go. It is a 25 minute boat ride. We moor in 25 feet of water. From the mooring block into shore is a large sandy area with lots of garden eels. There are resident Spotted Eagle rays that hang out and feed on the garden eels. The reef is lush with some of the same coral formations as mushroom forest. Make sure you look under the coral heads for large green moray eels and lobsters. We frequently see turtles in this area. If you see one missing a back fin her name is 'Lucky'. She is a frequent guest in this area.
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Mushroom Forest
This is the dive site that is the most published and a must see for divers. It is a 20 minute boat ride. The mooring is in 40 feet of water. It is called mushroom forest because of the large number of mountainous star coral growing vertically on a sandy plateau that form a 'forest of mushrooms' The mushroom shapes occurred because the coral heads have been bio-eroded at their base to narrow columns by boring clams and sponges. Bring a compass with you as it is easy to get lost because it is a plateau and all mushroom coral heads look alike. We frequently see: turtles, Green moray eels, lobsters, octopus, scorpion fish
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Sponge Forest
This is a staff favorite. Just a short 20 minutes from the dock. The mooring is in 40 feet of water. It is a gradual sloping wall. Sponge Forest boasts some of the most spectacular sponges in the Caribbean. The soft coral is abundant. Make sure to look for Barracuda, lobsters, rays, octopus, eels and turtles. The creole wrasse steam by as if on an underwater highway.
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Boca Hulu
This dive site is about 18 minutes from the dock. The mooring is in 15 - 20 feet. Boca means mouth and Hulu was the name of a slave that escaped and lived out the rest of his life as a free man on this beach. They say at night that you can here his name being called. This is a favorite night dive site. From the mooring to shore is mostly sand which is great for southern sting rays. The wall is a gradual sloping wall with lots of hard and soft corals.
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Duane's Release
Octopus This dive site is about 18 minutes from the dock. The mooring is in 15 - 20 feet of water. This dive site honor's Duane Hendrix. Duane touched many people during his short life and this dive site is a fitting tribute. This is a gradual sloping wall. There is usually a slight current right under the boat but once down the wall it tapers off. The sandy area near the mooring has been home to a very large spotted eagle ray and southern sting rays. The sponges and soft corals are abundant as is the fish life. Keep your eyes open for angel fish, barracudas, octopus, eels and the abundant macro life.
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Radio City
This dive site is about 15 minutes from the dock. The mooring is in about 15 feet of water. This is another staff favorite. Both a great dive and snorkel site. Seahorse There are brilliant white sand shoots that go down the wall spotted with beautiful soft corals. We usually see sea horses on this site. Also southern sting rays in the sandy area's. Make sure to look up and under the coral heads for big eels and lobsters. Flamingo tongue's are common on the soft corals.
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Black Coral Gardens
Right next door to Radio City the mooring is in 25 feet of water. The gentle sloping wall is very healthy and abundant with black coral. Large schools of reef fish, barracudas, sea turtles, moray eels, frog fish and seahorses frequent this site.
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Hell's Corner
Gorgonians This dive site is 10 minutes from the dock. The mooring is in 15 - 20 feet of water. This dive sites gets it name from the large waves that crash against the shore line. When Hurricane Lenny came through the only significant land damage was the rock face that broke directly in front of the mooring. This is a great site for wide angle shots. The sloping wall has huge orange elephant ear sponges. Large barrel sponges, tube sponges, large gorgonians.
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Mako's Mountain
This is our closest dive site, not even 5 minutes away from the dock. The mooring is in 15-20 feet of water. This dive site gets its name from an old fishermen story, who said that there used to be a big Mako shark down here. The reason why it is called Mountain is because there a lot of unusual coral formations under the water that look like mountains. Sometimes a bit of current on this site, but this is also the place to see a Southern stingray. Spiny Lobsters and crabs are usually found on this dive site. The shallower you go, look for juvenile spotted drums in the soft corals.
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Mako's Mountain 2
Just a 100 yards away from Mako's Mountain, we have a brand new dive site. The mooring was just installed in December 2006 Moray thanks to Lee's Reef Project in 40 feet of water. Very pristine dive site with healthy corals, sponges and different types of moray eels. Look out for some big barracudas.
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Mako's Mountain 3
This new site (December 2006) in between Hell's corner and Mako's mountain gives a nice mix of soft corals and hard corals. The mooring is in 35-40 feet of water. Currents are not uncommon on this site, so watch out for the larger deepwater fish, barracuda and don't be surprised of your dive buddy turns out to be a sea turtle
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Sunset Diver's House Reef Airplane
Just out the mouth of the lagoon you can follow a broken pipe buried in the sand with soft whip coral on either side out to the edge of the wall. To the Right of the pipe in 20 feet of water there is an airplane wreck. There is a lot of growth on the frame of the Cessna cockpit. The wings and tail section are down the wall. There is also a snorkel trail that is marked by concrete hands that are numbered. These are great to follow to find your way back. We usually see turtles, spotted eagle rays, eels, tarpuns, sea horses and the occasional frog fish and pipe fish. So keep your eyes open you never know what you will see.
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Lee's Reef
Not even 5 minutes away by boat, another great dive site. This mooring was put in the spring of 2006 in 20 feet Pipefish of water and is becoming one of the guests' favorite sites. Not hard to guess why, pristine reef, sponges and corals with colorful reef fish including French and Queen Angelfish. Octopus are often seen during the day, and near the mooring look for pipefish.
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Harry's Hole
This dive site is about 5-10 minutes away from the dock. Harry's hole is named after the former owner of the dive center and this was his favorite site of Curacao. The mooring is only in 15 feet of water and is an ideal second dive site in the morning because the most beautiful things on this site are in between 15-40 feet. Peacock Flounders, juvenile Spotted Drums can be often seen here. Swimming Gold Spotted eels and Sharp-tailed eels are a nice attraction as well, but the attraction of this dive site are sea horses; look for them during your safety stop in the soft coral forest in 15 feet of water right underneath the boat.
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Lost Anchor
Ten minutes away from the dock we have lost anchor, moored in just 20 feet of water. This dive site is not quite a wall, but a very steep slope, so watch your buoyancy on this dive. Abundant fish and coral life can be found between 30 to 50 feet. Abundant moray eels (green and spotted) as well as crabs and lobsters make this dive site one of our favorite night dives.
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San Juan
This dive site is 10-15 minutes away from the dock, with the mooring in 20-25 feet of water. This dive site has some nice big star Spiny Lobster coral heads in about 50 feet. Turtles and rays are often spotted on this dive.
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Generation Reef
This dive site is located between San Juan and Mike's Place. It is about 15 minutes from the dock. This dive site was an exploration dive with the Blue Ocean Dive group. They had 3 generations of divers on that trip two of them certified by the group leader Mike Elsner. This dive site is very pristine with sandy patches in the shallows, that spotted eagle rays and southern sting rays forage for food. You may find a lobster hiding under a coral head or a turtle munching on some algae.
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Mike's Place (Big Sponge)
15 minutes by boat from the dock we have Mike's place. The mooring is in 15 feet of water. A nice sloping reef with excellent visibility, a very healthy reef, Frogfish so look for lots of sponges as well as moray eels, mushroom coral heads, colorful reef fish and around the sponges, see if you can find a frogfish.
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Long Beach
Just behind the corner of Mike's place you have Long Beach, named after the Longest Beach on the island. The mooring on the site is only in 15 feet of water. This is a great shallow dive as there is so much to see right under the boat. We do go out to the gentle sloping wall where there are usually schools of reef fish. There is also an abundance of soft coral. Keep your eyes open for juvenile trunk and spotted drums along with baby eels. Watch the soft corals closely as you might just find a sea horse.
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College Reef
Just 20 - 25 minutes from the dock you will find College reef. For several years the mooring was an Amstel Beer Keg and since there are a lot of keg parties in college it was named College reef. This is a beautiful site the mooring is in 15 - 20 feet of water. On the short swim from the mooring to the wall you will pass fields of soft corals. The wall is covered in large elephant ear sponges and large barrel sponges. This is the perfect habitat for frog fish. If we are lucky we may see a coronet fish. There is usually a squadron of squid just towards shore past the mooring block.
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Cas Abou
Shrimp Just a few minutes past College Reef you will find Cas Abou or Lower House. This is the prefect site to try out your navigation skills as the boat is attached to a very large rope that runs from shore down to 70 feet. As long as you find the rope you will find the boat. The sloping wall is rich in marine life including spotted drums, black coral whips, brilliant-orange elephant-ear sponges.
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Pelican Beach
Just 25 minutes from the dock. The mooring is in 15 - 20 feet of water. Even though this is a neighbor site to Porto Marie it is very different. It is a very gradual slope until you get to 80 feet then it drops off. This is a soft coral and sponge haven. Sometimes we see spotted eagle rays, frog fish, octopus, midnight blue parrot fish and squid.
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Porto Mari
Mantis Shrimp 30 minutes from the dock this is a staff favorite. The mooring is in 15 - 20 feet of water. This dive site is very unique it is the only dive site on the island that has 3 reefs. We start under the boat where we usually find mantis shrimp follow the sand shoot out to the first reef on our right. Then we will cross a crevasse, watch your depth with the clear water it is very easy to want to get to the bottom which is 130 feet. Once on the second reef we cruise the back side to look for the occasional big game fish or sea turtle. Crossing another sandy area we are on the third reef that runs parallel to the shore and is marked with swim buoy. The third reef usually has sea horses. Make sure that you pay attention to the sandy middle as it is a perfect play area for spotted eagle rays
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