Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao Diving

[scottydawg]

I finally get to ask about diving in places I haven't been and would appreciate input from anyone who has been to these islands.

 

Four of us will be on the Holland America Holiday cruise this Christmas/New Years. We don't arrive into Aruba until 1pm so I doubt we will dive there unless someone tells me it's practical. We have all day in Bonaire and Curacao however I foresee one problem is that we will be in Bonaire on Christmas and Curacao the day after so I am not sure who will be open for business. I am hoping we can do some good shore diving with an operation/location you all recommend in Bonaire and boat dive in Curacao. I am looking forward to any input :) .

[bruce-r]

First off, lucky you. All 3 of the ABC islands on one cruise is fantastic for a diver.

 

There is a chance you can dive Aruba. I'm pretty sure you could do at least a 1 tank dive with http://www.divearuba.com/.

 

For Curacao, I went with http://www.caribseasports.com/ and had a good time. Other people whose opinion I trust have also recommended http://www.the-dive-bus.com/ I certainly wouldn't miss diving Curacao. I thought the diving there was very good, definitely better than Aruba.

 

I'm afraid that I can't help for Bonaire, but I'm sure you will be able to shore dive there. You might have some luck if you look thru This Search from the Bonaire section here on CC.

 

I expect to read a trip report about your trip when you get back :)

[CVL105]

I second Bruce's suggestion for Dive Aruba with Clive. He was great. We got to swim through an airplane there which was pretty neat. Good drift diving, at least the day we were there. Saw octopus, turtles, lots of fish and coral. I would say, do the 1 tank dive and then spend the rest of your day checking out Aruba.

 

Haven't been to Bonaire or Curacao so I can't help there unfortunately. But enjoy your cruise and enjoy your dives!

[scottydawg]

You know in all my time here I have never noticed the Ports of Call forums :o

 

Thanks for the tips to both of you and if anyone else has input please keep it coming ;)

[w&k]

to get Bonaire as well!

 

On Aruba - I absolutely concur with Bruce & Chelsea - you should be able to catch an afternoon 1-tanker with Clive at Dive Aruba. http://www.divearuba.com He's very laid-back, picks you up right outside the port gate, and his dive boat is just on the other side of the marina where the ship docks. We have had two great trips with him so far.

 

On Curacao, we have to go dive and hang out with Suzy & Mark from The Dive Bus. http://www.the-dive-bus.com They put up blackmail pictures on their website, too. We're there in all our splendor (?) as first the 'cruise ship invasion' then twice more as the 'serial cruisers'. We just booked for our 4th day with them on our Galaxy cruise at the end of February. Review on this board is at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=332272

 

Bonaire we haven't been lucky enough to get to yet. Someday...

 

Have a great trip!

 

Wendy

 

dive pix

http://community.webshots.com/user/wendyandkeith

[wnctarheel]

In Bonaire you could try Divi dive. They are about 500 feet from the dock.

We was there this past may and really enjoyed it. It was a easy shore dive.

I do not know if they will be opened christmas day but it is worth looking into

[jimw]

I've been to Curacao and Aruba, but dove only on Bonaire. One possibility there would be to rent a car and dive a couple of spots marked by yellow rocks along the coast road. Buy Bonaire Shore Diving Made Simple to plan your dives.

 

Another would be to take a taxi to a resort for shore diving and/or boat diving at their location. After about 10 trips there, I've settled on Habitat as the most appealing shore dive in front of a resort. Another good'un is the Black Durgon Inn--the shore dive there is Small Wall.

[scottydawg]

Here's what I have so far based on folks here and the ScubaBoard-

 

For Aruba:

Dive Aruba

 

 

For Bonaire:

Wannadive

Divi

Habitat

Rent a Car and find some shore dives

 

Curacao:

DiveBus

Silent Immersion

CaribSeaSports

 

I really like gathering good information from everyone and making a decision. I will inform everyone what the operators say about being open on these holidays and which choice we make.

[scottydawg]

It looks like we will be able to dive with WannaDive on Christmas and DiveBus on Boxing Day. This is really falling together :)

[DiveCruiser]

In Bonaire you could go south about 50 yrds to Dive Inn, or catch a cab if you have your own gear and go to the Divi Flamingo. The diving is great there.

 

Bob

[windrose]

Hi Scott. Always nice to see fellow divers from Sacramento on the boards.

 

I am also doing a HAL Christmas/New Years cruise, and while the one I'm on doesn't stop in Bonaire, it does stop in Aruba and Curacao. I was wondering if you've had luck setting up dives in those two ports and if you have any contact info for the dive companies.

 

I'm leaning towards DiveBus for Curacao but I'm going solo so I like to ask as many people as possible for their input before I book.

 

Which HAL ship will you be on?

[scottydawg]

We will be on the Amsterdam. We are all booked and set to go with Wanna Dive and DiveBus.

[w&k]

Windrose-

 

Here's a little more info for you. I got motivated and have been trying to put together a little website for our upcoming Galaxy cruise. One of the things we're doing on that trip is taking some folks to The Dive Bus.

 

If you need some more info, please feel free to E-mail me at wendy and keith at hotmail dot com, and please put Cruise Critic in the subject line.

 

When you're looking at the website, please remember that I may be a geek, but in science, not computers!

 

Wendy

 

http://www.freewebs.com/galaxy-02-25-08/tours.htm

[windrose]

Great info - love the site! The dive bus looks great for for us especially since I am the only diver of my friends. I usually end up going off by myself in ports - but this has something for everyone.

 

Thanks Wendy.