Curacao Snorkeling

[scubadan206]

It's a tiny lettuce nudi or something. Some kind of invert without a shell.

 

[sam.basye]

Neat!

I was in love with the pistol shrimps I found. I had to fight the urge to stick them in my pocket and fly it home with me! Lol

I tried my best to get a little octopus to come out of its tube, but it wouldn't have anything to do with me..

What are some of the different things below 20'? In regards to corals or is it pretty much the same stuff.

 

[scubadan206]

Wall dives are the neatest. Using flood lights really brings out the colors. Mostly red, orange and purple sponges. Something really cool with any night dive is the micro plankton floating in the water. Translucent and in the strangest shapes imaginable. Everything pops with the lights.
The animals don't really get different until you get really deep. Like over 500 feet. Some animals ,like the plankton, that live in the water do get blown around in the current and end up in any place for us to find.

 

[scubadan206]

Locations that are pinnacles like Netherlands Antilles, and Hawaii. Are the neatest for this.
Really deep water very close to shore so the up-currents bring all those deep dwelling creatures up to the surface. Also present is the possibility of open ocean creatures like whales and mantas.

 

[sam.basye]

Thanks for the tips.

My wife and I plan to go back to Curacao in the next 3-4 years and Hawaii will be next.

 

[Vkkesu]

The only downside to Hawaii is the water is MUCH colder there. We preferred the carribean.

 

[sam.basye]

Interesting, I thought the water in Curacao was cold. We went beginning of June. Weather was generally windy/scattered clouds every day. I was surprised that the water wasn't warm, even in less than 5' snorkeling at the surface.


It's been 10+ years since I snorkeled in Hawaii, but I don't remember it being very cold.

 

[MrMarth]

I think this may be a Lima Shrimp, Microprosthema semilaeve.

Red shrimp

 

[sam.basye]

MrMarth,
I think you're right and thanks for the ID!

Interesting as there are flame scallops in the area, but none where I found the shrimp. It was out in the open sand under that concrete slab.

 

[hogfanreefer]

Great pictures sam.basye! And congratulations on your marriage!

My wife and I are headed to Curacao March 10 for 8 days of diving. We're staying up at the most northwest part of the island. I'll try to post some video when we get back.

 

[sam.basye]

hogfan, Thanks!

Sounds like your going to be staying near the "blue room". Thats the last thing that I wanted to see while we were there, but didn't get to. Definitely make the trip to see the tugboat, it was a highlight of our trip.
If you get the chance, definitely post some pics and/or videos of your trip!

 

[sam.basye]

Great pictures sam.basye! And congratulations on your marriage!

My wife and I are headed to Curacao March 10 for 8 days of diving. We're staying up at the most northwest part of the island. I'll try to post some video when we get back.

How was your trip?
Wish I was there!

 

[hogfanreefer]

How was your trip?
Wish I was there!

We had a great time! The diving was good and the atmosphere was great as well.

 

[hogfanreefer]

A sculpture of Triton (with sponges growing off of his head)

My wife in front of the tug boat wreck.

Cool anemone shrimp.

 

[sam.basye]

Great pics!

Where were some of them taken and about how deep?


Any good places to go or eat that you would recommend?

 

[hogfanreefer]

Great pics!

Where were some of them taken and about how deep?


Any good places to go or eat that you would recommend?

The diving is not too deep there, most of those pics were from 35-75 feet. Most of the dive masters want you to stay 60 feet for some reason. The good thing is that because of that all of our dives were at least 1 hour.

We found three great places to eat near West Punt. Sol Food which is only open Fri, Sat and Sun. Ask for the Lionfish if they have it, it's a must. There is another place on the main road to the airport that was great, first name Tres but I can't recall the second word of the name. The other was a place over looking the Playa beach.

Here's a video I took one day. We came across an abandoned fish trap that had some tangs, butterflies, parrot fish and a large green moray. The parrot fish were dead but the others were released and the trap wired shut.