Page 282 - The Dutch Caribbean Isles

nake Bay - If you are hoping to see as many different marine
S species as possible during a single dive, you must check out
Snake Bay. Once you submerge yourself beneath the waves, you
will have the opportunity to spot wild dolphins, sea turtles, creole
wrasses, southern stingrays, horse-eyed jacks, chromies, moray
eels, and more. Like other scuba dive sites on Curacao, you can
easily access this incredible place at any time of the year from the
shore. Depths reach around 20 meters, and it is a good spot for
divers of all levels.
S uperior Producer - At the water plant in Otrabanda, take the
road which leads straight to the shore. Directly ahead you
will find the Double reef. Be very careful at the entrance, it is rock
and very slippery, so booties are a must. Swim out through rough
wave action and current for about five minutes. Visibility is good,
about 30 m (100 ft). Look for good coral coverage and plenty of
deep water fish. The Superior Producer is one of the finest wrecks
in the Caribbean. The ship was outward bound with a shipment of
clothing when it’s cargo shifted in rough weather. It sank just west
of the harbor entrance. The ship is upright, with her wheelhouse at
24m (80 ft) and her hull resting in over 30 m (100 ft). Early morn-
ing is the best time to explore the Superior Producer; its a deep
dive, the sea has not yet had a chance to build, and the visibility is
at it’s best. A strong current of at least 1 knot is usually running. It a dense coral field leads to a sandy soft coral patch, which further
is deep, monitor your time carefully. Look for grouper, barracuda,
coral and anenomes.
ugboat - This site is very popular, and is a diverse area with
T good snorkeling, great photo ops and lots of diving choices
-- wall, wreck, deep. Located on the protected southeast side of
Caracasbay, the Tugboat site is accessible only by boat. The wreck
rests at 5 m (17 ft) after sinking 25 years ago. It is covered with cor-
al and is well preserved. A steep wall is located nearby (southeast),
about a three minute swim away, which drops to about 30 m (100
ft). The wall is lush with hard and soft corals along the top near the
shallow ledge. Wave a ction is minimal, although at times there is
a slight swell. There is usually no current at the Tugboat itself, but
as you head around the corner along the wall you may encounter
a current that may become quite strong. Monitor its direction care-
fully, it can change rapidly at the point. At the tugboat look for
morays, trumpetfish, angelfish and tube coral. Along the wall, look
for moray eels, scorpionfish and lobsters in the numerous crevices
and shallow caverns.
W atamula - it has a beautiful hard coral reef and is one of
the top dive sites on the island. Large coral heads extend
from 30 ft. to 80 ft. and large bait balls are often encountered. Sea
turtles are common and there has been a rare whale shark sighting
here. From 25 to 70 feet, the coral structures are ginormous and di-
vers have the ability to weave through them. Going slow through
goes into an area that’s hard to take in at once - it just leaves you
breathless.