Adventures At The 2008 Curacao Dive Festival

As we prepare for another year of dive festivals and events around the world, I wanted to take this time to reflect back at one of my favorites of 2008 – the Curacao Dive Festival. Also, in light of the crazy times we live in at the moment, and all the doom and gloom being reported in the media everyday, I wanted to spread a little joy and remind us about how much fun we have when we go diving. So hopefully if you're at home somewhere cold (it's snowing in New York as I write this), I can take you on a virtual dive trip, if for only a few minutes.

The Curacao Dive Festival 2008

Jason has been to Curacao several times and has always commented on the fact that it is one of the most fun places to dive in the Caribbean. I definitely have to agree with that. Between the laid back and easy diving on over 60 easily accessible dive sites, to the picturesque influence of colonial Dutch culture all around you, the thrill of off roading, the food and the nightlife – what’s not to love about Curacao?

The Curacao Dive Festival is a collective event put together by the tourism board and participating dive centers. Besides the diving, divers can participate in workshops, mingle at BBQ’s and happy hours, enjoy screenings of underwater films, and gain free access to the Curaçao Sea Aquarium & Dolphin Academy.  Although my stay in Curacao was 5 days long, it seemed a lot shorter. We were whisked from one place to another in order to get a good feel free the variety of opportunities the island had to offer, and time does fly when you’re having fun.

I arrived on a Tuesday and was the first of the small media convoy to arrive. I checked in and was treated to lunch at Sunset Waters (highly recommend the club sandwich by the way!) while I waited to catch up with our good friend Andi Voeltz (Digideep) who was giving an underwater photography workshop as part of the festival.

First Dives – Sunset Divers

After an early morning breakfast at the hotel, by 9:30am we were all on board Sunset Divers on our way to begin blowing bubbles. We dipped into one of the favorite dive sites of the dive manager Lynn Dean called “long beach” – but this was nothing like the California version. Visibility was 60ft + and at an average depth of 40ft one would have plenty of time to photograph the reef, turtles and plentiful reef fish.  Of course the for the small critter lovers the abundant macro life around the reef could keep you pretty busy.  I must admit that after primarily diving near the equator in Southeast Asia for the past two years this water felt cold! I know, I know…I’m spoiled.

An Evening Of Marine Art

Lodge Kura Hulanda & Beach Club hosted an evening dedicated to “Environmental & Marine Art Painting” by our good buddy Ron “Rogest” Stevens.  While some participants decided to shy away from letting their creative side flow with the paint, the moment I walked into a room with canvas, paintbrush, bright paint colors and Ron’s comedic entertainment, it was inevitable to let that inner child out and have some fun! Yes - I painted a turtle, but what can I say, I’m crazy about turtles! However, when I returned home I had to convince Jason that I had not bought a child’s painting at an auction. I think his exact words were “Oh that’s sweet you bought a little kid’s painting”. Hey, for an art challenged person like me, I thought it was a winner.

After a few rounds of drinks and delicious hors’dourves it was hard to get us moving to dinner at Jaanchi’s and their unique ‘walking menu’. There’s no reading and trying to make up your mind, once you hear the options you’ll know if you’re in the mood for chicken, fish, or…iguana? Ummm – the chicken was great. I surely enjoyed their “platanos” sweet fried plantain Of course the guys chose the more adventurous route and indulged in iguana soup and sautéed iguana. I’m told it tastes like chicken, so chicken will do just fine for me thank you. Night eaters beware - for those interested in adding further adventure to the menu, you can request to be seated by the fountain, where friendly bats fly back and forth while you’re eating. Nothing like the thrill of a surprisingly close fly-by while enjoying your sautéed iguana.

On day 2 we headed to Habitat Resort for some more diving.  I was warmly greeted by Anne Marie Vermeer and her staff at Habitat Dive Center, and before I knew it we were off diving with our dive guide Clark.  “Witches Kitchen” and “Sponge Forest” are a must for any photographer’s list.  From nudis, to turtles, tons of sponges and schools of squid, there were plenty of opportunities for wide angle or macro. Call me crazy, but the water on this side of the island seemed a bit warmer. The staff at Habitat was exceptional - smiles and great customer attention go a long way and so many people seem to forget that these days. For divers looking for good diving, good food and great hospitality, Habitat Resort tops my list.

Taking It Off Road

For those with enough energy to venture further after your morning dives, or willing to take a day off from diving, Curacao’s arid and somewhat rugged landscape offers some of the best off roading in the Caribbean. You can rent a jeep and go at it yourself, or you can go on an organized ATV or jeep tour with one of the handful of tour operators. We went with Eric’s ATV Adventure for a half day of island exploration. As far as I’m concerned – this is a must-do! Our tour started at 3:00pm, and we returned 5 hours later, just in time for dinner.  After a few minutes of instructions on ATV handling, and a quick safety drill, off we were headed by Eric himself.  The road was ours to run. We toured what I christened “Curacao Hills”.  Slopes filled with mansions of all sizes and diverse designs, which paled in comparison to the amazing views that overlooked both land and sea.  We rode the rugged hills, raced the long stretches by the beach as the waves crashed around us, navigated through thorny bushes, visited an Aloe Field, and were heading back by sunset.

The off roading was without a doubt my top pick for adventure outside of the water.

We also stopped by an Ostrich farm

If you’re like me, you’ll agree that on any good dive trip, after a long day of diving and adventure, good food is a must!  Scampis Restaurant, located in Curacao’s capital of Willemstad, has an enjoyable menu even for the picky palate. Chocolate lovers will be delighted with the choices of dessert.

Lions, Dolphins & Dancing

For the fashionable traveler, Lion’s Dive & Beach Resort is a great choice.  Ocean Encounters runs an excellent dive operation and can provide divers with some pretty cool ‘encounters’.  I had the opportunity to choose between diving the wreck of the “Superior Producer” (which I actually hear is a pretty awesome dive) or joining the “Dolphin Dive”, without hesitation I decided to go on the dolphin dive. When we arrived at the dive site, at around 25ft I had the pleasure of meeting Annie the dolphin. She’s approximately 6ft long and offers plenty of affection to share with her trainer and visiting guests. It was a great experience. For those wanting some one-on-one time with a dolphin to photograph, as a dive model I can definitely say that Annie has got the looks!  Before the dive ended, she amazed us all with an underwater acrobatics show, speeding by us in all directions, and flying in and out of the water. I had front seats to this unforgettable show from 25 feet underwater.

Following the dolphin dive, I hopped back on the boat to dive “Gil’s Finger” (there’s a funny story behind this site name, as many other dive sites, but I won’t spoil retelling the story as I could never do it justice).   The dive guide took us along the healthy wall filled with all of the usual reef suspects - giant crabs, nudibranchs, eels, large puffer fish, cleaning stations, and the occasional squid (or three). What I was learning is that every site offered photo opportunities for any lens.

Curacao sure closed the festival with a bang. By 5pm the Dive Festival’s farewell cocktail party kicked off at Habitat and went for hours, with great entertainment, flowing drinks and mouthwatering hors’dourves. I was the happy winner of Ron’s (Rogest) “are men or women smarter” activity.  Little did anybody know that I’m not only good at spotting critters underwater but apparently also have the incredibly fast ability to spot a fish swimming in the opposite direction on a painting. One more win for the girls! The evening ended with an incredible show of dancers in eye-catching outfits. It was impossible to stay still with the music, and drinks, as the festival participants all came together to have a last hoorah under a beautiful Curacao sunset.

Imagine a place where you can dig your feet into the sand while sitting under a star filled sky and enjoying a delicious meal with great music playing in the background. Well, in Curacao this place is called Hooks Hut.  Reservations are strongly suggested as this is a popular eatery with raving reviews, and indeed lives up to the reputation. If you want to shake off the extra pounds you’ve gained from the good eats, you can head out to one of the local night clubs. I had the chance to sneak off at midnight and join some new friends who knew the best Friday local dance spot.  Lines can get rather lengthy to enter a dance club, especially from midnight to 2am (when you are not diving the next day, which was my original plan). Dress to impress and be ready to shake every bit of your body to an array of Caribbean/Latin/Euro hits.  By 3am I was walking back into my room at the Lion’s Resort for a few hours of rest before the next day’s last minute “surprise dives”.  

Getting Smooched By Camila

On my last day I had the nice surprise of running into Andi Voeltz and Serge Abourjeily from DigiDeep, who were in search of an underwater model for a photo shoot featuring Camila, a sea lion at the Seaquarium,  and Jonathan, her trainer. 

Photo: Serge Abourjeily

I was more than happy to be a part of his team and after a laborious swim from shore to the dive site we were ready to welcome Camila.  As many other sea lions, she was extremely playful and she decided to spend some girly time underwater with me.  Just when I thought that holding my bubbles, assuming the right position and helping create perfect images underwater was enough of an effort, Camila gave me a challenge.  It’s a task getting the shot when you have two models working underwater, especially when one is busy kissing the other. Yes, there was some girl on girl action going on right around the corner from Seaquarium.  Camila’s eyes locked with mine and it was all downhill from there, I was flattered when she came up to me and unexpectedly smooched a kiss onto my nose knocking my regulator out of my mouth.  I’d dare to say the guys planned this ahead of time but according to her trainer Jonathan, Camila gives kisses to people she likes.  She smooched me a few more times before our dive ended.  I’ve got news for Las Vegas… What happens in Curacao stays in Curacao.  

Photo: Serge Abourjeily

A Few Of My Favorite Things…

By now you may have figured out that I am a total “foodie”. The highlight for any food connoisseur like me was at Angelica’s Kitchen, where I was treated to a culinary exploration of Curacao’s essence.  There we had a delightful evening preparing our very own authentic four course Krioyo (creole) meal.  Angelique Schoop (Owner), Clarita and ChiChi guided us through the savory and sweet flavors of Curacao, and like any other activity in Curacao, it was made complete with the constant musical rhythms in the background.  This was the event that sealed the deal for me. I can now completely confirm Jason’s sentiments about Curacao being one of the most fun destinations to dive in the Caribbean. The Dive Festival was a blast and it was a pleasure participating in it.

Fantastic diving, good eats, adventurous land activities, and welcoming locals, the only question I’m left with is “When are we going back?”