Seventh in a series of inspirational postcards from our friends at Dive Curacao.

Welcome to Episode 7 where we are visiting with Ocean Encounters and LionsDive Beach Resort located in the Bapor Kibrá district of Curaçao, which is just 5 minutes away from the city center of Willemstad.

Bapor Kibrá, which literally translates to “broken ship” is home to one of the best dive sites on the island called Shipwreck Point.   This area also has a wide variety of tourism attractions that includes the Curaçao Sea Aquarium Park and Mambo Beach Boulevard which provides many options for entertainment, shopping and of course indulging yourself.

Speaking of indulging yourself, a “natural place” to consider for your next ideal Curaçao vacation is LionsDive Beach Resort. With its warm, casual atmosphere that is set amidst a stunning tropical location, it is the perfect resort for everyone especially if you are a beach-lover, a snorkeler, or an avid scuba diver.

The Forbes Magazine article “The Best Hotels in Curacao” (October 2019) wrote: “To keep the beaches well maintained and beautiful for years to come, the resort operates a green eco-conscious mandate to offer recycling, energy and water conservation, and sustainability through a variety of programs.”

Katja Vogels, one of the owner’s says: “At LionsDive Beach Resort, we actively encourage our guests to discover our beautiful island and the friendly people of Dushi Korsou.  We are also fully aware that tourism can only flourish when we respect and improve our natural and social environment. For over 30 years, we have seen it as our responsibility to maintain the highest standards in energy saving, water conservation and waste management. We are an active member within the Curacao community; our staff is recruited locally, and we support various sustainable tourism projects on the island. Coral Restoration Curacao is one of those projects that we are enormously proud of.  LionsDive has several coral nurseries installed on the house reef, called Stella Maris, which is a few easy fin kicks away from our beautiful beach that provides a sensational snorkeling experience for our guests.” 

“Because of the successful partnership we have with Coral Restoration Curaçao, our sister location, Avila Beach Hotel has also installed coral nurseries too,” says Katja.

LionsDive Beach Resort is built with a typical Dutch-Caribbean style. Located directly on the beach, the 2 and 3 story buildings are all surrounded by beautiful tropical gardens with the water’s edge only footsteps away from your room.

With a warm and friendly Caribbean hospitality, the amazing service is their #1 priority. Their attentive staff is always there for your every need so that you can have a wonderful vacation. You can relax on their shaded private beach, dive in for an exceptional boat or shore dives with Ocean Encounters, train in the 50-meter sports pool, enjoy the many wellness options or just take a relaxing stroll on the adjacent Mambo Beach Boulevard, visiting along the way any one of the 4 onsite bars and restaurants.

Travel Tip: Take advantage of the incredible sunset “Happy Hours” on the beach, at Hemingway Beach Bar & Restaurant or the Chill Beach Bar & Grill, as this is something that you do not want to miss!

Ocean Encounters, the on-site Curacao Tourist Board (CTB) approved Dive Operator, is also committed to ocean conservation and sustainable tourism.  Ocean Encounters is not only the founder of Coral Restoration Curaçao but they are also a PADI Green Star Award recipient and regularly conduct Project AWARE “Adopt a Dive Site” underwater clean-up’s on the Stella Maris house reef where they maintain the Coral Restoration Curaçao’s main nursery.

“The significance of the Curaçao Reef Restoration Program is that together as a community here on Curaçao, we are restoring the shallow water reef systems while educating our youth about the importance of protecting and preserving our natural ecosystem,” according to Jeremiah Peek, the Managing Director of Ocean Encounters, who adds: “I believe programs like this help solidify a natural sustainability for future generations.”

Ocean Encounters’ commitment to marine conservation and sustainable tourism is a clear distinguishing factor amongst the dive operators on Curaçao, and this is underlined in their #OEPledge.  This pledge is a mandate for positive change through education, awareness and creating a strong eco-friendly presence with green initiatives such as the environmentally safe products sold in their shop and carbon footprint reduction.

The combination of these factors, along with the extraordinary location of LionsDive Beach Resort and the phenomenal choice of regularly scheduled scuba diving activities of Ocean Encounters, creates a unique Curaçao experience that you really need to dive into so that you can feel it for yourself!

Tune in for Episode 8 where will be visiting with The Dive Bus and diving their remarkable house reef at Marie Pampoen to discover more about their “seriously fun” shore diving concept and their on-going commitment to Project AWARE.

We hope you have enjoyed this Postcard from Curaçao and we also hope to see you soon!

Sincere Love from Curacao,

Bryan Horne, Dive Curacao

Tilo and Yvonne Kuhnast, Nature Pics Films

Videos produced and edited for Dive Curacao in cooperation with Nature Pics Films.