News
Curaçao, Ocean Encounters, and LionsDive Beach Resort win 23 awards at the 2024 Scuba Diving Reader’s Choice Awards
The results of the 2024 Scuba Diving Reader’s Choice Awards are in, and the Dutch Caribbean Island of Curaçao, Ocean Encounters, and LionsDive Beach Resort have emerged as the indisputable winners in the world of scuba diving. These prestigious awards, celebrating excellence in the industry, mark yet another year of inclusion for Curaçao, Ocean Encounters, and LionsDive Beach Resort.
The 2024 Scuba Diving Reader’s Choice Awards is a highly regarded annual event that allows the global scuba diving community to recognize and honor the best in the business. Divers, enthusiasts, and industry experts from around the world cast their votes to determine the winners, making it a true testament to the excellence of the recipients.
What Makes the 2024 Reader’s Choice Awards Significant?
The 2024 Reader’s Choice Awards hold great significance in the scuba diving community for several reasons. Firstly, it represents the collective voice of divers and enthusiasts, making it a true reflection of the industry’s preferences.
Secondly, these awards are a hallmark of quality and service, and securing a top position is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the awardees.
Finally, the awards set the standard for excellence in the scuba diving industry and guide divers and travelers in choosing their next adventure.
Curaçao: A Jewel in the Caribbean
Once again, Curaçao has demonstrated its standing as one of the world’s premier scuba diving destinations. Nestled between Aruba and Bonaire, this Dutch Caribbean Island has been awarded the #2 spot for Best Shore Diving Destination and the #3 spot for Best Snorkeling Destination. Moreover, Curaçao secured top positions in several other categories, including a Top 5 spot for Best Overall Dive Destination, Best Beginner Dive Destination, Best Macro Life, Underwater Photography, Health of Marine Environment, Wall Diving, and Best Value.
Ocean Encounters: Pinnacle of Dive Operation Excellence
Ocean Encounters, a Premier PADI and SSI Dive Shop located in Curaçao, has soared to the top of the Caribbean’s dive operators. The dive shop was honored with several awards, including #2 Dive Shop for Attention to Safety, #3 for Quality of Facilities, and #3 for Quality of Staff. Ocean Encounters also secured spots in the Top 5 for Best Overall Dive Center in the Caribbean, Quality of Boats, Rental Gear, and a Top 10 spot for Quality of Training and Courses.
Jeremiah Peek, Managing Director of Ocean Encounters, expressed his delight in this achievement, saying, “We are thrilled to be a part of Curaçao’s success story. The 2024 Scuba Diving Reader’s Choice Awards highlight our commitment to providing the ultimate dive experience. We are deeply grateful to our team for their hard work and dedication and all the divers who recognized their efforts.”
LionsDive Beach Resort: A Paradise for Divers
LionsDive Beach Resort, a serene haven in Curaçao, proudly walked away with awards for Quality of Dive Resort (#3), Best Overall Dive Resort in the Caribbean (Top 5), Quality of Rooms (Top 5), and Quality of Staff (Top 10). Additionally, the resort achieved recognition in the Top 10 categories for Dive Resort Value and Quality of Restaurants.
Mimi Luttge, General Manager of LionsDive Beach Resort, expressed her gratitude for the accolades, stating, “We are truly honored to have our resort acknowledged by the scuba diving community. These awards underscore our commitment to providing an exceptional experience for all our guests.”
A Heartfelt Thank You
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the divers, enthusiasts, and industry experts who participated in the 2024 Scuba Diving Reader’s Choice Awards voting process. Your support and recognition motivate us to continue striving for excellence in the world of scuba diving.
A World-Class Scuba Diving Destination
The accolades received by Curaçao, Ocean Encounters, and LionsDive Beach Resort firmly establish Curaçao as one of the world’s best overall scuba diving destinations. With its crystal-clear waters, abundant marine life, and a commitment to safety and quality, Curaçao offers an unparalleled scuba diving experience for dive groups, families, and individuals.
Plan Your Scuba Diving Adventure Today!
For those seeking the ultimate scuba diving experience, look no further. Visit Curaçao, explore the underwater wonders with Ocean Encounters, and unwind at LionsDive Beach Resort. The 2024 Scuba Diving Reader’s Choice Awards have spoken – Curaçao, Ocean Encounters, and LionsDive Beach Resort are your go-to destination for a memorable and world-class scuba diving vacation.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to dive into the enchanting waters of Curaçao and experience the award-winning services of Ocean Encounters and LionsDive Beach Resort. Your next adventure awaits!
For more information, bookings, and inquiries, please visit www.curacao.com, www.oceanencounters.com, and www.lionsdive.com.
Blogs
Heading out on the water this Summer? Watch for manatees
As National Safe Boating Week approaches, Save the Manatee® Club is urging boaters, and anyone that enjoys Florida’s waterways, to respect and protect the defenseless manatees that inhabit our shared waterways. From May 18 to 24, leading up to Memorial Day Weekend, the campaign aims to raise awareness about recreational boating safety and the importance of safeguarding imperiled manatees during the summer boating season. This week also emphasizes the importance of encouraging boaters to enroll in a boating safety course.
Manatees are semi-migratory marine mammals that are commonly found in shallow estuaries, bays, rivers, canals, and coastal areas throughout Florida and neighboring states. With some manatees venturing as far west as Texas and as far north as Massachusetts, collisions between these gentle giants and watercraft have become distressingly frequent. Boat propellers and high-speed collisions pose significant threats to manatees, often resulting in severe injuries or even death.
Save the Manatee Club is calling on all water enthusiasts to follow essential manatee safety tips to ensure the well-being of the imperiled manatee:
- Obey Speed Zone Signs: Familiarize yourself with and adhere to posted speed limits to prevent collisions with manatees.
- Reduce Glare with Polarized Sunglasses: Wear polarized sunglasses to enhance visibility and spot manatees below the water’s surface.
- Recognize Manatee Signs: Learn to identify signs of manatees in the area, such as swirls or flat spots on the water caused by their movements.
- Respect Manatee Sanctuaries: Keep a safe distance from posted manatee sanctuaries and avoid pursuing or harassing these marine mammals, as it is illegal and can disrupt their natural behaviors.
- Report Distressed Manatees: In Florida, promptly report distressed, injured, tagged, or orphaned manatees to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922). Outside of Florida, report sightings to the appropriate state agency or rescue organization. A list of agencies to contact is available at savethemanatee.org/report.
- Protect Seagrass Beds: Avoid boating over seagrass beds and shallow areas where manatees may be feeding. Stick to deep water channels while remaining vigilant, as manatees also utilize these channels during their travels.
- Dispose of Fishing Line Responsibly: Anglers should properly dispose of or recycle used fishing line to prevent entanglement hazards for manatees.
“Each year, National Safe Boating Week provides an excellent reminder for all of us to be aware that we share our waterways with vulnerable manatees,” emphasized Patrick Rose, Aquatic Biologist and Executive Director of Save the Manatee Club. “With the recent Unusual Mortality Event on Florida’s East Coast claiming an alarming number of manatees’ lives, it is more crucial than ever to prevent preventable deaths caused by watercraft collisions. By following manatee-safe boating guidelines, such as obeying speed zones and remaining vigilant for manatees, everyone on the water can contribute to the protection of these gentle giants.”
Save the Manatee Club offers a range of free materials to help safeguard manatees and raise awareness about manatee-safe boating practices. Shoreline property owners and park or marina managers can order aluminum dock signs to alert others about the presence of manatees in their areas. Boaters and paddlers can request packets containing a safety tips card, a waterproof boat banner, and a decal to display on their vessels, providing the number to report manatees in distress. To view and request these materials, visit savethemanatee.org/resources. Save the Manatee Club will also be hosting a live webinar for National Safe Boating Week on Tuesday, May 21st at 6pm EST. To register, visit savethemanatee.org/register.
Marine Life & Conservation Blogs
Book Review: Shells of the World
Shells of the World: A Natural History by M.G. Harasewych
Shells of the world is a guide to the world of marine, shelled molluscs. And what a varied and interesting world it is. Some of my favourite things to find on a dive are detailed in this book, including disco clams (or Electric File Clams as they are correctly names), the cephalopods, giant clams and sea hares. There are also many on my wish list, top of which is the Nautilus.
Each chapter provides a detailed description of the species, along with beautiful images. You can dive deeper and discover where they live, both with global distribution and the habitat they prefer. Learn about their diet, reproduction and diversity.
Having dipped in and out of this lovely book over the past few weeks, it has inspired me to learn more about this group of animals that we see on most divers, wherever we are in the world. Some of the shells are incredibly intricate and beautiful. I have always agreed with never collecting, or touching, marine life. The description of a certain set of cone shells should be a warning to those that are happy to pick up marine life! One of the cone shells has a local name called the cigarette snail. Why? Because once the venom is in your system from this animal, you only have time to smoke one cigarette before the affects of the venom are fatal!
What the publisher says:
Mollusks are invertebrate animals with a remarkable natural history and a rich fossil record, and their shells are prized for their breathtaking variety and exquisite beauty. Shells of the World provides a wide-ranging look at the incredible diversity of marine mollusks. An informative introduction outlines the lineages covered, followed by a directory section, split into classes, that profiles a broad selection of different taxa to give a sense of their sheer numbers and variety.
- Features hundreds of beautiful color photos, depicting both the live animals and their shells
- Discusses mollusk evolution, anatomy, life cycles, behavior, and ecology
- Describes unique characteristics, distribution, habitat, and size
- Provides valuable insights into the conservation of the world’s marine mollusks
- Ideal for malacologists and shell collectors everywhere
About the Author:
M. G. Harasewych is research zoologist emeritus and former curator in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he is the author (with Fabio Moretzsohn) of The Book of Shells: A Life-Size Guide to Identifying and Classifying Six Hundred Seashells.
Book Details
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Hardcover
Price: £25
ISBN: 9780691248271
Published: 9th April, 2024
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