News
A Postcard from Curaçao | Episode 6 | Westpunt (Watch Video)
Sixth in a series of inspirational postcards from our friends at Dive Curacao.
Welcome to Episode 6 where we are visiting with GO WEST Diving in the small fishing village of Westpunt and diving into some of the best scuba diving sites of western Curaçao.
Westpunt is the name of the westernmost point of the island of Curaçao and is also the name of the island’s northernmost settlement, home to the famous dive site called Watamula, that lies two kilometres to the northeast. Close by you will find the incredible coral beaches of Playa Kalki, Playa Forti, Playa Piskádo, Grote Knip and Kleine Knip.
Westpunt is known for excellent scuba diving and is home to several shore and boat dive sites including the submerged airplane wreck, known as Elvin’s Plane Wreck and beautiful reefs. Most of the tourist accommodation in Westpunt caters to scuba divers and offers excellent infrastructure such as the Kura Hulanda Lodge and All West Apartments. GO WEST Diving, is the onsite recommended Dive Operator for both of these recommended accommodation options.
Travel Tip: for lunch or dinner, your visit simply cannot be complete without diving into the mouth-watering flavors of Sol Food and Sunshine Getaway. You will be served a great meal that could include the best pizza you can find on Curacao or a perfectly pan fried filet of freshly caught lionfish, which will undoubtedly be served with a side of enthusiasm from Sunshine. They are only open Friday to Sunday, so it is recommended that you make a reservation.
The house reef of GO WEST Diving is Alice in Wonderland, a simply remarkable top 10 shore diving and snorkeling site that is located at Playa Kalki. What makes this site so special is the massive hard coral formations that rise up, growing in some cases over 60 feet/18m in height encompassing a host of hiding places for the unusual characters like the pair of resident frogfish and octopus! Of course, Hawksbill Turtles, Eagle Rays, and large schools of Boga’s being hunted by Yellow Fin Tuna are regular visitors too. But, the real the attraction of Alice in Wonderland is the beautiful coral formations and all that hides within!
Another signature dive site is Elvin’s Plane Wreck. This is wonderful nearby site that commemorates Elvin, an incredibly passionate underwater enthusiast and a cousin to the owner of GO WEST Diving. Together, they formed the original dive shop at Playa Kalki, known then as All West Watersports. (Did you know… the original dive shop still stands today and is the now the Playa Kalki Beach restaurant)
Today, the wreckage lies on a sandy patch surrounded by stunning hard coral formations. Regularly, this is a drift dive that can finish around the point of Watamula where schools of barracuda can be found. Turtles, ocean triggerfish, lobster, porcupinefish and green morays plus large schools of bogas are also seen here.
There are numerous dive sites within a thirty-minute boat ride from GO WEST Diving that are an absolute must when visiting Westpunt. They include Mushroom Forest, The Blue Room, Black Sand Beach and of course, Paradise.
But, just like Sol Food, a visit to Westpunt would not be complete if you do not dive, what is argueably the number one boat dive on Curaçao, Watamula. This mindblowing site is an intense and often overwhelming spectacle starting with a hard-coral field, then a soft coral patch, then finally ending with another hard coral field! It is so intense that the diver really does not know where to look first! In addition to the imposing coral formations, the intensity of the macro life combined with Ocean Triggerfish, Schools of Chubbs and Porcupine Fish will leave you surfacing wanting to don another tank for more!!
Tune in for Episode 7 that will release on May 6th, 2020 where will be heading back east to visit with Ocean Encounters and LionsDive Beach Resort to discover more about their combined “Green Mission – Sustainability Pledge”. We will also be diving into the Coral Restoration Curaçao nursery plus the outplanting site located on their house reef known as the Stella Maris.
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.
Gear News
Scubapro Free Octopus Promotion 2024
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
Just in time for the spring season, divers can save money with the FREE OCTOPUS SPRING PROMOTION! Until July 31st SCUBAPRO offers an Octopus for free
with every purchase of a regulator system!
Get a free S270 OCTOPUS with purchase of these combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with A700
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with S620Ti
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with D420
MK25 EVO Din mit S620Ti-X
Get a free R105 OCTOPUS with purchase of the following combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with G260
MK25 EVO or MK17 EVO with S600
SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
Available at participating SCUBAPRO dealers. Promotion may not be available in all regions. Find an authorized SCUBAPRO Dealer at scubapro.com.
More information available on www.scubapro.com.
Blogs
Northern Red Sea Reefs and Wrecks Trip Report, Part 3: The Mighty Thistlegorm
Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
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