My first glimpse of the island was from the air as our plane approached the Dr. Albert Plesman Airport, and I saw the savannah-like character of the island. While waiting for my luggage, I met two fellow Sport Divers, Kelli from New Jersey and Tom from Ohio, easy to spot since they carried Sport Diver backpacks. On the drive to Sunset Waters we got to know each other. Tom and I laughed after we discovered that we'd dived at the same limestone quarry, WhiteStar in Ohio, and we hoped that the visibility in Curaçao would be much better. (If you've dived there you know why we were laughing.)
After we checked in at Sunset Waters, Kelli and I met for lunch and then hung out at the pool, awaiting the arrival of our fearless leader, Ty Sawyer. After Ty arrived, we joined him for dinner at the beach restaurant. While there we met Lynn from Sunset Divers. As we chatted we discovered that a couple from Key Largo, Mary and Cary, and Renae from California were part of our photojournalism group. After dinner, we were treated to a fire show by one of the staff, then we headed off to our rooms to prepare for the morning dives and catch some z's. On our way, we met the rest of the wannabes (as we later dubbed ourselves): Diane and Gary from Colorado, Andre from Pennsylvania with his son David from New York, and Amos, our photo guru.
At our first day at Sunset Divers we met the crew: Lynn, Carlos, Mike, Mike, Kurt and Steve.
Our first dive was at Santa Cruz, where I re-familiarized myself with my camera and wrestled with my buoyancy. Kelli and I teamed up and we managed to see, if not photograph, schools of creole wrasse, trumpetfish, sea rods, brain corals, lobed star coral, stovepipe sponges, giant anemones, conch, spotted drums and blackbar soldierfish.
Between dives we got a chance to snorkel The Cave, a.k.a. The Blue Cave, by Mushroom Forest. This was a very cool and fun break between dives.
Our second dive was the famous Mushroom Forest proper. It was packed with majestic star and boulder corals rising up to form domes that resemble large shitake mushrooms.
After an interesting drive (dare I tell you about Ty's driving skills and the food he really eats on the go?) to explore more of the southwestern part of the island with Ty, Amos and Kelli, we headed back to Sunset Waters for dinner and our night dive at Lost Anchor. This was the night of the crabs: I found a red reed hermit crab, hairy clinging crab, redhair swimming crab and yellowline arrow crab. I also came across banded coral shrimp, giant anemones, parrotfish, a spotted moray eel (foiled his plans to have a parrotfish for dinner), spotted drum, Christmas tree worms, sponge brittle stars, branching tube sponges and stovepipe sponges.
But day two of diving was going to test my patience. Our first dive was at College Reef, where I spent most of my time trying to make my camera work. Amos tried to help but discovered that one of my strobes had flooded and the spring for my shutter button to the underwater housing was broken. To the rescue! Seeing my problem, Mary and Cary were kind enough to loan me their housing. At our next dive site, Hell's Corner, I was able to get some pictures, but then their strobe stopped working, so I was out of luck once again.
What I wouldn't have given for a Home Depot!
That afternoon, Mary, Cary, Kelli and I teamed up to explore the southwestern part of the island and to see Christoffel Park. (OK, Kelli and I were mooching a ride with whoever was willing to take us.) After finally finding the park we discovered we were there too late and would have to come back another day. So we drove around and stopped at whatever took our fancy. Besides Cary's run-in with the local cacti things went well – Mary and Cary are a laugh riot!
Back at Sunset Waters, Kelli, John and I were going for a shore night dive. We had to wait until Ty (usually the last guy out) came out since he had offered to loan me his camera. After a very quick tutorial on his camera, we were off. But things just kept going wrong. Kelli needed more weight, and once we were off I did a quick test of Ty's camera. (Sorry, Kelli – I hope I didn't blind you!)
Suddenly, Kelli was in front of me vigorously pointing to her arm. I looked at it then ran my fingers over it. I felt very slight bumps; I aimed my flashlight toward her face and saw nothing but pain. I realized she had been stung. I grabbed John and he realized we needed to get back to shore ASAP. That is after Kelli managed to scream via her regulator. Thankfully, Mike Day was still at the dive shop and he applied some meat tenderizer to help numb the area. What a day! At least we got some really good chocolate ice cream later at dinner.
The first dive of day three was Mako's Mountain, but I skipped it due to some congestion and loads of sand in my regulator. While I rinsed my gear from the back platform, Carlos fished but didn't catch anything.
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Gear cleaned, congestion gone, I was ready for Lost Anchor. Without a camera in hand I made myself available to model for Renae. Kelli sat this one out so she could finish her bookwork so she could get her AOW certification, which she did.
When we returned to the dock, we packed up all of our gear and said goodbye to the staff at Sunset Divers. Thanks guys, you were great! We grabbed our pre-packed lunches and piled into the van for the ride over to Habitat Curaçao.
Once we got there and lugged all of our gear down some steep stairs, most of us dived into the clear blue water to cool off. After an impromptu swim and a goofy group photo (hey, Amos, I want a copy of that!), we headed for Long Beach. Once again I modeled for whoever needed someone in the shot and kindly pointed out any critters I found.
Dive four was at Cas Abou, which means "Lower House." Located off the fine white-sand beach of Play'I Shon, the slope is rich in marine life like spotted drums, balloonfish and tons of coral. The calm conditions made for a very relaxing dive.
Back at Habitat we sat down to dinner with Anne-Marie from the dive shop at Ocean's Restaurant. We were treated to good food, good conversation and a gorgeous sunset. Alas, no elusive green flash! After dinner, we headed out to our new hotel, Breezes, located on the southeastern part of the island.
We had stayed at Sunset Waters Beach Hotel for three nights, and I really liked the layout. Located on a protected stretch of Curaçao's remote southwestern coastline, it has nice white-sand beaches and a relaxing atmosphere. The staff was friendly and helpful. The only thing wrong was the fact that there were no alarm clocks or phones in the rooms. What's up with that? I especially liked the pool bar where I got my daily fix of popcorn, freshly popped!
Day four: TGIF! We dived with Ocean Encounters staffers Nolan, Monica, Christian, Remmy, Irwin and Tanya. Our first dive was the Superior Producer. Known as Curaçao's perfect wreck, the cargo freighter sits upright in 100 feet of water. As the story goes, the ship was outward bound with a shipment of clothing when its cargo shifted in rough weather and it sank just west of the harbor entrance. (If you want to hear another version, just ask Christian.) Conditions for this dive were perfect: good visibility and no current. Thanks to Andre's kindness, I had a camera to photograph this larger-than-life wreck. (Andre, you da man!)
Our second dive and second wreck for the day was the tugboat at Saba, which rests in 20 feet of water. On the slope seaward of the tug you can find big orange elephant ear sponges and wire corals.
Then it was back to Breezes to clean up for dinner and head out to Equus. On most days Equus is a working ranch, but on Fridays it's a restaurant. Beef and chicken are marinated, then cooked and served on huge skewers with a breadbasket and a fantastic garlic dip. The meal was excellent. Note to self: Next time bring some hand wipes – napkins are hard to find. After this delicious meal we were off to a local club with a very interesting name, Tu Tu Tango.
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An evening out at TuTu Tango is something you must experience. This isn't your run-of-the-mill club. TuTu Tango is actually in an alley where you find a DJ on a platform on the left, and to the right is a nice little bar. There's plenty of space to talk, hook-up or, better yet, dance. The party doesn't really get started until after midnight, so have a late dinner and then head on over and enjoy an evening with a very European feel.
Day five was the last day of diving before we had to head home. Since we had such brilliant success the day before diving the Superior Producer, we decided to do it again. Alas, the conditions from the day before were gone. Armed with Andre's camera and ready to get some more shots, Kelli and I headed below the waves. But most of the dive was spent fighting the current. On the way back to the boat Kelli discovered her camera was no longer attached to her BC and was now somewhere down the coast. Luckily, the vigilant crew kept a sharp eye on it and we were able to recover it.
Our last dive was at Diver's Leap, located near Jan Thiel Beach. After the first dive of the morning I enjoyed this low-key but fish-packed reef. After I ran out of film I helped my fellow divers out by pointing out all the critters I found.
When we returned to Breezes, I took out the ocean kayak to model for Ty and Amos for a mini photo shoot for possible publication in an island magazine featuring Curaçao. My arms got really tired dodging swimmers, current and wind so they could get the perfect shot. Hope you got it!
For dinner we were at Ocean Encounters' headquarters at Lions Dive Hotel with Nolan, Monica, Tanya and a member of Curaçao's tourism board. Dinner was served on the beach as the sun set.
A little bit about my stay at the Breezes Hotel, formerly the Princess Beach Hotel, in Curaçao: The hotel sits on the southeastern coast of Curaçao, within walking distance of the Sea Aquarium. Breezes is the type of resort that has activities at all times of the day. I wasn't impressed with the impersonal service I received there after the friendly service at Sunset Waters, but the infinity pool was neat to hang out in and it had a beautiful view of the well-landscaped beach.
My goal on Sunday was to rent a car and see as much of the island as possible. My partner in crime was Renae.
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At some point you will cross the busy shipping lanes of St. Anna Bay between the cities of Otrobanda and Punda. You can drive over the Queen Juliana Bridge or park on either side and take the free ferry ride across. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the Emma Bridge, the famous floating bridge, built in 1888; it was gone for servicing. Take a couple of hours and tour both Otrobanda and Punda. On either side of St. Anna Bay you will find examples of Dutch architecture. Wander over to the floating market to see the goods brought over from Venezuela.
Next stop was Christoffel Park. At the visitor's center we ran into Mary, Cary and Kelli. While in the park we saw the Indian Rock drawings, a cool but smelly cave that had some resident bats. Keep a look out for the trupial, a black bird with a bright orange underbelly and white swatches on its wings. They are often found perched on organ pipe cactus around the island. Also keep an eye out for iguanas sometimes in trees or near the ground, hiding in thorny bushes.
Renae and I didn't venture into the other half of the park to visit Curaçao's highest peak, Christoffel Mountain, but decided to press on. After leaving Christoffel Park, we headed toward the Shete Boka Park on the north coast. The four main bokas are Boka Wandomi, Boka Tabla, Boka Kalki and Boka Pistol. Boka Pistol is a real treat: I watched, mesmerized, as explosions of water were forced upward into the narrow rock formation.
After working up a sweat trekking around the parks, our next stop was Playa Kalki in Westpunt to cool off. After a refreshing float, we headed up to the new Ocean Encounters West dive shop for cold beverages. We took a few minutes to enjoy the incredible view, then headed back to Weg Naar Santa Cruz Road to explore more beaches along the northwest coast.
Along the way, we passed the church of Westpunt with the statue of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of the local fishermen. At Playa Forti, just down the road, people were snorkeling and playing in the water and along the shoreline. As an added bonus, we saw a small red fishing boat and some fishing nets drying on the beach, a picturesque sight.
We continued south along the west coast, to Landhuis Knip a former plantation where the slaves revolted in 1795. In Curaçao abolition of slavery didn't occur until 1862. Our next destination was the beach at Knip, known for its beautiful white-sand beach and cliff divers. If you really want to get a feel for this beach, come on the weekend when there are plenty of locals enjoying the warm sand and blue water. You're sure to find a bunch of people testing their bravery by jumping from the cliff.
After watching the cliff divers we headed down to the beach and heard the distinct sound of drums coming from the other end. We wandered over and found a group of young men with snare and bass drums warming up under one of the pavilions. As they began to play, people at the beach came to listen. The young men, the Universal Brass Band, were nothing less than awesome.
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On our way to the ostrich farm and aloe farm, Renae and I stopped at the Tio Daou Ballpark in Santa Rosa to watch a baseball game. Baseball is the favorite sport on the island. Their Little League team lost to Hawaii for the 2005 title. The game was fun to watch and the fans were totally into the game.
Back on the road, we saw two young boys racing donkeys. Unfortunately we were not fast enough to catch them with our cameras, as they were hauling a--! After a few moments of hoping they would come back, we moved on to the plantation. It had just closed so we had to make do with shots over the fence from on top of a hill. We didn't miss much – there were just rows of small aloe vera plants that looked like they could have used a good rain. We then made our way to the South African-owned ostrich farm, where we were informed that we had just missed the last tour. Rats! But they let us go to the closest pens to try and get some photos. Some Vietnamese pigs, an iguana and a few emus met us. In the distance the ostriches were too busy eating to stick their heads up for a photo.
In our trek to see Playa Cañaño and the windmills, we did a little off-roading in the desolate and very dusty northeast coast of Curaçao at Santa Catherina. Tons of organ pipe cacti and other tiny arid-loving plants thrive in this environment. We finally found a road that ran right along the base of the windmills. The size of these windmills was hard to grasp from a distance, so I was glad that we were able to get up close to them. You can't really appreciate their size until you are standing directly underneath one. Very cool.
We arrived at our other destination, Playa Cañaño, as the sun started to set. The parking area at Playa Cañaño was packed with cars. As we got closer we were greeted with music, dancing and laughter. Local families were enjoying an evening out. Looking through the viewfinder of my camera I concentrated on capturing every moment of the orange-red sunset as it finished its daily journey, and I watched as a couple fished in the shallows for their dinner.
As we headed back toward Breezes Renae and I agreed that this was an excellent day and one of the best out of the whole week. That night we said our goodbyes to our new friend, and e-mails and addresses were exchanged. We all hope this will not be the only time we meet! Till next time, thank you Ty, Amos, Andre, David, Mary and Cary, Diane, Gary, Kelli, Renae and Tom for everything.
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Must Do:
1. Shete Boka National Park
2. Christoffel Park
3. Mikve Israel Emanuel Synagogue
4. Curaçao Sea Aquarium
5. Snorkle The Cave by Mushroom Forest
Must Dive:
1. Any of the Mushroom Forests (there are three)
2. Lost Anchor as a night dive
3. The Superior Producer
4. Klein Curaçao
5. Car Pile
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Deco Stops Curaçao: Head downtown and check out the Riffort in Otrobanda and her twin sister, Waterfort, in Punda, which once protected the harbor entrance against invading countries like France and England. Since Willemstad has two different districts on either side of St. Anna Bay you might want to visit one side on one day and the other the next. There is plenty to see and do on both sides of the bay. On the Punda side you can check out Fort Amsterdam, plaza pier, Fort Nassau, the Amstel Brewery, the Jewish museum in Kuiperstraat, the Antillean Brewery and the synagogue which is the oldest one in the New World, c. 1733. Basically Punda is for tourists and commerce. Take a stroll and experience the floating market. This is where Venezuelan fruit and vegetable vendors hawk their trade alongside local fishermen. On the Otrobanda side you can check out Riffort, the Curaçao Museum and Fort Waakzaamheid. Otrobanda is for Curaçao's people and for living. What is interesting about this area is the large houses that resemble the larger plantation homes in the country. Check out the homes along St. Martinisteeg to get the feel of these living museums that haven't changed in hundreds of years. Unfortunately, that includes maintaining them, but efforts are under way to bring them back to their original glamour. If you want to get out to the city head toward the southwestern portion of the island and snorkel The Cave, also known as "The Blue Cave." Bring an underwater flashlight. While you are in the area stop and visit the various beaches: Playa Kalki, Playa Forti and Knip, to name a few. If you have time, head over to Christoffel Park and Shete Boka National Park. Or head to the southeastern part and explore Fort Beekenburg, which was built in the mid-18th century by the Dutch at Caracasbaai. Next, head over to Barbara beach and spend the rest of the day relaxing in the sun.
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Being on assignment: My week spent as a photojournalist was fast-paced at times and at others very relaxing. The most interesting part for me was trying to reconcile what I wanted to do and experience with the reality of how much time I had to do it in. There's a lot of ground to cover on the island within a week's time, but I didn't want to limit myself to just the touristy types of things. My goal on Sunday as I drove around Curaçao was to see as much of the island as possible and to go with the flow when I came across something interesting and different. My hope was to observe the locals enjoying their island in their own unique way and to take home how it is to really live on the island beyond the steps of the hotel. I truly feel I was able to do this and I hope my story reflects that.
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Updated Bio Kelly A. Quin lives in Troy, Michigan, a suburb north of Detroit. She currently works as an Image Research and Acquisitions Editor for Thomson Gale, a reference publishing company in Farmington Hills. She has been with Gale for 9 years. She has also been an American Red Cross Lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor since May of 1998. She is a certified PADI Master Scuba Diver and has plans to eventually get her instructor certifications. In her spare time she can be found remodeling her home, working in the yard, reading and photographing anything and everything, and she loves mentoring students at Hillside Elementary School once a week during lunch.
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Websites:
http://www.sunsetwaters.com/
http://www.sunsetdiver.com/
http://www.superclubs.com/
http://www.oceanencounters.com/
http://www.habitatcuracaoresort.com/
http://www.curacao-tourism.com/
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