There are over 50 opportunities to dive directly from the beach. And each time the reef is slightly different or there are special features.
In addition to the beaches already described, all of which are suitable for diving – a diving school can be found at almost every beach/sea entrance – there are a few more highlights in our opinion.
A word about the dive guides: the quality spectrum is wide, but the average rating is “good”. However, a few instructors deserve a “very good” (see below).
1. Portomari
Playa Portomari is a beautiful beach with a very good small restaurant. The entrance fee is 5 Naf/person (as of 2024).
It is especially nice to snorkel along the edge of the reef from the right side. Here you can also see the special concrete spheres at a depth of 5 meters, where corals have settled. There are often many fish inside, such as grunts.
When you dive, you also swim out in the middle, which is easily recognizable by the sandy section. Then follows a cauldron in the reef with a sandy bottom. At the other end of the cauldron (swim straight ahead) is the exit to the open sea. Here you will often find a school of mackerel in the tens of thousands – absolutely impressive!
2. Playa Kalki
This beach is located in the far west. It is very romantic and pebbly. Not really worth a trip as a beach.
But the reef “Alice in Wonderland” is great: a fascinating coral landscape is it worth to be visited. Access is easy via a jetty and free if you rent equipment from the dive center. Otherwise there is a small staircase behind the restaurant.
A saxophone at a depth of 9 meters serves as an exit guide.
3. Sun Reef
Access is not easy: you have to jump off a rock or climb down a steep ladder. But the “Bio Rock” – a coral breeding project – and of course a very beautiful reef are tempting.
But what is really special for us is the German-Swiss diving school “Curacao Divers”: Mike and Andrea are really great! The diving is totally relaxed and both are absolutely professional.
What’s more, Mike has published a German diving guide that describes almost every reef access in detail, including a map for orientation.
An example of the fantastic orientation maps in Michael Duss’ “Diving Guide” is the map of “Sun Reef” (s. below). The German book is available at his dive center and at Amazon (-> “Tauchführer Curacao”). At most dive centers you can also get dive guiding books in english, for example.
4. Double Reef
The access is a bit adventurous: it goes directly over rocks into the water. In short distance there is a mooring area for cruise ships.
The “double reef” makes up for this: the first area goes down to 18 meters with a sandy bottom. The second reef area is already visible. So you can see the inner reef on the way out and the outer reef on the way back. Great!
You will need to bring your own equipment or rent it from a reputable dive school.
