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Dive Review of Go West Diving/Marazul dive resort in
Curaçao/Westpunt

Go West Diving/Marazul dive resort: "Beautiful water but benign diving", Oct, 2022,

by Mark Miller, TX, US (Reviewer Reviewer 5 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 12208 has 1 Helpful vote.

Photos Submitted with this Report


Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity 3 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving 4 stars
Snorkeling 3 stars
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments My wife and I rented a one bedroom/two bath two story condo at Marazul Dive resort in Westpunt; about 40 minutes from the airport in Willemstad. The unit faces the sea and was above average in cleanliness and amenities. One odd item: there was only hot water to the kitchen sink and upstairs shower. Marazul dive resort is not a dive resort in the sense that there is a dive shop onsite. There is a dive shop adjacent to the property to rent tanks and set up shore diving. The resort has two ladders spaced about 300 yards apart that allow access to the ocean for diving or snorkeling. There were two rinse tanks set up by the pool and shower. Neither tank was designated for fins, mask, cameras etc. A number of divers staying at the resort only did shore diving here and around the island.
Go West diving is a 10-minute drive up the coast. They are a full service PADI dive offering boat dives, shore dives, instructions and a fairly well stocked shop. Everyone on staff was very friendly and helpful to fulfill any request. The boat only goes out when there are a least 4 divers. This caused a problem for me in that only two days out of 5 were there enough divers to take the boat out. This resulted in a lot of down time for me. If the boat was not going out they would set up shore diving excursions for a fee. But you could do these on your own.
The diving was very benign. The water was beautiful and some of the best coral I have seen in the Caribbean. But on 4 dives we saw very few fish, one turtle and some eels. The government does allow fish traps and spearfishing. Thus, maybe the reason the usual suspects were not around: parrotfish, nurse sharks etc. Our dive guides were very adept at finding small critters. A technique honed out of necessity. My preference is the larger animals so, my opinion may be biased. The premier dive site on Curacao is Watamula which is located on the north end of the island, a 20-minute boat ride from the dive shop. The boat was completely packed for this dive. The site is at the confluence of the windward side and the leeward side of the island. This caused a circular flow of currents. Someone said the name is Dutch for "washing machine". There is very impressive coral at this site but, again, not much wildlife other than the very tiny animals.
We were told that you must get your groceries/wine/beer in Willemstad before heading to Westpundt. There are not any grocery stores in Westpundt but there a number of markets in the towns on the road to Westpundt. These markets are very well stocked with more than just the basics. When you leave the airport save some time and head straight up the highway to Westpundt. Westpundt does have a number of good, if not eclectic, restaurants. The town is so small once you are there it is very easy to locate these businesses. If not, ask the locals. They are more than happy to recommend a good place to eat.
Websites Go West Diving   Marazul dive resort

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving All over the Caribbean, Mexico, Socorro islands, Gulf of Mexico, Florida
Closest Airport CUR Getting There San Antonio>Miami>CUR
Very easy flight with arrival early afternoon

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas choppy
Water Temp 82-86°F / 28-30°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 40-80 Ft/ 12-24 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Each dive was guided with max 1 hour limit. Guides only limitations were they wanted to be able to see your bubbles.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 1 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 1 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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