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Dive Review of Ocean Encounters Diving in
Curaçao

Ocean Encounters Diving: "Great Diving", Nov, 2022,

by Jeffrey Knight, ON, CA (Reviewer Reviewer 4 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 12221.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 3 stars Food 1 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 5 stars
Snorkeling 5 stars
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Ocean Encounters are a top notch dive operation - every single employee is fantastic and they helped to make up for the Sunscape Resort (which is a beautiful, but tired property (lovely staff), but terrible food). We missed our first boat dive because our gear was in our room and our keys wouldn't work. This was our first ever group dive trip through our dive travel agent who's staff including herself at Scuba Shack (Gravenhurst) was also outstanding and whose endless help smoothed over wrinkles at the Resort and with the airline. Our dive boat Cptn Pol and his team are highly professional. We were typically 12-14 divers separated into two groups with more experienced divers in one group. Divers were given leeway to dive a deeper profile based upon their ability with each dive ending with built in safety stops on shallow reefs that we were allowed to explore and come up on our own. Rough conditions on the surface were mitigated by very helpful staff who were waiting for you on a buoy line to take your fins and help with the bouncing ladder. Our dive briefings always included a plan B in case current became an issue during the dive. Our dive guides pointed out lots of critters, but we were free to explore on our own as long as we turned around when they did at a half way point. We had unlimited shore diving and the reef by the Sunscape was intriguing enough to dive several times (including lots of night dives). If Sunscape renovates and improves the food - I'd go back in a heartbeat and dive with Ocean Encounters. Curacao has plenty of restaurants and good food and you could easily find accommodations and still dive with Ocean Encounters. They also book Sleep and Dive packages and will pick you up at the Airport (but you must arrange Air Fare). Critter List includes: teaming reef fish, lobsters, eels, arrow head crabs, sea horses, turtles, octopi, squid, lion fish (many fellow divers took the lion fish hunting dive), while others took the coral preservation dive. Dive Shop is first rate and they helped changed my computer batteries mid dive during a surface interval at the shop as so many reefs are within 20 minutes of the dock and it is easier for staff to switch our gear over in calm water (you're welcome to set up your own, but they are only too happy to do it for you) unload empty tanks to fill them up for us for later shore dives on our own. Re: Covid - many masks were worn on the flight down and bus ride to resort, but besides that other than "cleaning protocols" , no signs of the pandemic existed. November Diving in Curacao made for a few rollers on top and slight surge at very shallow depths, but great visibility. Water temps are so warm, my wife and I used our dive skins.
Websites Ocean Encounters Diving   [same]Sunscape

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving [Unspecified]Great Barrier Reef, PNG, Fiji, Bonaire, St. Lucia, Cayman , Andros, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Turks&Caicos, Florida, Tobago, Playa Del Carmen, Cozumel, Oahu, Maui, Kauai
Closest Airport CUR Getting There Direct Flight (AC)

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas
Water Temp 27-29°C / 81-84°F Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 100-200 Ft/ 30-61 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions [Unspecified]
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 2 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities 5 stars
UW Photo Comments [None]many divers had both cameras and go pros with a separate dedicated bucket for rinsing. During our week a professional diver accompanied us to get photos to sell to us later.
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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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