Stella Maris / Ocean Encounters

★★★★☆

This is a great house reef dive located from the shores of the Lions Dive and Beach Resort. Shore accessible, this site is perfect for newer divers and snorkelers and sits right inside the Curacao National Marine Park.

You’ll encounter many different colors of hard and soft corals and sponges plus tons of marine life like parrotfish, angelfish, stingrays, snapper, and more!

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Dive Centers Catering This Dive Site

Rebel Diving Curaçao, passion & excellence

Granaatappelweg 126, 0000 Willemstad, Curacao

Soul Divers

45 Druifweg, Willemstad, Curacao

Dive Sites Nearby

Mares, Predrag Vuckovic

South Point of Klein Curacao (★4.6)

South Point of Klein Curaçao - this can be a challenging drift dive even for the most experienced divers - take caution - be aware of current speed and direction. Additionally, ensure you have topside support. Watch for current as you approach the corner of the island.

SSI Service Center Southern Caribbean, Willemstad

Klein Curaçao (★4.4)

Klein Curaçao is 11 km/7 miles to the east of Curaçao which means a long boat ride and diving is often done during a day trip or in combination with a dive at East Point. Diving is possible all around the island but usually restricted to the north-east and south-west parts due to weather conditions.

Naty C. (#4380834)

North Point of Klein Curacao (★4.7)

North Point of Klein Curaçao - this can be a challenging drift dive even for the most experienced divers - take caution - be aware of current speed and direction. Additionally, ensure you have topside support. Watch for current as you approach the corner.

SSI Service Center Southern Caribbean, Willemstad

Punt Canon (★4.6)

This pristine and unspoiled reef accessible only by boat is arguably one of the best dive sites of Curaçao. Tarpon bridge, a natural underwater bridge, is found at the most eastern end.

Aqualung

Fuikbaai / Newport (★4.2)

Accessible only by boat (dingy from Fuikbaais or local dive shop’s boat). Drop by the navaid and check out the discharge pipe. Head against the current if present. Normal wall dive.

Mares, Janez Kranjc

Booby trap (★4.2)

20 Minutes east of Lions Dive, this dive site features a shallow sandy bottom between 15 - 30 feet (5-10m) full of coral outcroppings. The drop off starts at 30ft/10m and continues down to over a hundred feet, making this dive site suitable for all dive levels.

Aqualung

Tarpon Bridge (★4.2)

This dive site is just around the corner from East Point and can only be dived by boat when the sea is very calm. At 16 mtr/52 ft you can find a large cavern and at 20 mtr/66 ft the Tarpon Bridge which is a natural underwater bridge about 6 mtr/20 ft high.

Scubapro

Eel Valley (★4.2)

Eel valley is located near the golf course and can only be reached by boat. In the past you found a lot of eel but that is no longer the case. You start on the sand and swim to the wall to enjoy the reef there!

Aqualung

Fuikbai Anchorage (★4.8)

Not so much of a destination as opposed to a weigh station for cruisers to clean their boat bottoms, and check anchors etc. Good place to do search and recovery for anchors, sunglasses and assorted stuff left behind by the locals on Sunday afternoon when this bay becomes one big party. 30’ depth, poor visibility

Aqualung

Golf Course East End (★4.1)

Third Site headed East from the Sandals resort. Accessible only by boat - Dinghy or local dive shop’s boat. Anchor in the sand above the wall. Watch out for the coral nurseries in the area.

Scubapro

Tee Box (★4.7)

Second Dive Site headed east from Sandals Resort. Accessible only by boat (dinghy or local dive shop boat). Anchor in sandy area above the wall. Check out this spot for Ostracod 4 nights after a full moon.

Scubapro

Barracuda Point (★4.5)

Lots of purple sea fans and large hard coral formations. This beautiful dive site is opposite Barbara Beach across the channel into Spanish Waters. It is not an easy entry from shore but with its full overgrown coral reef, definitely worth it.

Mares

Small Wall (★4.4)

Scubapro

Old Quarry Golf Course (★4.3)

First stop of many along this stretch of coast line headed East. All of these sites are wall dives accessible basically by boat (dinghy from your boat anchored in Spanish Waters or a local dive shop’s boat. Anchor in 20-30’ of water - make sure you are in the sand! Head against any current!

SSI Service Center Southern Caribbean, Willemstad

Barbara Beach (★4.1)

A great shore dive accessible through the Santa Barbara Resort of boat dive via dive charter. Barbara Beach has nice, healthy coral formations. Watch out for the boat traffic entering and exiting the Spanish Waters Harbour.

SSI Service Center Southern Caribbean, Willemstad

Director's Bay (★4.4)

Director’s Bay is a historical spot located between the famous Tugboat Reef and Small Wall dive sites. Up until 1985 this beach was privately owned by the Directors of the Royal Dutch Shell Group and the Dutch Royal family and was not accessible to the public. Now it’s a great shore diving location.

SSI Service Center Southern Caribbean, Willemstad

Tugboat (★4.2)

Tugboat is Curacao’s most famous dive and snorkel spot due to its shallow depth. It was wrecked just off the shore of Caracasbaai and sits in only 15 feet of water. The tugboat is crawling with marine life and is now covered in sponges and coral growth.

SSI Service Center Southern Caribbean, Willemstad

Beacon Point (★4.4)

This beautiful wall dive at the western tip of Caracas Bay is best reached by boat and, due to possible strong currents, is best done as a drift dive. On the shallow plateau, you will find large pillar corals.

SSI Service Center Southern Caribbean, Willemstad

Divers Leap (★4.4)

Beautiful healthy shallow coral reef with plenty of purple sea fans, large formations of elkhorn coral, pillar coral, and staghorn corals. A very nice steep wall starting at about 10 meters / 30 ft with lots of small holes and overhangs.

Scubapro, Stephen Frink

Lost Anchor (★4.4)

The spot is named after the anchor line that runs into the depths here and is truly a hidden gem for divers. The spot is, certainly compared to other spots in the bay, unspoilt!

Scubaçao, Willemstad

Jan Thiel baai (★4.0)

This bay is located at a busy beach so feel free to bring the family! Entering the water is easy and under water you will find a wreck and a platform, lots of sandy bottom up to a depth of 15m.

SSI Service Center Southern Caribbean, Willemstad

Caracasbaai (★4.3)

A great, shallow reef perfect for newer divers and snorkelers. Accessible by boat. Full of colorful hard and soft corals and sponges and lots of marine life.

Mares

Sandy’s Plateau (★4.2)

Lots of hard coral including Elkhorn and Pillar coral, as well as many sponges and soft corals. A small overhang in the shallows often shelters schools of grunts. The dive site is between Jan Thiel beach and Mambo Beach and not accessible from shore.

Mares, Predrag Vuckovic

Saba (★4.4)

The mooring for this dive is located ten minutes by boat East of Mambo Beach, with the Saba wreck sitting at 15ft/5m. The shallows alternate between sandy areas, soft corals and hard coral. The drop-off is covered in hard coral and runs parallel to the coast for the most part. This site can have a slight current.

Mares, Predrag Vuckovic

Royal Reef (★4.6)

This dive site is named after the hotel next door. It is a short swim from the beach or by boat. The site starts shallow but there is a wall right away where you can dive perfectly.