Curaçao Diving
February, 2016
The Superior Producer;
I had the pleasure
of diving in Curacao for 4 days consecutively and stayed on the island for at
total of 6 days. I also met some wonderful people. I stayed with new friends
Marco and Vasthi, who have lived on the island for most of their lives.
Maro, Vasthi, and
Aldrich accommodated my visit very well and I was able to experience the island
on a more intimate level, the local way.
I dove with the
company Curious2dive for 3 days and The Dive Bus for one day. Each day I dove 2
times, except for Tuesday, which I dove
4 times, including a night dive.
Curious2Dive is a
smaller establishment, which offered me a chance to be in a small group. The
max number of people total was 4 divers. The Dive Bus however is a bigger
establishment, but with a greater number of people on a dive. There were 6
total divers including myself on the one day that I was with them.
My first dive was
the Superior Producer. It is a rather famous wreck dive. Unfortunately my
enjoyment was limited to the fogging of my mask throughout the dive. The entry
from the shore was with much effort due to the surf. Lets just say my ego was
quite bruised.
The Producer is
considered one of the must dive when one is visiting Curacao. It was a
freighter that sank September 1977 while starting it's course for Isla
Margarita, just north of the Venezuela coast. It was carrying alcohol and
clothes for Christmas. Upon it's sinking, Hans, our current divemaster,
actually dove down at that time to help retrieve it's content.
It is at 100 feet
deep off the coast of Otrobanda. It is 197 feet in length.
Seen here sinking in 1977:
and here it is now, still sunken.
a couple of Banded Butterflyfish;
a juvenile parrotfish;
right side of the upper deck;
Day 1 dive #2: The Tugboat.
blue striped grunt;
this fish is similar in appearance to yellowtail snapper. the difference is the black color present in the tail of grunts.
Blue tang
parrotfish; there were plenty of these on most of my dives. there are very colorful and varies in color and sizes.
Stoplight parrotfish;
Feather duster worm; there is indeed a worm that exuberates these flowing feathers.
yellow head wrasse;
doctors fish
a pair of French angelfish.
smooth trunkfish
el gordo y la flaca
a pair of porkfish
sergeant major; you heard me right, now drop and give me 10! in this case it's 11.
stoplight parrotfish
red hind grouper
trumpet fish
these can change color to camouflage into the surrounding.
the Tugboat, used to be the love boat, not really.
yellow tail snappers, and behind it, the bigger fish, is actually on steroids.
************
day 2 dive 1
The Dive Bus company
the bait ball.
I was surrounded by the bait ball (a school of fish); these are possibly Jacks.
bicolor damselfish
blue chromis
Damselfish
French Angelfish
green moray eel
smooth trunkfish
sharptail eel
stovepipe sponges
spanish hogfish
blue dotted grouper
*******************
Day 2 dive 2
red hind grouper
fairy basslet
the peacock flounder
slippery dick wrasse; really!!
scrawled filefish
smooth trunkfish
four-eye butterfly fish
yellowtail parrotfish
The Octopus
the Scrawled filefish
Day 3, dive 1
corals
blue chromis
gray chromis
banded butterflyfish (Chaetodon striatus)
the bands are anti predator adaptation
bicolor damselfish
bluestripe grunt
blue tang and yellowtail snapper
doctorfish tang
french angelfish
the Frogfish
the Lionfish
native to the indo-pacific waters. This particular one is Pterois miles, which make up 7% of the invasive Pterois species of caribbean.
Pterois volitan make up most of the invasive lionfish population. They were accidentally released around 2009 from Florida and South Carolina. Their spine is venomous, and they have few natural predators. Thus they have propagated rapidly. Their fin rays can inject venom, although rarely fatal to a healthy person. However when prepared correctly they taste very good on the plate. Lionfish hunting expeditions are available throughout the caribbean to help control the population. They are abundant at night.
the Caribbean Reef Octopus
the Queen parrotfish
They can change their sex during a lifetime. Secondary males are born female and become male as they mature. I guess humans are not the only species that change sex.
The stoplight parrotfish
this is a primary male (below), initial stage.
Queen parrotfish
initial stage
The Peacock flounder
portfish
Pillar coral
Spanish Lobster
scarlet soldier
day 3 dive 2
Snake Bay
Juvenile parrotfish
damselfish
bicolor damselfish
Scarlet soldierfish
Blue tang
three-spot Damselfish
The reef stonefish
the world most poisonous fish; leaves its victims paralyzed. among the underwater world, the cone snail also falls in this category, along with the box jelly and blue ring octopus. the stonefish's dorsal area is lined with 13 spines that release venom from two sacs attached to each spine. Its venom causes severe pain with possible shock, paralysis, and tissue death depending on the depth of the penetration. Its venom causes such a severe pain that it is said that the victims of its sting want the affected limb to be amputated.
front view;
the Honeycomb cowfish
