Reef
down to 36 m
Mushroom Forest
- Open Water
- Nurse sharks
Curaçao
9 documented dive sites, 6 of them for Open Water divers. Known for nurse sharks, turtles and eagle rays.
- Best months
- Jan–Sep
- Water
- 26–29 °C
- Levels
- Open Water, Advanced, Experienced
- Nearest airport
- CUR
When to go
Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.
Pick a month
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Curaçao in October
Good season- Sea
- 30 °C
- at the surface
- Air
- 32 °C
- 27 °C at night
- Rain
- 70 mm
- one of the wettest months
- Wind
- 18 km/h
- on average
The warmest water of the year.
Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.
Year-round diving (outside the main hurricane belt). PADI Travel singles out January–September for calm seas and minimal rainfall, so Oct–Dec is shown as good rather than best.
Dive sites in Curaçao
From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.
Open Water friendly
usual dive down to 18 m6 sitesMacro
down to 50 m
Director's Bay
- Open Water
- Frogfish
Reef
down to 50 m
Playa Lagun
- Open Water
- Turtles
Reef
down to 30 m
Playa Porto Mari
A shore-entry double reef with depth options from 5 to 25 m, known for sea turtle sightings.
- Open Water
- Nurse sharks
Wreck
down to 40 m
Tugboat (Caracas Bay)
- Open Water
- Turtles
For Advanced divers
usual dive down to 30 m2 sitesFor experienced divers
usual dive down to 40 m1 siteDrift
down to 20 m
Watamula
- Experienced
- Manta rays
Marine life
When the big encounters happen, month by month.
Reported here, season not documented yet:
- Nurse sharks
- Turtles
- Eagle rays
- Stingrays
- Barracuda
- Tarpon
- Octopus
- Garden eels
- Moray eels
- Manta rays
- Frogfish
- Seahorses
Where is Curaçao?
- Nearest airport
- CUR
Curaçao: frequently asked questions
- When is the best time to dive Curaçao?
- The best months to dive Curaçao are Jan–Sep. Year-round diving (outside the main hurricane belt). PADI Travel singles out January–September for calm seas and minimal rainfall, so Oct–Dec is shown as good rather than best.
- Is Curaçao good for beginner divers?
- Yes, partly: 6 of the 9 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Mushroom Forest, Director's Bay and Playa Lagun. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
- What is the water temperature in Curaçao?
- The water is usually between 26 °C and 29 °C over the year.
- What marine life can you see in Curaçao?
- Divers regularly see nurse sharks, turtles, eagle rays, stingrays, barracuda and tarpon.
- How do you dive Curaçao?
- The nearest airport is CUR.
About this page
Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.
Your next dive is somewhere out there.
Find my next dive tripPhoto credits
- Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash