Curaçao located close to Venezuela consists of two islands, the mainland and a smaller island called Klein Curaçao which is uninhabited.  Curaçao is the largest island in the Netherlands Antilles, the capital Willemstad is known for its brightly coloured Dutch-style houses and Cunucu dwellings which are African style mud huts. The island is generally quite dry leading to a lack of vegetation on the island, apart from the odd cactus.

This is a good destination for divers who have families who don’t dive, as most dives are from the shore keeping dive trips short, and there are plenty of other activities to do on the island.

Curaçao has a warm, sunny climate year round. The average temperature is about 27°C (85°F) and doesn’t vary much throughout the year. During the winter temperatures will drop to 22°C at night peaking at 32°C in the day, during the summer night temperatures will be as low as 23°C rising to 35°C in the day. Luckily Curaçao lies outside of the hurricane belt however sometimes wayward hurricanes do hit the island.

The rainy season runs from October to February resulting in the occasional shower mainly at night, the average rainfall on the island is only 570 mm (22 inches).

January – December.

Generally any time of year is good to visit the island, generally the winters are a little cooler, as long as you don’t mind the odd shower.

Curaçao is a nice dive destination especially for beginners, however overfishing on the island leads to a lack of larger fish on most dives. However recently instated marine parks are helping to push the conservation agenda on the island and allowing fish stocks to recover. The majority of the dive sites on the island are accessible from shore which may suit some divers better than extensive boat dives.

In our opinion the best dive site on the island is the wreck of the Superior Producer, a 70m (230ft) wreck which was sunk some 30 years ago.

Flights from most locations can be purchased at a reasonable price. If you are travelling from the UK you will need to connect via Amsterdam currently operated by KLM.

Whilst on the island we suggest; visiting the Hato Caves which has some interesting stalagmites and stalactites, a visit to Christoffel Park encompassing Mt Christoffel, the highest point on the island, with fantastic views and some interesting wildlife and the sea aquarium where you can take the opportunity to swim with lemon sharks.

Not the best diving island in the Caribbean.