Curaçao Marine Park

The Curaçao Marine Park protects the underwater world along the sheltered leeward south coast, the calm, clear side of the island where the water stays flat and visibility is high. Rather than a fenced reserve, it is a managed zone of fringing reef that hugs the shoreline, then plunges over a vertical drop-off into deep blue. That close-to-shore reef wall is exactly what makes Curaçao a world-class destination for divers and snorkelers.

Because the reef begins so near the beach, Curaçao is famous for shore diving, simply walking in from the sand and finning out to the wall, with no boat required. Dozens of named sites line the coast, from easy sandy entries to dramatic walls draped in sponges and soft coral, and several feature deliberate wrecks and dive markers.

Marine life and access

The reefs shelter parrotfish, angelfish, moray eels, seahorses, and turtles, with the chance of larger pelagics out over the drop-off. Many of the best entries cluster around the dive resorts on the central and southeast coast, within reach of Jan Thiel and the calm bays near Spanish Water. Snorkelers do well at gentle reef-fringed beaches such as Playa Porto Mari and Cas Abao.

• Stay off the coral, take only photos, and use reef-safe sunscreen; the park depends on visitors treating it gently.
• Shore-diving conditions are easiest in the morning before the afternoon breeze picks up.
• Dive with a local operator if you are new to the sites; entries and currents vary along the coast.

With warm, calm, clear water year-round on the leeward side, the marine park is divable in every season, which is a big part of why divers return to Curaçao again and again.