posted by Serge Abourjeily on 05/28/2008

CDF’2008: Diving Westpunt with Ocean Encounters

As mentioned before, the western part of Curacao is much more calm and relaxed than the eastern part, where the capital and most hotels are. However, we had some of the best dives in the western area. Ocean Encounters West offers boat dives in that area and we joined them to the three Top Spots of the area: Watamula, Airplane Wreck and Mushroom Forest. Read on for a little review and some pictures.

Top diving in a top location

Ocean Encounters West is located pretty much exactely at the tip of Westpunt. It is a well equipped dive center with a nice atmosphere, a friendly team, a well equipped shop (Andi bought a new Mask there) and even a dive boat – which is not normal, because most dives on Curacao are shore dives. The housereef is also very nice and can be easiely entered by the peer. While we were there, a seahorse was discovered on the housereef. Best Advisor for rare Macro stuff is the instructor Andreas Kaufmann, who knows where the Frogfishes and Seahorses hang out. We did lot's of independent shore dives in the area, but also joined the Ocean Encounters West boat for three dives, that can only be done by boat: Watamula, Mushroom Forest and the Airplane Wreck.

Watamula is a very healthy and impressive reefslope with lots of nice corals, huge sponges and many softcorals at the end of the dive – it is nothing different from what see by shore, but the quantity and the quality of the reef is much superior. When we did the dive it was done as a drift dive with a very slight current. In our opinion it is really the nicest reef on the island – and just a 5 minutes boatride from Ocean Encounters West.

The Airplane Wreck was one of Andis main Targets as he has photographed it already one year ago. Since then the wreck – which lays in about 18 meters depth – was hit by a storm and now lays there in several pieces. Unfortunately the cockpit does not exist anymore, but the main part part of the cabin is now a nice tunnel which divers can enter. The dive staff told us, that they usually stay for about 20 minutes on the wreck and then continue diving the reef with the current. We just stayed on the wreck until we had to go up – lot's of good photo opportunities. The wreck is about 2 boat minutes from the dive center

Mushroomforest is THE famous spot of curacao. It's also a dive along a slope and on top of the reef there are huge coral formations, that remind of mushrooms. Even though it is very famous, we actually preferred Watamula and the Airplane over Mushroom Forest. But still it is a very nice dive with a stunning reefscape.

Photo Gallery: Diving with Ocean Encounters, West

The dive team at Ocean Encounters West

Serge Abourjeily under the Ocean Encounters Boat

$Underwater photo at Watamula divesite in \nWestpunt, Curaçao - with Ocean Encounters$
Underwater photo at Watamula divesite in
Westpunt, Curaçao - with Ocean Encounters

$The dive boat from Ocean Encounters West\nwaiting at the Watamula dive site, Westpunt$
The dive boat from Ocean Encounters West
waiting at the Watamula dive site, Westpunt

$A dead King Crab rests like a knight at Watamula\nWestpunt, Curaçao - with Ocean Encounters$
A dead King Crab rests like a knight at Watamula
Westpunt, Curaçao - with Ocean Encounters

$"Framed Fish" at Watamula divesite in \nWestpunt, Curaçao - with Ocean Encounters$
"Framed Fish" at Watamula divesite in
Westpunt, Curaçao - with Ocean Encounters

$Huge Coral formations at Watamula divesite in \nWestpunt, Curaçao - with Ocean Encounters$
Huge Coral formations at Watamula divesite in
Westpunt, Curaçao - with Ocean Encounters

$Serge abourjeily exploringt Watamula divesite in \nWestpunt, Curaçao - with Ocean Encounters$
Serge abourjeily exploringt Watamula divesite in
Westpunt, Curaçao - with Ocean Encounters

Diver under the boat of Ocean Encounters West

$Schooling fish in the Sunset at the\nhousereef of Ocean Encounters, West$
Schooling fish in the Sunset at the
housereef of Ocean Encounters, West

The reef at Playa Kalki is nice!

The Jetty in Sunset at Ocean Encounters, West

Serge found the Sea Horse!

$Couple about to snorkel at the \njetty of Ocean Encounters, West$
Couple about to snorkel at the
jetty of Ocean Encounters, West

$Splitshot at the jetty of \nOcean Encounters, West$
Splitshot at the jetty of
Ocean Encounters, West

$Serge inside the remains of the Airplane Wreck\nat Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters)$
Serge inside the remains of the Airplane Wreck
at Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters)

$Model above the remains of an Airplane Wreck\nat Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters)$
Model above the remains of an Airplane Wreck
at Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters)

$Fishes feeding on unguarded Seargent Mayor eggs on the\nAirplane Wreck at Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters)$
Fishes feeding on unguarded Seargent Mayor eggs on the
Airplane Wreck at Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters)

Sunball and trumpetfish

Is this an Iron Maiden covershot?

Fishes in formation above trash parts

$Diver exhaling in the remains of the Airplane Wreck\nat Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters)$
Diver exhaling in the remains of the Airplane Wreck
at Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters)

$Diver exploring the destroyed Airplane Wreck\nat Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters)$
Diver exploring the destroyed Airplane Wreck
at Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters)

$Airplane Wreck after two storms have passed\nat Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters)$
Airplane Wreck after two storms have passed
at Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters)

$Serge with INON straight finder @ Airplane Wreck\nnear Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters)$
Serge with INON straight finder @ Airplane Wreck
near Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters)

$A trupet fish living close to the Airplane Wreck\nat Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters)$
A trupet fish living close to the Airplane Wreck
at Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters)

$Divers entering from the boot to begin a dive\nat Mushroom Forest in Curacao, near Westpunt$
Divers entering from the boot to begin a dive
at Mushroom Forest in Curacao, near Westpunt

$Tropical fish and coral formations at\nmushroom forest near Westpunt, Curacao$
Tropical fish and coral formations at
mushroom forest near Westpunt, Curacao

Mushroom Forest, Wespunt, Curacao

$Serge Abourjeily testing the new INON straight viewfinder\non a Huygfot 40D housing at Mushroom Forest divesite in \nCuracao, near Wespunt$
Serge Abourjeily testing the new INON straight viewfinder
on a Huygfot 40D housing at Mushroom Forest divesite in
Curacao, near Wespunt

$Exploring strange reefs and fishes \nat Mushroom Forest in Curacao$
Exploring strange reefs and fishes
at Mushroom Forest in Curacao

$Diver and typical coral formation at \nmushroom forest divesite, Curacao$
Diver and typical coral formation at
mushroom forest divesite, Curacao

$The corals are extremely large and healthy\nat Mushroom Forest divesite in Curacao$
The corals are extremely large and healthy
at Mushroom Forest divesite in Curacao

$Serge Abourjeily finishing the dive with \nsurface marker at Mushroom Forest$
Serge Abourjeily finishing the dive with
surface marker at Mushroom Forest