CDF’2008: Diving Westpunt with Ocean Encounters

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.

The dive team at Ocean Encounters West Serge Abourjeily under the Ocean Encounters Boat Underwater photo at Watamula divesite in Westpunt, Curaçao - with Ocean Encounters The dive boat from Ocean Encounters West waiting at the Watamula dive site, Westpunt A dead King Crab rests like a knight at Watamula Westpunt, Curaçao - with Ocean Encounters "Framed Fish" at Watamula divesite in Westpunt, Curaçao - with Ocean Encounters Huge Coral formations at Watamula divesite in Westpunt, 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 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 jetty of Ocean Encounters, West Splitshot at the jetty of Ocean Encounters, West Serge inside the remains of the Airplane Wreck at 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 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 at Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters) Diver exploring the destroyed Airplane Wreck at Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters) Airplane Wreck after two storms have passed at 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 at Westpunt, Curacao (Ocean Encounters) Divers entering from the boot to begin a dive at Mushroom Forest in Curacao, near Westpunt Tropical fish and coral formations at mushroom forest near Westpunt, Curacao Mushroom Forest, Wespunt, Curacao 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 at Mushroom Forest in Curacao Diver and typical coral formation at mushroom forest divesite, Curacao The corals are extremely large and healthy at Mushroom Forest divesite in Curacao Serge Abourjeily finishing the dive with surface marker at Mushroom Forest

• CDF'2008: Curaçao Dive Festival Summary
• CDF'2008: A Ray-mazing dive at Animal Encouters
• CDF'2008: Diving the housereef of Curaçao Habitat
• CDF'2008: Wreckdiving the Superior Producer