First scuba dive in Curaçao: how your Discover Scuba Diving works, step by step

Your first scuba dive in Curaçao requires no certification and no swimming talent: you only need to feel comfortable in the water and be at least 10 years old. You walk into the sea from the shore, where you can stand, with an instructor for you alone or for your small group. Then you go down at your own pace towards a shallow reef.

The Little Green Boat is a French and English speaking dive centre in Curaçao. Your dives run in English or in French with the whole team, whichever you prefer, and Fabien also guides in Spanish.

What a first dive does not require

First, a stubborn myth: you would need to be a strong swimmer, or even sporty, to try diving. That is not true. PADI and SSI, the agencies we train our divers with, simply ask you to feel at ease in the water. There is no timed swim test.

Second, many travellers think a first dive always starts from a boat, out at sea. In Curaçao, it is the other way round. Most of the island’s sites are reached straight from the beach. So all our introductory dives start from the shore. You walk into the water, with no boat and no ladder.

Finally, feeling nervous is not a problem. In fact, it is the most common situation we meet. Our format is built for it: no group to keep up with, no stopwatch, and time to settle in where you can stand.

Before the big day: form, booking and bag

The medical questionnaire

Before any dive, you fill in a medical questionnaire. Depending on your answers, a doctor’s certificate may be required. So we advise you to read it at home, before you travel, rather than the night before the dive. The details are in the official PADI FAQ on Discover Scuba Diving, published in April 2023.

Booking

Our outings are private: the instructor is reserved for you alone. Therefore, it is best to book several days ahead.

What to pack

• Swimsuit and towel.
• Reef-safe sunscreen, without oxybenzone (see our guide to eco-responsible diving).
• A reusable water bottle, if you have one.
• A change of clothes.
• A hair tie for long hair, so that your mask stays sealed.

All the scuba equipment is provided.

Your first scuba dive, on site

The briefing by the water

First, your instructor takes time for the briefing, on dry land. They show you the equipment, then explain the basic skills of diving. Ask all your questions at this point: that is what it is for.

Getting comfortable where you can stand

Next, you walk into the water where you can still stand. You get used to the equipment there, at your own pace. Nobody rushes you: our schedule is designed to give you all the time you need.

Heading down to the reef

Then you swim towards the reef, next to your instructor. For this discovery format, SSI and PADI set the maximum depth at 12 metres in open water. Moreover, the water stays between 27 and 30 °C all year round: a shorty wetsuit is enough for most divers.

Underwater: what you see, and what we do not promise

Curaçao’s reefs are home to parrotfish, moray eels and southern stingrays. Green and hawksbill turtles are also seen regularly. However, these are wild animals. We choose sites and times that improve your chances of meeting them. On the other hand, we never feed them to attract them.

Instead, your instructor teaches you to hold still, at a distance, and watch without disturbing. It is the same approach as in our article on how to swim with turtles in Curaçao.

Three options for your first scuba dive

Our introductory dives for beginners all follow the same steps. Only the theme changes:

• Turtle Spotter: a shallow reef visited by green turtles.
• Mini-Wreck Explorer: a small wreck full of marine life, in calm and shallow water.
• Coral Nubbin: you observe the coral nurseries, to better understand how the reef works.

The price is the same for all three: $103 per person, or 185 XCG, equipment included. A second dive on the same day costs $138, or 249 XCG, per person. Every outing is private, with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 divers. To compare with other centres on the island, read our article on diving prices in Curaçao.

Our approach

We turn our backs on large-group “tourist factories”. With us, the length of the dive adapts to you. Furthermore, every observation feeds into local conservation work.

What next? If you enjoy it, your first dive counts, with PADI and SSI, as the first pool session of the Open Water Diver course. You then need to start that course within 12 months. To go further, see our Open Water Diver page and all of our diving courses.

Frequently asked questions