Dive Review of Ocean Encounters Diving/Hyatt Regency in
Curaçao

Wow - I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience. Perhaps you should try the other end of the island, if you don't mind not staying at a resort. We stayed at the All West apartments and used Ocean Encounters West, and we were well taken care of and thoroughly impressed with both. (I heard recently that All West apartments had been sold, but I haven't confirmed that.)

Thank you for your suggestion. We dove the west end in 2002 and just loved it. That's why we came back. It's really a shame because the Hyatt Regency was just First Rate.

I think I should also point out that while Ocean Encounters is very close to the Hyatt, they are an independent contractor.....not part or owned by the Hyatt. The resort itself was fantastic.

I stayed at the Marriott (short walk from the Hyatt) in Oct 2011 and dove with the on-site shop, Caribbean Sea Sports. Very friendly, and your morning dive payment includes free tanks for the afternoon for shore diving. One day, I was the only customer, and they still went out (didn't cancel). See my review.

Hi Gary, Sorry you had a bad time, sounds dreadful. My wife stayed at Lodge Kura Hulanda and dived with All West Diving (previously Ocean Encounters West). Accomodations were excellent as was the diving. The house reef, Playa Kalki/Alice in Wonderland, is great day and night. Many of the boat dives were excellent. Looks like All West Apts and All West Diving are under the same ownership, I've heard good things about the apts. I'd love to return to Curacao one of these days

I was referred to Kura Hurlanda, but we wanted more of a beach with it sounded like Kura Hurlanda was somewhat lacking of. We will strongly consider it next time we go there. Thanks.

Lynda. Thanks for your message. We stayed at the Marriott in 2002 and dove with the on site operation. Loved it!!! However, the resort was a bit run down back then which is why we chose the Hyatt which other than the dive operation (An independent contractor not affiliated with Hyatt.) was really wonderful. How is the resort now?

Gary. I think it had undergone a renevoation prior to my stay in Oct. 2011. The fitness center had just reopened. I had a beachfront corner room right next to the dive shop. Of course, I'm a Marriott Rewards Platinum member, so maybe that's why I got such a good room, although I was staying on rewards points. By contrast, the Hyatt didn't look so appealing from the public areas, which were pretty dark at night when I walked over from the Marriott.

Thanks Lynda, but I think you we're at another Hyatt. The Hyatt Regency where we stayed is quite far from the Mariott even by car. The resort is quite lovely. I think we'll go back to the Marriott next time. That was our first vacation together when my wife and I started dating so a lot of good memories and we did adore the diving. My main reason for this trip was to dive my new D800 U/W system before we head to Asia in the spring for some photo shoots. I also discovered a minor leak in my back up U/W photo housing. So mission accomplished despite the efforts of the Divemasters. One DM at OE told me he could "teach me everything there is to know about diving". He didn't know I was an instructor. I bit my tongue. :-) Thanks for your great advice.

Curacao 9 times last visit Dec 2012. Ocean Encounters at the Hyatt charges a 10% premium over regular rates and has no shore diving, they use the boat from the main Ocean Encounters dive shop at Lions Dive Resort and pickup divers at the Hyatt. Its a cattle boat often with 12+ divers. If you want serious diving do not stay at the Hyatt, go to the West End of Curacao. All West apartments has same owners.

Robert!!! I could not have said this better!!!! Thank you.

Its a shame about the Hyatt and Ocean Encounters, they could be diving virgin Curacao eastend dive sites and promoting it as a luxury resort with virgin dive sites but they don't. They could bundle it with a Golf package. The best diving and Golf resort in the Caribbean for divers and non divers. What a money maker. They just don't get it. I know many people that travel with non divers or also dive and golf, and the golf course is pretty good. Dive the morning and golf the afternoon - Yee Ha - My kind of vacation. So sad.

I agree with Robert. I stayed at the Marriott because I needed to use a 7-night award certificate, but opted to go with the house dive shop (CSS) vs. Ocean Encounters, though it would have been a short walk to the Hyatt. The dive sites north of the Marriott & Hyatt up to the Mushroom Forest were great, and I don't think we saw another boat on any day on those sites. Did the Superior Producer wreck/deep dive, and the tugboat (what a waste of time, lots of algae, cruise divers from OE, BORING!) Passed the golf course on the way to the northwestern dive sites.

Robert as the Hyatt management does not hesitate to point out, OE at the Hyatt is an independent agent and in no way affiliated with the resort. So I'm not really sure what the relationship is. Is OE leasing space from Hyatt or from the adjacent Marina in which case their proximity to the Hyatt is coincidence? I don't know. We did dive Klien Curacao at that was pretty nice.