Dive Review of Ocean Encounters Diving/Lions Dive Beach Resort in
Curaçao

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Ocean Encounters Diving/Lions Dive Beach Resort: "Curacao: Lions Dive Beach Resort: Ocean Encounters", Feb, 2016, by Marty Kalb, OH, US ( Reviewer 6 reports with 8 Helpful votes). Report 8830 has 6 Helpful votes.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The big draw for a dive trip to Curacao is the excellent condition of the coral and the variety and density of marine life. Taking into consideration the fact that when you select a resort and a related dive operation the sites you will invariably visit will be no more then 20 to 30 minutes from the operators pier. That said Lions Dive resort and in house Ocean Encounters are located on the south west side of the island. So my remarks do not concern other parts of the many other reefs and dive sites located further north and on the north east side of Curacao. If you want to see an abundance of healthy stony corals, fire corals, hydroids, gorgonians, sea anemones, segmented worms, and marine plants, this is your place. In addition you will encounter swarms of smaller reef fish typical of the caribbean. Don't go here expecting big animals. The diving in this area of Curacao is easy. A typical 2 tank dive will be 1st dive 60-75Ft for 45-50 min:2nd dive 60ft-50 min. On the first dive you will be over a plateau with a slopping drop off that goes down at last 100-200 ft. The safety stop is incorporated into the last 20 minutes of the dive which is usually no more than 20ft deep. There is little or no underwater current to contend with making photography a relaxed endeavour. It is not like flying underwater in Cozumel! Such is not necessarily true for the ocean surface; unlike Cozumel. The sea was very choppy making for a challenging time getting in and out of the water. The boats are large Newtons especially designed for divers. The staff is very friendly,and safety conscious. There was always 2 dive masters in the water, usually one dive master for 4-6 divers,and no more than 10 divers in total.There was one boat captain. They could have used one more person on board to help divers out of the water and back to a secure sitting position. No body got hurt but we were constantly reminded that in choppy seas the ladder was not our friend. About Lions Dive resort; it is family friendly, picturesque, lots of palm trees,and mostly populated by tourists from Holland Germany and Canada.On some days tourists from cruse ships come to the beach for the afternoon. It can get crowded. The food at the four resort restaurants is good to excellent. Rooms are clean, modernist, small by luxury hotel standards, and they only provide soap dispensers. Bring your own toiletries. Lastly if you bring your own dive gear you take care of it yourself. You can get a locker but you carry it, rinse it. and store it. It was here that I missed the extra care you get at my favorite dive operation, Scuba Du at Cozumel.
Websites	Ocean Encounters Diving
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	25+ years throughout the Caribbean. Bonaire, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, St.Croix, Virgin Gorda, Curacao, Barbados, St Martin, Antigua, (snorkeling Galapagos )
Closest Airport	Only one on Island	Getting There	American Airlines has regular flights from Miami Florida
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	78-°F / 26-°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	25-40 Ft/ 8-12 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Divers with computers were encouraged to follow their own profiles. Divers without computers were asked to stay near or above the dive masters.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	Photography is easy. Slow current. Excellent visibility at close range fairly good up to 25-30 feet. Lots of small stuff. There is a camera bucket on the boat. After a dive a staff member takes your camera from you, while you are still in the water, so all your energy can wrestle with getting up the ladder.

Report currently has 6 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of Ocean Encounters Diving/Lions Dive Beach Resort in Curaçao

Ocean Encounters Diving/Lions Dive Beach Resort: "Curacao: Lions Dive Beach Resort: Ocean Encounters", Feb, 2016,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Ocean Encounters Diving/Lions Dive Beach Resort in
Curaçao