Dive Review of Ocean Encounters West/Hilton Curacao in
Curaçao/Westpunt

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Ocean Encounters West/Hilton Curacao, Aug, 2011, by Michael Gallay, NJ, US ( Reviewer 5 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 6166.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The dive operation is top notch, with very mature, experienced and professional dive masters. Ocean Encounters West is a separate operation from Ocean Encounters, located at several other sites on the island. Boat diving is available and worth it for sites inaccessible or difficult to access from land, such as Watamula, which is 5 minutes away and a spectacular dive. Beach dive from the facility is Alice in Wonderland, which is great and worth more than one tank. The boats are well set up and the captains are very experienced. Perhaps because of the distance from town, most of the divers were proficient and things went smoothly even when the boats were loaded to capacity. Excellent customer service and the manager, (Brian) takes a personal interest in his customers and their experience. Overall, the diving rivaled our experiences in Bonaire and Cozumel in the last several years. Unforunately we stayed at the Hilton, which is a 40 minute drive to OEW and which is a sub-standard facility for the brand. Divers would be happier at Lodge Kura Hulanda, which is adjacent to OEW or All West Apartments, which is nearby.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Antigua, Bonaire, Cozumel, Aruba, Isla Mujeres, Nassau, Florida Keys, South Florida, St. Lucia, Puerto Rico, Providenciales, Grand Cayman
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	77-79°F / 25-26°C	Wetsuit Thickness	1
Water Visibility	60-80 Ft/ 18-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Boat Diving was in groups with divemaster. Once competence was shown we were allowed to roam as long as we stayed in sight and were there for a safety stop after 55 minutes. Unsupervised beach diving
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	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Ocean Encounters West/Hilton Curacao in Curaçao/Westpunt

Ocean Encounters West/Hilton Curacao, Aug, 2011,

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 West/Hilton Curacao in
Curaçao/Westpunt