ABC
Islands
The ABC islands
consist of three islands that are all
located in the South of the Caribbean, off the coast of
Venezuela. These
three islands are
Aruba,
Bonaire
and Curacao.
All three
islands are part of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands. They also used to be part of the Netherlands Antilles, that was dissolved on 10 October 2010.
On
all the ABC
islands, Dutch is the official language, mostly used among the Dutch
people and
for official business. Papiamento a mixture of
Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch,
English, French,
is mostly used
among the local people, and English seems to star to dominate because
tourism
is one of the biggest economies on all three islands.
The ABC
islands have in particular that the North-East side of each island
faces
directly to the winds coming from the Caribbean (good for windsurfing)
and the South-West is protected, making calm
and clear
waters all year around, these being good for diving. Another good point
is that
the ABC islands are out of the Caribbean hurricane path.
Although
the ABC islands are culturally and geographically closely related, each
island
has its unique characteristics:
Diving in Aruba
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Aruba
is an autonomous, self-governing member
state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Of the ABC
islands, Aruba offers more of a party atmosphere. They have a
noticeable
American influence, big hotels, fine beaches, shopping, casinos,
restaurants and
a vivid night life. Aruba attracts millions of visitors and cruise
passengers,
most from North America and nearby Venezuela, and it ranks as one of
the
Caribbean's most popular vacation spots.
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Though
Aruba is known more for its beaches than it's diving, it does have some
exciting dives sites along the Northwestern coast of the island
including a few
shipwrecks and other spots between Manchebo Beach and Baby
Beach.
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Diving
in Bonaire
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A diver's
paradise. Almost all
visitors to Bonaire are drawn by scuba diving. Bonaire is a quiet
place
with an exciting underwater world and nature. Perfect for relaxing and
getting
away from noise and stress. Good choice if you want to avoid high-rise
resorts and crowded beaches.
From
the ABC
islands Bonaire is considered every year as one of the world's top 10
diving
destinations. One reason for this is that Bonaire is surrounded by
fringing
reefs
and has an enormous
variety of fish, sea turtles, rays and other marine life. All these
are
accessible just
a few feet from the shore. Between
"1000 Steps Beach" and "Pink Beach" there are more than 80 dive sites
that also go around the "Klein
Bonaire Island".
But
before
you go in the water, every diver must attend a mandatory dive
orientation and
obtain a marine park tag. The marine park tag cost around $25 USD, and
is valid
for one year. The orientation and the fee are required for safety and
to
prevent damage to the reefs and the marine life.
These
fees also help locals to maintain,
manage, and protect the marine park in Bonaire. No
wonder why they have one of the healthiest coral reefs in the area.
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Diving
in Curacao
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Of the
ABC islands Curacao
has also a good mixture of beach and nature, night
life, culture, history, and shopping. It is the
largest of the three ABC islands and is known more for its shopping,
European-style architecture, flavour, and friendly multicultural
population. Driving
around to find the sights of Curacao is easy, you'll find plenty to see
and do.
The
island has some decent dive sites. Majority are located in
front of the many hotels between "Boca San Michiel" and "Barbara Beach"
on the Southern coast in the twenty-kilometre Curacao Underwater
Park.
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There
is diving
also around Klein Curacao, a small deserted volcanic island to the
Southeast
(an hour-and-a-half boat ride from Willemstad). Most sites are rich in
coral
formations while others have sunken ships and submerged
artefacts. Some
sites
are easily accessible from the shore but most require getting there by
boat. Good
snorkeling exists at most of these locations.
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Dive
Centers/Dive
Club informationAddress information, phone number and email address. |
| Island |
Dive Centers/Dive Club |
| Aruba |
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| Bonaire |
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| Curacao |
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