Hurry - and save $150 on your Curacao dive vacation!

Your Curacao dive vacation just got cheaper!

Now, JetBlue's made it even more attractive AND easy for you to book your Curacao vacation - by saving you $150!

Book before 11 June 17 (11:59 PM ET) and save $150 off your JetBlue Vacations package to Curacao, for travel from now until 13 Nov 17. More info on their website here.

According to JetBlue:

"Curaçao is considered a hidden gem amongst all Caribbean island destinations, renowned for its diving, beaches and unique architecture. The historic island is already a popular destination for European travelers and its capital, Willemstad, is a UNESCO World Heritage City."

“This well preserved island is a favorite among diving enthusiasts for its healthy coral reefs, considered one of the nicest Caribbean escapes for discerning travelers thanks to its pristine beaches and clear water.”

We couldn't agree more!

And you can save MORE money when you book your Dive Package with us at The Dive Bus - rated Curacao's #1 dive shop on tripadvisor by people just like you:

So what are you waiting for..? 

 

See you in sunny Curacao soon!

You know you want to... ;)

#divecuracao #jetbluecuracao #divebuscuracao 

Clean Up divers: "It's time to say 'No' to plastic in Curacao"...

“During the first 4 months of 2017, over 220kg / 450lb of trash was removed from Curacao’s reefs on the Dive Bus monthly Dive Against Debris Clean Ups," says Mark Pinnell, owner of The Dive Bus and Curacao's first PADI Ambassadiver.

"Volunteer divers cleared 32kg / 70lb of trash from the reef on our Earth Day Clean Up alone. It's time to take action to prevent trash entering our oceans in the first place. Now.”

More than 20 divers from the Netherlands, Curacao, UK, Panama, USA, Canada and Germany took part in the Earth Day Clean Up, and several attended the Project AWARE Dive Against Debris course beforehand.

After sorting, weighing and logging the trash from the clean up, some of the divers explain why it's time to make some changes.

Joseph

“We, as an island, are focusing on bringing tourists to Curacao and I would like to see a sustainable Curacao," says Joseph.

"I'm from Curacao and we need to start taking better care of our island. Start by taking your trash home and throwing it away properly or recycling it. Don’t let it end up in the ocean – it pollutes the water we drink and the fish that we eat. Be smart: take care of your island, take care of yourselves.”

Fitz

“I think that the planet is worth saving," added Fitz, also from Curacao. "Not only for me or my kids but for all the people who live here in Curacao. We have-to do something. It’s easy to start: don’t buy plastic, don’t throw it out of the window and recycle stuff."

"Next time you’re at a beach bar or a shop, say ‘No Thanks’ to plastic bags, straws, drink stirrers or a plastic glass… Why do we need them? We don’t need them."

John and Trish

American divers, John and Trish, living in Panama, vacationing in Curacao, share their simple philosophy for keeping plastic and other trash out of the ocean:

"If you brought it to the beach, take it back home with you, don’t leave it there to end up in the ocean."

" 'Refuse, Reduce, Recycle' isn't a suggestion or a lifestyle choice.
It's a necessity."

Mark added:

"It's great that so many divers join in our efforts to clean up our ocean. But it's time for everyone to shift focus onto stopping it getting there in the first place."

Check out the interviews and the
Project AWARE Earth Day Clean Up, Curacao, 2017

courtesy of our buddies at Turtle & Ray Productions

Find out what all the fuss  is about:

• Why keeping trash out of the ocean is such a big deal to people, not only marine life
• Discover the extent to which plastic already in our food chain
  

 See how easy it is to make a difference to your world:

• Take the ProjectAWARE Dive Against Debris Specialty Course. You don't need to be a diver, just a human being.
• Find how The Dive Bus tries to take care of our underwater world 
• Join in a Dive Bus Clean Up if you're heading to sunny Curacao...

#oceancleanup #earthday #100%AWARE #projectAWARE #PADI #Ambassadiver  #oceancleanup  #divecuracao #Curacao #CHATA #sustainabletourism #sustainability #turtleandray #thedivebus

The Dive Bus Mark becomes Curacao's first PADI Ambassadiver!

In 2016, PADI, the world's largest dive training organization, launched the PADI AmbassaDiver Program. Its purpose: to introduce more people to, and engage more divers with, the magic of the aquatic realm, through a team of PADI AmbassaDivers.

AmbassaDivers are passionate divers and dive educators, committed to elevating diving in their communities and across the planet, and making people's worlds - and ours - a little bit better. Each AmbassaDiver carries the emblematic torch, lighting the way for more people to pursue their passion, discover their purpose or follow their dreams to explore, experience and protect the underwater world.

Meet Mark Pinnell: Curacao's first PADI Ambassadiver! Managing Director of The Dive Bus, Curacao, he optimizes this statement in every way, by “Livin’ the dream and keepin’ it clean”.

"When PADI told me that I'd been selected to be an Ambassadiver, I thought they were kidding", laughed Mark. "I was seriously surprised and totally shocked and confused! Why me?? I just do what I do and have a laugh. Apparently, that's why they chose me.

Now I've got a bit more used to the idea, I think it's brilliant and will hopefully draw more attention to Curacao as the awesome shore diving destination that it is - and the importance of sustainable tourism".  

Anyone who knows or has dived with Mark knows how passionate he is about diving and the ocean. Exploring, discovering, sharing and protecting the underwater realm. Making it fun and engaging at the same time. 

His passion is as engaging as his sense of fun, so here's Mark's story, and why PADI chose him as Curacao's first PADI AmbassaDiver.

Livin’ the dream and keepin’ it clean

A Korean adoptee brought up in Japan, Sudan and “tropical” Braintree, England, Mark had no clue what he wanted to do when he grew up. Except, possibly, be a Pirate. 

The 9-5 work thing as an Insurance Broker in London didn’t really do it for him, so he set off on an adventure to lands far, far away, in search of a dream. Whatever it would turn out to be.

Teaching English to business professionals for two very cool, fun years in Chile was when he discovered that he was good at - and enjoyed - teaching. A short time later, freezing his butt off in a glacial lake in New Zealand during his PADI Open Water Dive course, he discovered he had found something he loved to be doing. And once certified, he explored some of the most amazing dive locations in the world including the Great Barrier reef, Bali and the Gili Islands.

By then Mark finally knew what he wanted to do when he “grew up”: Dive fun people in beautiful places. Become a dive instructor. Be livin’ the dream.

“A week after becoming a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, I was wearing a bright pink t-shirt and boardies, trying to get my head around the never-ending duties of a Dive Instructor at Stuart Coves, in Nassau, Bahamas. A busy, popular and well-respected dive center, where everyone but me seemed to know exactly what they were doing. But I loved it. I was livin’ the dream."

"After meeting and marrying a fellow Dive Instructor, Suzy, on a Bahamian beach, we set off on more diving adventures, together. These eventually took us to Curacao, where we soon discovered an amazing, un-dived and un-loved reef, off the shore of a small, tatty fishermen’s beach, Pierbaai. Who knew Curacao had such awesome shore diving - and so close to shore? With no boat engines to fix and clean!"

Within a few months, Mark's first “Dive Bus” hit the road, the little Dive Bus "Hut" opened on Pierbaai and they set about cleaning the reef and the beach.

Project AWARE supported Mark's clean-up efforts right from the get-go, using one of his photos for their annual Clean Up ad campaign.

“The Dive Bus Clean Up dives became regular events, with more and more divers and dive shops joining each time. It was awesome!" recalls Mark.

Now, more than 15 years after freezing his butt off in that glacial lake, Mark is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, owns and runs one of Curacao's most popular dive shops and is dedicated to having fun protecting our oceans and its reefs, in partnership with Project AWARE.

"Don't ask me where the time has gone to, but it's been an amazing adventure. What started out as a tiny little dive shop became a PADI dive center, then a PADI 5 Star center - and all of a sudden it was 2015 and The Dive Bus's 10th Birthday!

Although we've always focused on ocean protection, last year we decided to take a more "visible" stance on stance on the issue and sustainable tourism. The idea was to encourage more awareness of and participation with, among our divers and other Curacao dive centers.

So we became a 100% Project AWARE dive center, adopted our house reef  and earned PADI Green Star status by reducing and recycling waste and encouraging divers to do the same.

It's very cool that these initiatives are really popular and I think our divers appreciate what we're trying to achieve and encourage. The clean up dives in particular, but I reckon the poor guy who empties our recycling bins gets tired of having to come by so often!"

Why does Mark love what he's doing so much?

"I’ve met and dived surgeons, rocket scientists, secret service agents, professional lock pickers, Hollywood set builders, rock stars, windmill engineers, graffiti artists, long distance truck drivers, mums, dads, kids, grandparents, wealthy and not-so-wealthy, people with Doctorates and folks without a high school diploma.

Regardless of who or what they are above the surface, underwater, diving, they’re all folks in rubber suits with looks of wonder and amazement in their eyes - and, often, snot on their faces! And I love seeing their reactions when they discover 'my world'.

My personal mission?

Keep on doing what I'm doing: helping people fall in love with diving, on beautiful reefs that we all help keep beautiful. Livin' the dream and keepin' it clean."

"Scuba diving may not be most people’s first thought as a career, but it certainly turned out to be mine.
And I wouldn’t change any of it, even if I could."

Meet the other PADI Ambassadivers

Follow PADI Ambassadiver Mark and his daily life at The Dive Bus, Curacao:

#PADI #ambassadiver #projectaware #sustainabletourism #underwatercleanup #thedivebus   #divebuscuracao #divecuracao #projectaware #100%AWARE  #rightnowincuracao

+Dive Curacao +The Dive Bus Curacao  +PADI #diveagainstdebris  #AdoptADiveSite

Because sometimes, diving shouldn't be slow...

FLY THE REEF @ THE DIVE BUS, CURACAO

As dive instructors, The Dive Bus Crew spend our days telling divers to go slow. Chill out. Relax. 

The slower you go, the more you see, the longer your tank lasts, the longer your dive, the better your dive.

Right..?

Well, forget that.

 
Originally developed and widely-used for military and search and rescue use in the USA, the Pegasus Thrusters are tank-mounted DPVs, controlled by the push of a button. 

And really, really fast.

And really, really cool.

And a whole lot of fun.

Check this out:

These small but hugely powerful diver propulsion vehicles leave regular, recreational hand-held DPVs standing - quite literally.

Because the Thrusters are tank-mounted, your arms won't feel like they're dropping off, 10 minutes into your dive. So they're great for photographers - or divers who prefer to equalise without coming to a stand-still.


But don't just take our word for it, check out what the experts think about their Fly the Reef experience: 

"A fantastic experience to fly like an eagle ray and swim like a dolphin, with a touch of 007. A must try!"
Arlette

"...the best fun I've had in a wetsuit in ages !!! Mark took us down to the Car Pile after expert instruction on how to use the "Thrusters". It's incredible to be able to just push a button and keep up with the big Tarpon and Barracuda that often hang around this great wreck site.

We'll be back !!"
Tim

"The newest 'toys' on offer at The Dive Bus are Pegasus Thrusters, which strap on to the back of your tank (no heavy or awkward DPV to hold on to) and you whizz along at the press of a button!

Not only does this alleviate long swims, it's also a great safety feature in the case of unexpected currents, and allows you to catch up quickly with that turtle or ray off in the distance.

And you're also, immediately, the coolest-looking diver on the reef!"
Sid

I'm an experienced diver and have never been a fan of DPVs. Pierbaai/Car pile has always been one of my favorite dive sites but we have never been able to spend much time at Car Pile after swimming to it.

Using the Thrusters, we were able to get to there rather quickly, and therefore had a lot more time to explore the dive site. An awesome addition to The Dive Bus menu!! It is a definite must-try when you are in Curacao.
Is

We took the opportunity to dive the house reef using the Thrusters. What a unique and enjoyable way to "fly the reef". I highly recommend it. Well worth the additional cash to create a fun holiday.

Paul

"A great experience of diving with speed. And you don't miss anything: enormous barracuda, lovely turtle and some tarpons, among other things. Way better than the usual DPV's. It's a simple propeller attached to your tank and you can fly along the reef.

An absolute must do!!"
Andre

"If these babies look fast, it's because they are! You fly through the water at up to almost 1 meter / 3 feet per second, whilst grinning like an idiot. That's Pierbaai Reef to Car Pile in about 5 minutes."
Mark

"I dove with the Pegasus DPV! With it, we could explore the wreckage at Car Pile even better, deeper, and longer. This DPV-dive is a real must do!!"

Evert

  
So if you'd like to Fly the Reef on your next Curacao dive vacation,  check out these super-cool Fly the Reef adventures:

An amazing dive adventure - more info

Become a
PADI DPV Specialty Diver

Check it out on your
PADI Advanced Open Water course

The Dive Bus is the ONLY dive shop in Curacao with a fleet of Pegasus Thrusters.  

So when you feel the need for speed or to fly underwater, you know where to come.

 

@thedivebus @PADI @pegasusthruster #flythereef #PADIDPVSpecialtycourse #DiverPropulsionVehicle #DPV #PegasusThruster #divecuracao #divingcuracao #thedivebus

The Dive Bus becomes Curacao’s first 100% Project AWARE dive center...

...and why it's a big deal to the ocean, Curacao and our divers.

We're really pleased to announce that The Dive Bus, Curacao has partnered with Project AWARE by becoming a 100% AWARE Partner, putting ocean protection at the heart of our business.

Here's what it means for the ocean, Curacao and divers:

1. Connecting more divers to the ocean

As a 100% AWARE dive center, we make a donation to Project AWARE for every PADI dive course certification issued at The Dive Bus. These donations enable Project AWARE to focus on conservation and awareness work on behalf of the underwater world that our dive business - and Curacao as a popular dive destination - relies on.

And newly certified Dive Bus divers receive a special Project AWARE version of their certification card, as well as info and updates on Project AWARE actions and ways they can join in and help make a difference to our underwater world. 

"We're really happy that our donation to Project AWARE, on behalf of every student diver completing a diving course at The Dive Bus, not only helps educate divers about ocean conservation, but supports Project AWARE’s mission to mobilize divers into a global force to protect our oceans, one dive at a time.

That's pretty cool!”

Mark Pinnell, Owner

The Dive Bus, Curacao

2. Supporting ocean protection

“The Dive Bus, Curacao shows dedication to ocean conservation through their participation in Project AWARE activities.

Their commitment to the 100% AWARE program makes them shine, as they not only lead by example but demonstrate to their students the importance of supporting ocean protection.

Thank you for leading the way. ”

Alex Earl, Executive Director
Project AWARE Foundation.

3. Connecting the 100% AWARE and Adopt a Dive Site Programs

“We actually joined the 100% AWARE Partner Program back in 2016, around the time that we adopted our dive site through Project AWARE. The Adopt a Dive Site program went through the roof and has kept us all very busy! 

Our divers seem to be just as thrilled to be part of the 100% AWARE program through their PADI dive course at The Dive Bus.

For me, the best part of the 100% AWARE program is that increasingly more of our divers see what Project AWARE is working to achieve - and understand how it is it is for them to make a difference and protect Curacao's precious coral reefs so easily.”

Suzy Pinnell, Owner
The Dive Bus, Curacao

4. Turning more divers into "Ocean Advocates" 

“We are so excited to have you guys on-board and pleased that you are certifying new scuba divers to explore the underwater world. In turn, more people will act to protect the ocean, thanks to your commitment.”

Lauren Wiskerson
Project AWARE

 

So next time you're choosing your a PADI dive center - at home or on vacation - here are 3 easy ways to support a 100% AWARE Partner and take care of the ocean:

Take part in a beach or dive site clean up

Dive with operators that care about the ocean

Take your next PADI dive course
with a 100% AWARE dive center

#diveagainstdebris  #AdoptADiveSite #divebuscuracao #divecuracao #projectaware #100%AWARE  +Dive Curacao +The Dive Bus Curacao  +Project AWARE Foundation +PADI