Fun, USEFUL ways to make a difference this PADI AWARE Week

Make a difference this PADI AWARE Week 

with these fun, simple ways to protect and sustain our reefs and oceans, 

get more from EVERY dive you make

AND save 15%! 

It’s not “new” news that coral reefs – and the massive, diverse and vital eco-system of which they’re the backbone – are rapidly declining. 

According to NOAA, coral reefs are some of the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on Earth, supporting more species per unit area than any other marine environment. That’s about 4,000 species of fish, 800 species of hard corals and hundreds of other species – and who knows how many more millions are more yet to be discovered / identified. 

Scientists are discovering that animals and plants within the reef ecosystem are key to finding potential cures for cancer, arthritis, human bacterial infections, viruses and diseases. 

And clean, healthy coral reefs make for great diving, too. So while we don’t take life too seriously at The Dive Bus, diver safety, sustainability, and ocean protection are notable exceptions. 

Protecting our underwater office has been a cornerstone of The Dive Bus since hitting the road back in 2005. So don’t be surprised if you see your Dive Bus Divemaster or Instructor pocketing trash or unwrapping fishing line from corals during your #seriouslyfun guided dives and trips .

Divers regularly cite our Eco Policy as a key reason for diving with us, so they can make a difference too - on regular dives, as well our monthly PADI AWARE clean up dives. Beer o'Clock is a close second on the list of top reasons to return to The Dive Bus.  

So to celebrate, take action, and make a difference during this year’s 5th annual PADI AWARE Week, we’ve selected 3 PADI Specialties that will enable you help you protect and sustain our reefs and oceans, and make a positive difference – confidently, safely and correctly, without inadvertently doing more harm than good. 

On every dive you make. 

While having a ton of fun. 

AND while adding 6 dives and 3 PADI Specialty Certifications to your logbook, making your dives and your vacation truly memorable.

                        

Here’s how: 

Over 3 fun days of diving around some of our favourite Curacao shore diving sites, you can:

1. Better understand and appreciate just how amazing our underwater world is – and why it’s so important to protect it.
   
   
2. Understand the “so whats” and “hows” to protect and sustain our reefs and oceans.
   
   
3. Learn dive skills to increase your confidence, reduce your air consumption - and ensure you do more good than harm, and get the most out of every dive you make - on all your diving adventures, wherever in the world they may take you… 
    
4. Add 6 more #seriouslyfun dive adventures to your logbook 
    
5. Earn 3 PADI Specialty certifications, which also count towards to your PADI Advanced Open Water course and Master Scuba Diver rating.
   
   
6. Explore even more of Curacao’s underwater world while you learn.  

Here’s what you’ll learn on your shore-diving adventures: 

Day 1: PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty

This is the perfect, smart and fun way to kick off your Curacao diving adventures. 

During fun games and exercises, you’ll learn and practice simple skills to manage your movement and position underwater and your breathing, so that:

• you dive more confidently, comfortably and easily (and are less likely to accidentally damage the reef – or yourself)
• your tank lasts longer 

The more dives you make, the sooner your buoyancy skills become ‘automatic’, so just keep divin’!

                            

Day 2 : PADI Dive Against Debris Specialty Course 

Jump onboard the Bus for a 2 tank Dive Bus Trip to another of Curacao’s best shore diving sites. On the drive, you’ll learn where marine debris comes from - and how to prevent it reaching the ocean in the first place. 

Once you’re on-site, you'll learn what trash to look for, how to remove it without doing more harm than good, and - one of the trickiest and most important skills - how to get the trash into your clean-up bag! 

After the dive, sort and report the debris on the PADI AWARE app to complete your PADI Dive Against Debris Specialty certification.

                        

Day 3: PADI Underwater Naturalist Specialty Course 

 

Have you ever seen a fish or critter behaving ‘oddly’ on a dive and wondered what the heck you were looking at? 

The PADI Underwater Naturalist Specialty Course will fix that. 

You’ll get so much more from every dive once you know and understand what you’re looking at – and where to look for it. 

On another 2 tank Dive Bus Trip, you'll explore a new dive site while identifying marine vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants, and their interactions & behaviors.  

And, since you’ll probably cover less distance while you 'hang out with the locals’, you might find that your tank lasts longer. So if you have a regular dive buddy that you’d like to keep, it’s a smart idea to take this course together. 

                        

Here’s why you might want to do this 

Besides the sense of achievement that comes from protecting and sustaining our reefs and oceans, these courses will help you get more from EVERY dive you make. 

They count as training dives for your PADI Advanced Open Water certification - as well as the coveted PADI Master Scuba Diver rating. 

But mostly? The knowledge, skills and experience you'll gain on these courses are fun as well as useful, and will for sure enhance your diving adventures.

                        

From 17 September – 31 October 2022, you and your favourite buddy / buddies will enjoy a 15% DISCOUNT, so only US$ 569 per person for all of the above. And a 10% discount any new dive equipment from the Dive Bus shop! 

Get even more out of this great offer and with one more day of diving to become a PADI AWARE Advanced Open Water Diver as well! With just 2 more adventure dives – Deep Diver and Underwater Navigation – you’ll complete this awesome course and be certified to dive to 30m/100ft. 

And if that's still not enough dives for you and your buddy, take your pick from plenty more fun Specialty courses.

Or jump on board one of the Dive Busses for a fun Dive Bus trip or 3 to more of Curacao’s best shore-diving sites, to explore and enjoy with your new skills and knowledge.

Ready to book?! Click here to enter your Booking Enquiry and let's get planning! 

We look forward to seeing you in sunny Curacao, soon!

(Tell your dive buddies, friends, family and colleagues - we'd love to dive them, too!)

#padiaware #seiko #diveagainstdebris #EveryDiveaSurveyDive  #UglyJourneyofTrash

#PADI #AWAREImpact #underwater #sustainability #gogreen #clean #green #recycle #ecotourism #reducereuserecycle #rethinkplastic #cleanoceanmovement #sustainability #seriouslyfundiving #caribbean #keepingitclean #scubadiving #curacao #caribbean #divecuracao

A Month in Curacao: Your Great Escape

Picture this: you make your morning coffee while staring out the window at blue sky and palm trees.  During the day you take full advantage of the aircon, whilst trying your best to remain focused on work.  You have that big project you promised would get done if your boss let you work from Curacao.  

On your lunch break, you go for a dip in the swimming pool.  Maybe bring your laptop out to the poolside – where the Wi-Fi still works great – to answer your afternoon emails.  At the end of the day, you take a 10 minute walk to popular Mambo Beach for an outdoor dinner with the perfect sunset-over-the-beach view.  

Finally it's the weekend!  With keys to a rental car in hand, you pick up dive gear and tanks for a full day of diving and relaxing at Cas Abou.  You arrive early enough to claim a couple beach chairs under a palapa, and you get yourself set up for the day. 

Descending on your first dive after a short surface swim, you start out exploring the reef wall.  You find some garden eels on the sandy bottom, an elusive frog fish hiding in the soft coral, and immerse yourself in the marine life of Curacao.  After your dive(s), head over to the beach bar for a couple cold beers to toast a great day.  

Photo Credit: Turtle & Ray Productions

But one day just wasn’t enough, so you do the same thing the very next day, visiting Piskado and everyone’s favorite sea turtles!  

Living and working in a tropical paradise is clearly a life The Dive Bus crew chose.  Currently, the whole team is from colder much less tropical areas of the world (the UK and Washington state).  Each of us also lived in many other paradises before choosing Curacao.  Here are just some of the reasons the crew call Curacao home: 

• Beautiful reefs, easily accessed from shore all around the island
• Picture perfect beaches – totally Instagrammable (check our feed)
• Delicious restaurants, with cuisine from around the world 
• Other activities like kite surfing, SUP, wakeboarding, hiking, rock climbing to name a few – just in case we want a break from diving (a rare case)
• Did we mention the diving is insanely good?  It’s important to us

Direct flights from many airport hubs also make getting to and from Curacao simple (you know, unless there’s a global pandemic hindering travel).  Direct flights operate from Miami, Newark, JFK and Charlotte in the US, also from Toronto, Canada, and Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.  Various central and south American countries also offer direct service into Hato International Airport (CUR).  These, of course, are subject to change.  Search for flights from your home on Google Flights or your favorite search engine!  

If presented with the opportunity, the crew here assume most people would also choose to live in paradise.  If you disagree, this post might not be for you.  Maybe try this one about planning a Curacao dive vacation.

For those of you who would LOVE to live here, we know what your next thoughts are: 

• I have to work. 
• I can’t move, my [kids, family, friends] are here 
• Is it really that great?  (Yes.  Yes it is.)
• Maybe when I retire or when the kids graduate…

Or the most common response when we ask people why they don’t live here – 

I WISH.

It’s seems idyllic.  But stick with us here…because we also know a lot of you are working from home.  

Maybe you have a laptop on your kitchen counter, maybe you’ve remodeled your home office, or maybe you work from your smart phone in bed (no judgement).  Whatever your WFH situation is, we’re willing to bet the scenery is starting to get old.  

So...did you ever consider asking your manager if “working from home” meant you must stay in your own home?  If you haven’t, we encourage you to check.  You’re working remotely already – what’s the harm in making it slightly more remote?  

Somewhere like…Curacao!  

You had to see that coming 😉

Making this a reality is where we come in.  Working with some friends and partners we’ve made over the last 16 years, we created some new packages we call Your Great Escape.  Live and work in paradise for a month – or more!  There are several package options, but in general they include a month fully furnished accommodation, scuba diving, and options for car rental.  We started with the basics and can fully customize a package to fit your needs and group!  

New to diving?  That’s one customization we’re well prepared for.  At The Dive Bus we teach the full range of PADI dive courses, all in warm Caribbean waters.  You simply can’t beat learning to dive in calm, clear seas.  

Imagine taking your first breaths underwater and seeing a cute little butterfly fish swim by, or exploring the reef up close instead of snorkeling at the surface.  You’ll learn scuba dive theory, in-water skills to keep yourself and your buddy safe and comfortable, and with the Open Water course you make 4 full dives at our beautiful house reef.  

Once you’ve completed your first course, carry on with additional dive courses, or join us for Dive Bus trips to see some of the best of the rest of our shore diving sites.  Remember that dive experience at Cas Abou mentioned earlier?  With your new certification under your belt, that day is within your reach.  You, too, will become obsessed with finding a seahorse or frog fish on every dive.  They’re great at camouflage, but we’ll do our best to help you find one!  

Before the pandemic, we never dreamed of people relocating to the island for a month or two while continuing to work their normal jobs.  Over the last year, we’ve seen it happen several times!  Whether people came down with the intention to stay for a month, or they got here and didn’t want to leave, travelers have consistently been enjoying life in Curacao.  

If you asked us to describe the perfect couple or group of friends to take advantage of Your Great Escape, we’d say: 

• You have flexible working or school arrangements – you can work or learn from anywhere that has an internet connection.  
• You love diving, or you want to learn from one of our awesome PADI instructors. 
• International travel is a possibility for you.  
• At the time we write this, Curacao is open to any visitor with a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to departure.  We also have testing facilities on island if you need a negative test to get home.  Find the latest details on The Dive Bus COVID info page.  
• You’re keen to experience life on a tropical island for a month (or more) 

You might be wondering what life is like here at the moment, considering there’s still a pandemic happening.  We have restrictions, of course, but you get the feeling that we’re in our own bubble, almost a whole world away.  Businesses require masks be worn indoors, there’s an island-wide curfew of 11pm, and social distancing is practiced everywhere.  You’ll also pass by hand sanitizer on practically every corner.  

On the other [sanitized] hand, with so many outdoor spaces and the warm weather to match it, people are socializing, friends are laughing together – the vibe is happy.  Grocery stores are also well stocked, and restaurants are safely welcoming visitors.  

The Dive Bus crew love our life on sunny Curacao.  We actively choose this every day, and we work hard to keep it.  With these packages, we hope to share a taste of island life with you.  Just be prepared to use a couple vacation days while you’re here, because once you start diving we guarantee you won’t want to limit it to your weekends!  

So if you'd like to live in Curacao for a month (or two!) while working your normal job “from home,” escape a cold winter, dive on your weekends, and relax into island life...  

Check out all the details here to kickstart your dream.  What could be better?