How to turn the kids into something really useful ...

Your dive buddies.

If your kids are 10 years or older, they can become a PADI Junior Open Water diver.

And yup, it costs money to get the kids certified.  

BUT there are a bunch of great returns on your investment that you may not have considered.

Like these:

1. Ask anyone who's lucky enough to share scuba diving adventures with their family why they love it? Their response is often:

   “Because it brings us together.”

2. You’ll have a dive buddy on hand whenever you need / want one.
    
3. You’ll never have to carry or rinse your dive equipment ever again.
    
4. You’ll never not know what to get them as birthday or Christmas gifts.
    
5. You’ll never run out of fun things to talk about with them.
    
6. They’ll learn about responsibility in a fun way –responsibility for themselves, their dive buddy and our underwater world.
    
7.  As divers, your kids will better understand the significance of our impact on our oceans, and want to protect them for their kids. Your grand kids.
    
8. As the responsible parent that you are, you can support and reinforce their dive training by teaching the kids additional lessons in responsibility. Like responsibility for doing (your) household chores, cleaning (your) car, fixing (your) yard, etc etc.

   (OK this may be a bit of a reach but it's worth a try - right?)

9. You’ll have a great excuse reason to take a dive vacation (or 2) every year. And as divers, the kids will never be bored on vacation ever again.
    
10. To help with the 'bored' thing: gift them one of the cool fish ID books so they can become marine-life nerds when they're not diving.

    (This may become important to you later - keep reading, this is going somewhere...)

11. If you’re not (all) divers yet, get certified together, as a family. Instead of being "Mum and Dad" you'll all be in a different role: learning, overcoming challenges and discovering new, cool things. Together.
     
12. If you're at different levels of certification, take a PADI Specialty course together once the kids are certified: a pretty cool thing to achieve and experience, together.
     
13. From the outset, encourage the kids to go on to become a PADI Divemaster, as this is when they can start becoming significantly more useful to you.
     
14. Support them entirely, utterly and completely when they decide to become a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor.
    
    This is not only when the kids start becoming even more useful to you, it's also a very important step for achieving the ultimate goal ...
     
15. ... Encourage them even more entirely, utterly and completely to have their own dive shop as soon as possible. In a warm, beautiful destination with awesome diving, conveniently and affordably reachable from your closest airport.

Because then:
➤ FREE dive vacations for you for EVER!

Even if being a professional dive bum isn't quite what you have in mind for your kids' future, wouldn’t it be awesome to be able to share something you love, together...?

No matter where you'll be spending your next family vacation, the kids can start their PADI dive courses today if you like - via PADI e-learning - and complete their courses on your next family (dive) vacation. 

So you can dive together, somewhere amazing.

Like Curacao: one of the world’s top dive destination for example: an awesome, year-round vacation destination.

With easy flight access, the 2019 Curacao International Dive Festival coming up and plenty of activities to keep you and / or the kids as busy - or as chilled - as you like.

 

So to get started on turning the kids into something useful?
 

thedivebus.reservations@gmail.com

#learntodive #divecuracao #divingcuracao #scubacourses #curacao #thedivebus #scubadivingcuracao #padi #padidivecenter #PADI #kidsdiving #familydiving #shoredivingadventures #padidivecourse #divetravel #LearntoDive #scubavacation #christmasvacation #schoolvacation

Are YOUR favourite dive centers and destinations nominated in the DIVE Magazine Travel Awards..?

If Curacao and / or The Dive Bus are among your favourites, the answer is: YES!

(And if you nominated either or both, a massive thank you!)

DIVE magazine is the world's leading scuba magazine, and their annual DIVE Magazine Travel Awards is one of the world's largest online scuba travel polls.

Hugely popular, the annual DIVE Magazine Travel Awards give divers like you the opportunity to nominate and vote for your favourite scuba diving destinations, dive centres /resorts and liveaboards, world-wide.

In last year's Awards, both Curacao and The Dive Bus finished 15th (ish) out of gazillions (ish) of destinations and dive centers around the world, thanks to you, our awesome divers.

In this year's Awards, divers nominated 78 dive destinations, 470 dive centers / resorts and 215 liveaboards from around the world. And, thanks to you:

Curacao as a dive destination and
The Dive Bus as a dive center /resort
are through to the final 25 -
for the 2nd year running!

Casting YOUR vote in the DIVE Travel Awards makes a difference, takes minutes - and puts you in the running to win a free subscription to the digital issue of DIVE Magazine. 

And if YOUR favourite dive center or dive destination is in the final 25, you can be sure they'll appreciate your vote and support. (Well, if it's a vote for Curacao and or The Dive Bus, we will, for sure!)

So when you have a spare minute...

 ...click here to cast your vote
for your favourite 3 dive destinations and dive centers

The winning dive centers and dive destinations will be announced this November at DEMA in Orlando, Florida. And, after the success of The Dive Bus DEMA Debut last year, on "The Dive Bus International Chilled Out Tour *", we'll be there for the final results.... 

*Fun tales from The Dive Bus Seriously Fun Chilled Out Tour, including the DEMA Debut,
coming whenever we can find a spare minute to write them!

And if this Blog post has got you thinking about your next dive vacation, you may want to check this one out, too:

#divecuracao #thedivebus #curacao #divemagazine #best-dive-centres-in-the-world #seriouslyfundiving #divemagazine #divetravelawards ##divemagazine #curacaodiving #divetravelaward

The 2019 Curacao International Dive Festival: why you won't want to miss it ...

The Curacao International Dive Festival
29 September - 5 October 2019

If you’ve been waiting for the right time and/ or the right reason to make your first trip to Curacao OR return for a(nother) awesome dive vacation? 

The Curacao International Dive Festival may be just what you’ve been waiting for. 

Because it’s going to be GREAT!

According to Bryan Horne of Dive Curacao, the man behind the Curacao International Dive Festival, the objective of the week-long event is to put Curacao on every diver’s must-dive list – and keep it there.

“Curacao is truly an amazing dive vacation destination, but it’s been a well-kept secret for way too long. The Curacao International Dive Festival will showcase Curacao as an amazing dive vacation destination to the international dive community.”

An impressive and ever-increasing number of major international dive and ocean protection organizations, across the USA, Canada and Europe, have thrown their full support behind the Dive Festival, including Dive Bus buddies from PADI and Project AWARE.

Joining them is an impressive and ever-increasing number of Curacao businesses - ocean-related organizations, dive centers, hotels, restaurants, bars, shops and many others - offering special Programs, activities, Packages and offers specifically for the Curacao Dive Festival.

Including The Dive Bus 😊:

"The whole Dive Bus Crew is really excited about Curacao Dive Festival", says Mark. "We're working on a bunch of ideas to make the Festival as fun and memorable as possible for our divers. It's going to be great, we're all really looking forward to it!"

Here’s what’s currently in the works at The Dive Bus for the Curacao Dive Festival:

• a seriously fun Dive Program for the week, built around cool Festival events and activities so you don’t miss out on anything
• great Dive Bus Curacao Dive Festival Packages and Specials, including NEW, hot off the press DRIVE, DIVE + STAY Packages
• with ocean protection initiatives "built-in" (because that's how we roll everyday)

Watch this space and our social media channels for more info coming soon... But if you can't wait and want to get going on your Curacao vacation planning right now? Get in touch!

How to "Dive Right In"to find out more about the 2019 Curacao International Dive Festival:

1. Check out the Festival website

2. Check out the latest version of the events schedule (more being added all the time, so keep checking it).

3. Add these dates to your calendars:
Sunday 29 September – Saturday 5 October, 2019

4. Start being really nice to your boss.

5. Start looking for flight deals.

6. Submit your vacation dates request to your boss. You may want to include the fact that, by approving your vacation request, they're enabling you to contribute to, participate in and support vital ocean protection initiatives.

(Which makes them a hero, too - right? It's worth a try at least, but you may want to leave out the part about it being a lot of fun...)

7. Repeat points 4 to 6 above until your boss submits to your request.

8. Thank your boss profusely to keep them happy for your next Curacao dive vacation request...

9. Register for the Curacao Dive Festival asap to claim your VERY cool, limited availability Sustainable Gift Package (worth $70!), courtesy of Stream2Sea, Caribbean Organic Beauty, Flavors of Curaçao, Lionfish Caribbean and Plastic Free Curaçao:

10. Share this post with your dive buddies and your favourite dive shops so they can join in too and tell more divers (because the more, the merrier!) And keep watching this space and The Dive Bus social media channels for more info...

(If your dive buddies need more convincing about what's so great about diving Curacao, check out what Bryan had to say in his Toronto Caribbean News radio interview during  The Dive Bus “Seriously Fun” Chilled Out Tour"* and their recent article.)

*Watch this space for more about our fun debut at the Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show on The Dive Bus "Seriously Fun” Chilled Out Tour.
(The show was so great, we’re heading back for next year's show, too!)

More about the Curacao International Dive Festival coming soon, so watch this space as well as the Dive Bus social media channels:

       

Ready to get going on your Curacao dive vacation planning?
Drop us an email and let's get this party started ...

 

  #Curacao #divecuracao #curacaodiving #thedivebus #curacaodivefestival #projectaware #PADI #sustainability #oceanprotection#DEMA #OAS #beneaththesea #curacaodivespecials #seriouslyfundiving

Major airlines offering additional flights and seats to Curacao!

With non-stop flights from 17 cities,
it's easier than ever to dive into Curacao on your next vacation.

According to DIVE magazine, Curacao is the hot Caribbean dive and vacation destination, all year round. 

 

And the great news is that more airlines are offering more seats on more flights to our awesome Caribbean island. 

 

With year round average air temperatures of around 82F / 28C, and ocean temperatures averaging a balmy 80F / 27C, if you're looking to warm up and chill out, get yourself on a flight to Curacao.

 

According to Bryan Horne, founder of Dive Curacao:

"Although Curacao is surrounded by more than 40 square miles of some of the best coral reefs in the Caribbean, the island has remained relatively 'off radar' for divers. But that's changing a lot. And quickly.

Curacao's healthy coral reefs, the vast variety of marine life and an ever widening choice of places to stay, eat, discover and do, are attracting increasingly more human visitors to our Caribbean island, too."

With non-stop flights from 17 cities, maybe now's a great time to start planning your (next) Curacao dive vacation, too...

Now's most defniitely a great time to be in Curacao if you live anywhere even vaguely near Toronto or Montreal, and prefer warmth, sunshine and diving to negative air temperatures and snow-shoveling. (Ask one of the 21,000 Canadians who visited Curacao last year if you don't believe us.)

There are 566 seats a week ready and waiting to carry you and your dive buddies away from cold, cold Canada to toasty-warm Curacao...

 

 

Speaking of Winter and Spring getaways to the Caribbean sun, American Airlines have 2 flights per week out of Charlotte, NC. and 3 daily flights out of Miami, FL.

You could be here in less than 3 hours: that's less time than it takes to order and eat dinner at a Curacao beach-side restaurant...

  

Jet Blue has four daily flights from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Curaçao’s Hato International Airport. 

So you can breakfast at home and Happy Hour on the beach well before sunset. 

It's rude not to, really.

  

With 11 flights from Bogota, Columbia to Curacao every week, and 150 seats per flight, Curacao dive vacations are super-easy for divers from Latin American countries including Brazil, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina, to name just a few...
 

Vamonos!


The only direct, year-round escape route from Europe to Curacao is via Amsterdam, in the tropical Kingdom of the Netherlands (or Holland as some of us call it, even though that's incorrect - who knew!

At just over 10 hours, it's quite a flight - but last year, more than 177,000 people figured it was worth it.

Top Tips:

1. According to google, you can fly non-stop to Curacao from 10 MORE cities around the world.

2. If your budget is a bigger constraint than your time, check out flights to these nearby locations and "puddle jump" to Curacao:

• Aruba: 30 mins
• Bonaire: 20 mins
• St Martin: just over 2 hours

3. If you have the option, it's well worth flying in and out of St Martin to experience the amazing / terrifying / thrilling take-off and landing of your life (so far) ...

😲😲😲

(With personal experience of being on that plane and that beach, we can tell you it's a hell of a lot more quiet on the plane!)

What’s so great about Curacao:

According to Travel Agent Central, Curacao is a popular destination for Millennials and other savvy Caribbean travelers, looking for amazing travel experiences and something a bit off-the-beaten path.

It's also one of the most LGBT-welcoming islands in the region - find out for yourself at this year's Curacao Pride event:

 2019 Pride info coming soon, keep watching this space!

Curacao has a huge range of accommodation, food and drink choices to suit all budgets and tastes, fascinating history (especially if you love Pirates - and which diver doesn't?), stunning architecture, beautiful beaches, tons of fun activities and experiences - and plenty more cool things. All in incredible year-round climate. 

(AND it's a unique shore diving haven, one of the top diving destinations in the world. Just so you know,)
 

And here's your invitation from the Curacao Tourist Board:

You're going to love it.

#aircanada #divecuracao #flightstocuracao #jetblue #americanairlines #avianca #curacao #thedivebus #feelitforyourself #feelit

#aircanada #divecuracao #flightstocuracao #jetblue #americanairlines #avianca #curacao #thedivebus #feelitforyourself #feelit #curacaoflights #flightstocuracao

8 reasons to share the love in Curacao

Just some of the reasons why
Valentines Day is better in Curacao

1. It won't be cold and raining

So your romantic day, evening or both won't get washed out.

And if it does rain, it won't be cold and will be over in less than 10 minutes (ish), like it never happened.  

2. It's cheaper than you might think
According to this Huffington Post survey, Curacao is one of the most affordable getaways in the Caribbean...

3. There are HEAPS of culinary delights to experience - affordably
Enjoy Curaçao's huge range culinary delights with the brand new Curacao Dine Around Plan. Click below to find out how you can enjoy romantic 3 course meals and great service on your Curacao Valentines vacation:

4. Choose from a HUGE range of accommodations
Curacao offers accommodations for every budget. Check out the quality accommodations, committed to safety, quality and eco standards through CHATA, here.

Our current pick is Avila Beach Hotel, just down the road from The Dive Bus.  They're committed to sustainability like us, and have an all-inclusive option...

5. Check out heaps of awesome beaches
Many of Curacao's beaches are quite different to what you might expect on a Caribbean island. Like the lovely Pierbaai Beach at Marie Pampoen, right across the road from The Dive Bus, and the access to our gorgeous house reef.

Click here for more stunning videos of Curacao's beaches, courtesy of Nature Pics.
.

6. There's heaps of evening entertainment

Eat, drink, party, relax ... it's your choice, and there's plenty of it.

Chill's a great place for romantic sun-downers and pretty good food overlooking the ocean, and  one of The Dive Bus Crew's favourites.

2 top tips for wherever you go for dinner:

• make a reservation
• go before you're hungry (think "island time")

7. There's heaps to do in the daytime, too
There's plenty of things to do and discover together. Like discovering the island's rich and fascinating history, sailing, climbing, parasailing, wake-boarding, walking, cycling, exploring, surfing, shopping, scuba diving ... or just relaxing on the beach.

 

8. The scuba diving is world class ... 
As divers already know, diving's a great way to meet and make new friends. Some of us are even lucky enough to meet their true-love through diving, too. Which makes a Curacao dive vacation a great way to celebrate Valentines Day for at least a week...

The new Dive Bus DRIVE and DIVE Packages are a great, fun way for you and your favourite buddy to discover and explore some of Curacao's best shore dive sites,  on your own Curacao adventures.


How romantic is that!

All in all, some pretty good reasons to celebrate Valentines Day in Curacao for a week or 2 - wouldn't you say?

#avilabeachhotel #love #scuba #dive #diving #duiken #tauchen #vacation #holiday #curacao #dutchcaribbean #rightnowincuracao #caribbean  #padi #travel  #adventure  #divepackages #divecuracao #valentines #thedivebus