Piscadera Bay - Curaçao Southeast
Shabha is our go-to for a mellow El Gouna afternoon. It’s a shallow block of coral, topping out just under the surface and dropping to a sandy 14 metres, easy to circumnavigate in an hour. We love the east side, where those little pinnacles sprout up; they’re often packed with glassy sweepers, a real visual treat. Forget the big stuff here, Shabha is about the little things. Keep your eyes peeled for chestnut blennies darting into their bolt-holes and African eel blennies poking their heads out of the sand. You’ll spot dusky farmerfish flitting over the coral, and we’ve regularly seen marbled spinefoot grazing along the bottom. The visibility is usually excellent, around 20-25 metres, giving you plenty of time to hunt for those well-camouflaged scorpionfish and stonefish the data mentions, though we’ve found them more elusive than "all over". It’s a site that rewards a slow pace and a keen eye, perfect for photographers or anyone wanting a relaxed, fish-filled dive without deep currents or complex navigation.
- Location
- Curaçao Southeast, Curaçao, Caribbean
- Coordinates
- 12.122300, -68.969500
- Type
- reef
Marine Protected Area: Spanish Water Inner Bay Park
Best Time to Dive in Curaçao Southeast
The warmest water temperatures in Curaçao Southeast occur in October, averaging 29.7°C. The coolest conditions are in February at 26.6°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 27.0°C
- February: 26.6°C
- March: 26.8°C
- April: 27.0°C
- May: 27.6°C
- June: 28.0°C
- July: 28.2°C
- August: 29.0°C
- September: 29.5°C
- October: 29.7°C
- November: 29.0°C
- December: 28.1°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Curaçao Southeast
- Airplane Wreck (Santa Martha) (cave)
- Airplane Wreck (Santa Martha) (wreck)
- Airplane Wreck (Sunset Waters) (wreck)
- Alice in Wonderland (reef)
- Alice in Wonderland (reef)
- Barbara Beach (reef)
- Barbara Beach (wreck)
- Barracuda Point (reef)
- Barracuda Point (reef)
- Beacon Point (wall)
- Beacon Point - 15-40m (reef)
- Blue Bay Garden (reef)
- Blue Bay Garden (reef)
- Blue Bay the Wall (reef)
- Blue Bay the Wall (wall)
Nearest Dive Centres to Piscadera Bay
- All About Scuba Curacao - SSI
- Atlantis Diving
- Blue Bay Dive and Watersports - PADI
- BLVD Divers - PADI
- Central Dive Curacao - SSI
- Coral Divers Curacao - PADI
Marine Life in Curaçao Southeast
Home to 322 recorded species including 259 reef fish, 24 hard corals, 7 other, 6 crabs & lobsters, 5 seagrass & algae, 5 sea snails & nudibranchs.
Notable Species
- Lettuce Coral (Agaricia agaricites) - Hard Corals
- Great star coral (Montastraea cavernosa) - Hard Corals
- Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
- Boulder Brain Coral (Colpophyllia natans) - Hard Corals
- Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
- Blushing Star Coral (Stephanocoenia intersepta) - Hard Corals
- Mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) - Hard Corals
- Massive Starlet Coral (Siderastrea siderea) - Hard Corals
- Smooth Flower Coral (Eusmilia fastigiata) - Hard Corals
- Maze Coral (Meandrina meandrites) - Hard Corals
- loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)
- Butterfly (Chaetodon capistratus) - Reef Fish
- Blue Doctor (Acanthurus coeruleus) - Reef Fish
- Bastard soldierfish (Myripristis jacobus) - Reef Fish
- Dark Green Parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) - Reef Fish
- Sammy Johnson (Scarus taeniopterus) - Reef Fish
- Lamarck's sheet coral (Agaricia lamarcki) - Hard Corals
- Sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca) - Seagrass & Algae
- French grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum) - Reef Fish
- Spinythroat Scorpionfish (Pontinus nematophthalmus) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Piscadera Bay
Based on average water temperature of 28.0°C, currents 22 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 28°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories