Rif Sint Marie - Curaçao Southeast
Rif Sint Marie feels like stepping into a secret garden, a calm escape from the typical Curaçao bustle. We love how easy it is to navigate, making it perfect for a relaxed dive. Drop in just off the beach, and you’re immediately greeted by the resident sand gobies, often posing on their little coral perches. This isn’t a deep wall dive, but rather a gentle slope dotted with impressive coral formations. Keep an eye out for the distinctive Eight-ray and Ten-ray Star Corals; they’re truly striking. We’ve had incredible luck spotting Caribbean velvet shrimp tucked into crevices, their colours really pop against the sponge. It’s also a fantastic spot for macro lovers, with tiny lofty triplefins and smooth-eye blennies hiding in plain sight if you look closely. You might even stumble upon a common octopus camouflaged against the reef, a real treat. We often see green turtles cruising through the shallows, unbothered by divers. This site is a tranquil beauty, ideal for long, slow explorations.
- Location
- Curaçao Southeast, Curaçao, Caribbean
- Coordinates
- 12.198579, -69.079445
Marine Protected Area: Shete Boka 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 Rif Sint Marie
- 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 Rif Sint Marie
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