Black Coral Garden
Black Coral Garden Dive Site in Soto, Curacao
Black Coral Garden is located in the area of Soto – Curacao, between Hell’s Corner and REDIHO. What makes this dive site so unique is in fact the extremely rare and nearly extinct black corals in addition to the beautiful display of sea fans and bottlebrush corals.
The skeletons of black corals are dark; hence the description as ‘black,’ but the polyps have varying colors — red, white, orange, green and yellow. Since they lack symbiotic algae, black corals can be found thousands of feet deep.
This Black Coral Garden dive is generally done parallel with the wall, as an out-and-back to the boat. It’s an easy boat diving site, with little to no current. As with most wall dives, it’s easy to slip down too deep while admiring all of the beautiful rare black corals and the densely populated marine life. So, pay attention to your depth and time.
As always, please be careful around corals to avoid damaging them, but take extra caution in this spot in particular, as black corals take over a century to re-establish. Admire these rare beauties and keep a close watch on your buoyancy.