Playa Hundu in Soto, Curacao
Playa Hundu is a beautiful dive site located between the plantation of San Nicolas and Santa Martha. Follow the directions below as it is not easily found unless you know how to get there.
Playa Hundu is a rubble beach with a bit of shade under the trees. To the left and to the right there are cliffs. On the right hand side (facing the sea) there are houses on top of the cliff. The entrance into the water is easy. There are some rocks in the water and there can be some waves but normally you can just walk into the water till you are sufficiently deep to put on your fins.
Diving at Playa Hundu
The heading out is 240 degrees (WSW). The drop off is not far from shore. The slope of the reef is about 45 degrees and at times a bit steeper. The part in front of the beach is a bit “dusty” from all the sand but that changes more to the East if you go left and probably also to the West (which I didn’t check out yet).
Dive Site Recommendations
- Dive Type: Shore / Boat
- Snorkel Site: Yes
- Experience Level: Open Water (Min)
- Depth: 0 -120ft (0 – 36m)
Special Notes
Due to recreational & commercial boat traffic, an inflated surface marker buoy is mandatory when shore diving. Consult a recommended Curaçao Dive Operator for additional details & recommendations.
Curaçao Scuba Diving and Snorkeling Guide
Navigation is easy. There are several “sandy valleys from the shore into the deep. Just count how many you pass and you can easily find your way back to the entry point. Not that it matters much because you can leave the water everywhere as long as you end up in front of the shore. There are also several distinct groups of sponges that you can use to identify the place where you entered the water.
The coral density is high at Playa Hundu yet it does not look that healthy everywhere probably because of some leftover damage from abnormal wind changes. There are large gorgonians, large stove pipe sponges, some Elephant ear sponges and several kinds of hard coral. Also shallow it is a very nice place to dive.
How to get to Playa Hundu in Soto
Coming from the Eastern part of the island you take the road to Westpunt. That is for a large part the only road from the Eastern part toward the Western part of the island. Follow this road until you see a road sign with Soto on it. There you go left in the direction of Soto. You stay on that road for a long time till you reach the church of Soto. Shortly after the church you go left in the direction of Santa Martha.
You pass the plantation house of Groot Santa Martha. On the left hand side there is a stone wall. When that wall ends there is a dirt road to the left. You have to enter that dirt road. After a while you reach a paved road. You have to follow that road and hope there are no cars from the other side because it will be difficult to pass each other. After quite some distance the road becomes a dirt road again. Shortly after you will see the sea. Park you car to the left or right.
Project by hoteliers Avila Beach Hotel / Lions Dive Beach Resort and developers Van Alstede
WILLEMSTAD – The government of Curaçao and investors signed an agreement for the development of Santa Martha and its surroundings in the Voyager Lounge of the Avila Beach Hotel. It is a comprehensive project by the Vogels and Van Alstede families to replace the run-down former Coral Cliff/Sunset Waters Hotel and the adjoining areas.
Robbin Vogels, General Manager of Avila Beach Hotel, and project developer Phillip van Alstede, the new owners of the area known as Coral Cliff, presented their plans to their invitees, which included prime minister Eugene Rhuggenaath, the ministers Zita Jesus-Leito (Transport, Traffic, and Spatial Planning), Steven Martina (Economic Development/Tourism), and Kenneth Gijsbertha (Finance). Vogels explained that, within 3 years, an all-inclusive hotel will be built with 200 to 300 rooms that will be managed under their leadership. This involves an investment of 100 million guilders and should eventually allow for the creation of 250 new jobs. Moreover, a second hotel will be added to the area later down the line. This is planned to result in a combined total of between 700 and 800 rooms, leading to 1000 to 1500 new jobs. The entire plan, spread over a period of 10 years, requires an investment of at least 250 million guilders.
Energetic responses about the development of Santa Martha
Developer Van Alstede explained that the project, in addition to the hotel with all its facilities, encompasses the construction of, among other things, a marina with water sports activities in the large inland waterways of Santa Martha, as well as outdoor recreations, such as horseback riding etc. Furthermore, the hotel will adhere to a ‘from farm to fork’ mindset, which means that much of the hotel’s food will be provided by local gardeners, farmers, and fishermen from Groot Santa Martha (also Soto and its surroundings).
Finally, director Will Vogels of the Lions Dive Beach Resort expressed his appreciation for the drive with which the government and the relevant ministries have responded to the requests for the necessary permits and regulations starting from June this year. This allows the developers to start a project on Bándabou that will be second to none in the shortest possible timeframe.
The agreement with Minister Zita Jesus-Leito was signed on behalf of the developers by Robbin Vogels and Phillip van Alstede, and was witnessed by their respective fathers, Will Vogels and Maarten van Alstede.
