Elvin’s Plane Wreck in Westpunt
Elvin’s Plane Wreck is a wonderful site that commemorates Elvin, an incredibly passionate underwater enthusiast and cousin to the owner of GO WEST Diving. Together, they formed the original dive shop at Playa Kalki, known then as All West Watersports.
(Did you known… the original dive shop still stands today and is the now the beach restaurant)
In 2006 the Curaçao Fire Department donated a Fokker Fairchild 27 to All West Apartments & Diving and Go West Diving to create a new diving attraction at the west end of the island. This Fokker Fairchild 27 once flew regularly for Antillean Airlines as an island hopper between the ABC Islands, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, and afterward came to rest at the premises of Curacao’s International Airport Hato.
Unfortunately, tragedy struck Elvin’s Plane Wreck in 2008 when Tropical Storm Omar decided to turn and hit Curaçao squarely from the South West causing this plane wreck to be ripped off the seafloor and turned into aluminum debris scattering the plane into multiple pieces.
Diving at Elvin’s Plane Wreck
Today, the wreckage lies on a sandy patches surrounded by stunning hard coral formations. Regularly a drift dive that can finish around the point of Watamula where schools of barracuda can be found. Turtles, ocean triggerfish, lobster, porcupinefish and green morays plus large schools of bogas are also seen here.
Dive Site Recommendations
- Dive Type: Boat
- Snorkel Site: No
- Experience Level: Drift / Advanced (Min)
- Depth: 40 -120ft (12-36m)
Special Notes
Due to recreational & commercial boat traffic, an inflated surface marker buoy is mandatory when shore diving. Consult GO WEST Diving for additional details & recommendations.
Location of Elvin’s Plane Wreck
About Westpunt Curaçao
Westpunt is the name of the westernmost point of the island of Curaçao and is also the name of a nearby small town, the island’s northernmost settlement.
The island’s northernmost point, Watamula, that lies two kilometers to the northeast. Close by you will find the incredible coral beaches of Playa Kalki, Playa Forti, Playa Piskádo, Grote Knip and Kleine Knip. Want to know more? Then click here and take a virtual road tip to explore the westside of Curaçao.
Westpunt is known for excellent scuba diving, and is home to several shore and boat dive sites including a submerged airplane wreck and beautiful reefs. Most of tourist accommodation in Westpunt caters to scuba divers and offers excellent infrastructure such as All West Apartments.
Top 5 Dive Sites in Western Curaçao
The West side is a bucolic haven for boat and shore diving that offers near perfect conditions year-round. The calmness of the area is due to the natural shielding from the easterly trade winds offered by the mountain range running through the middle of the Christoffel National Park.
The top 5 dive sites that lie along the western coastline, such as Watamula or Mushroom Forest, are world class scuba diving locations that offer you exceptional boat diving, shore diving and even snorkeling opportunities.
However, this is just to get your feet wet because to truly “sea” the BEST of the WEST, then you need to dive into these essential dive experiences to feel it for yourself!
