Pestbaai Dive Site in Bullenbaai
Located about 1.9 km West of the Vaersenbaai turn off, Pestbaai is an advanced dive site in the Bullenbaai area that may be worth your while. However, because this site is open to the sea, take shore surge, changes in wind and current into consideration before diving this site.
This remote Curaçao dive site near a sandy strip that has a terrace shaped reef with many different types of corals, including mustard coral and brain coral. Pestbaai is a dive site that is especially suitable for shallow diving and macro photography.
Shore Diving at Pestbaai
Pestbaai can be reached via a rock path that runs from the parking lot to the water. The path is steep and can be slippery when it rains. Entering the water from the beach you will first encounter a sandy bottom with small coral formations that slowly turn into a lush coral garden.
Dive Site Recommendations
- Dive Type: Shore dive and/or boat dive
- Snorkel Site: Yes
- Experience Level: Open Water (Min)
- Depth: 20 -120ft (6-36m)
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 and local advice.
Location of Pestbaai
Exploring Bullenbaai in Curaçao
Kokomo Beach at Vaersenbaai
An easy spot to spend the day, Vaersenbaai is home to Kokomo Beach Club, where restaurant and bar, public restrooms and showers are available. The Kokomo Beach House Reef is a very nice and pretty reef dive that is easily accessible from shore. The Car Wrecks, is located east of the Kokomo Beach House Reef at Vaersenbaai.
Bullenbaai Development – What’s Cooking in Curaçao
Bullenbaai is a bay that covers one sixth of the length of the island’s west coast. It extends from the lighthouse at Kaap Sint Marie in the north to the town of Sint Michiel, or Boca Sami, in the south.
The historical development of Curaçao has always been closely related to the geographical location of the island and its natural harbors. The natural harbors in particular increase the strategic value of the convenient location of the island outside of the hurricane zone and on major shipping routes in the southern part of the Caribbean. Bullenbaai is among those natural harbors.
It is a natural deep, broad and sheltered seaport which, in principle, is suitable for further development as a modern seaport. The deep and sheltered harbor offers potential for floating maritime businesses, such as ship-to-ship cargo transfer, dry docks for very large ships which do not fit into the existing docks and cruise ship maintenance.
Bullenbaai Oil Terminal
The Bullenbaai Oil Terminal, operated by Refineria Isla B.V. is the longest established and the largest terminal in the Caribbean with a storage capacity for crude oil, white products and bunker oil.
The uniqueness of Bullenbaai is that is has very deep waters, just a few meters from the shore line, quiet waters at the south side of the Island and Lies outside of the yearly hurricane zone.
Due to the limited entry of the Harbor of Willemstad, the Refinery cannot receive large crude oil vessels at its Emmastad jetties. These vessels are therefore discharged at the Bullenbaai Oil Terminal, stored in the large crude tanks and from the Bullenbaai Oil Terminal these crude’s are pumped through a pipeline via shore/land to be processed at the refinery.
