Vaersen Bay

Lots of parking, not that you'll need to worry about that! The condition of this beach is just excellent. The area is well-maintained and the water entry easy. It's a short swim to the edge of the reef. You'll find the Car Wrecks to the South at about 30 meters (100 ft) of depth; this could be technically challenging, so ask a guide along for extra safety.

This dive site is now at Kokomo beach. The beach has been cleaned up and there is a dive shop, beach bar, bathrooms, and beach chairs on site. It costs to dive there now, but it is minimal. We rented the tanks from the dive shop, and using the restrooms and their rinse tank was included in the fee. It is a nice dive with an easy swim to the reef. Lots of good things to see there.

Great site for all types of divers. Pretty standard shoulder/wall dive into the current for a half of a tank. For the more advanced tech types there is a tug boat wreck right at 175 to 200 (I don't have my log book in front of me.) To get there it's a really long surface swim to the left (as you face the water) to the yellow square buoy. Then descend past the cars to the tug. No real reason to go in, but you could if you wanted. On the way back up you'll see all the cars and the barge that carried them. Great easy slope for the deco on the way back up.

Not the greatest top-side, though there are toilets and a snack (when open. If it's open, it's $2 entry to the beach for divers) and shade for non-divers. Pleasant wall dive. Plenty of schooling fish, spotted moray, huge green moray, barracuda, porcupine and needle fish. Didn't get passed the pontoon wreck (at 20m) to see the Car Pile. Long swim. Viz gets worse the further south-east (left from the beach) you go. Nice to have something to look at doing the safety stop. Good dive site not too far a drive from Willemstad.

We only snorkeled here. I am not a diver. There were two ways to get in the water. The first is to walk on this rickety old pier to the end and put on your snorkel stuff and ease in. The pier has some slimy wood steps at the end. The waves kind of hit you and push you a bit as you get in and the slippery steps are a little tricky. No biggy. The other way to enter the water is to walk and the beach to the shore and gear up for entry. The shore is hard on your bare feet. Either is ok but not all locations have an old pier like this one did. There is some shade on shore but no facilities.

All the facilities were closed. Small beach area and no entry fee. There are stairs leading to the water. Very good parking close by. Worth a dive or 2. Probably would not stay the day. Closer than a lot of sites further west. Can be a little rough at surface as its not as well protected as some other sites.

This dive is very cool, and not overly used ( never saw another diver). If you head out and directly down, at 120 feet there is an interesting apparatus with an anchor chain attached, and the largest Green Eel I've ever seen hanging out with it. If you kick out to the reef, drop to about 50 feet, and head left, in about 10-12 min. (with out stopping to check anything out) you will see 20 feet below you a barge. It lies upside-down with the top at 70 feet and the bottom at about 120 feet. Interesting coral growths and Sgt. Majors with their eggs being very protective and aggressive on the barge. The top side amenities are few, easy entry down a set of stairs if they aren't clogged up with the local kids. There is also a place to get a snack...if its open. No fees to use the area as of July '03.

Ok, and many had a good dive here, but I thought it was a little worn-out looking. Car Wrecks is near here and an interesting dive.

As a newly certified "rookie dweeb" diver, Vaersen Bay was my 10th dive without an instructor. To add more "excitement" to the mix, It was my wife's 1st non instructor dive and my first ever, "follow me because I have more experience dive" <shudder>. Hence, not a lot of experience here to back up any scores but the dive was great. Entry was easy, we swam out about 200 yards to the buoy and descended to about 20-25 feet just short of the wall. We descended to 60 feet and navigated back and forth using a huge purple barrel sponge. Vis was around 75 feet. The area had been torn up by bad weather so when we went, July 8th, 2000, some of the coral was damaged and visibility was not as good as it could have been. As far as facilities went there were none, with the exception of the ever present Island folks selling snacks and such. I have to admit though, I liked the fact that no one was around except for LeAnne and I, and of course the Islander selling Amstel Brite and Water :) Fun dive!