CHATA Dive Task Force and CTB approved dive centers

After deciding where you will spend your vacation part of the fun is planning what you want to do on your vacation. Curacao is off course ideal for diving. When looking for a dive center that lives up to your expectations and wishes there are some things to consider.

Before you start contacting dive centers there are already several things you can do to filter out the ones you want to get in touch with.

First of all you can check whether the dive center is connected to a dive organisation. For instance, if you are looking for a PADI dive center you can check the PADI website (apps.padi.com/scuba-diving/dive-shop-locator/) to see which dive centers are official PADI dive centers in the area that you are going to spend your vacation. This way you already know a little bit what you can expect, since the dive center will not be approved by the organisation if it does not live up to its standards.

But this still leaves you with a lot of choices. Here on Curacao CTB (Curacao Tourist Board) and CHATA (Curacao Hospitality and Tourism Association) try to make sure the quality of the dive centers is as high as possible. Therefore CTB audits the dive centers regularly. They have a very complete list of minimum standards that every dive center needs to live up to in order to get the CTB approved sign, to make sure your dives will be as safe as possible. The standards are available for you to read here: www.curacao.com/en/directory/do/dive/#!the-ctb-quality-standard

The standards are made and yearly revised if necessary by CTB and the CHATA Dive Task Force members. Members of the Dive Task Force are all CTB approved dive centers who work together on several projects. They try to give Curacao exposure as a Dive destination, but they also work together with Coastguard and other official institutions. For example, at the moment we are talking to Coastguard to see how we can raise more awareness about the dive buoy. The buoy is mandatory by law, but how can we make this more known to as well the divers as to the fishermen and jetski owners. What are the rules, how can we make diving as safe as possible for all divers and wannabe divers visiting the island of Curacao?

An other subject we are working on as DTF at the moment is to see how we can keep Superior Producer available as a wreck dive, even with the second Mega Pier being built.

In short, if the dive center you want to contact is associated with a dive organisation, CTB approved and even better also a DTF member, then you know the basics are covered, the dive center has proper insurance and works along the standards of the organisation. Now you can contact every dive center that you have filtered out and see where you get the best response. Where do you feel welcome, where do they offer what you are looking for, where do they answer your questions and how do they answer them. Choose the one where you feel best!

As you will see we as Relaxed Guided Dives fit all of the above. We would love to welcome you as our guests to see that we also live up to our name and help you make your vacation a memorable one.