May 23, 2022:
Parting Shots From Curacao:
For the final post from my recent trip to Curacao, I’d like to feature several images from our visit to the Nena Sanchez Gallery, located in the former Jan Kok plantation house and gardens, near the village of Sint-Willibrodus.
Nena Sanchez was a former Miss Curacao, who went on to a long career as a talented multimedia artist:
Nena Sanchez Gallery; five shots of Nena Sanchez art works; two photos of an iguana that we encountered; and two images of the Old Town Center in the capital city of Willemstad.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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May 21, 2022:
The Cliffs of Watamula:
The cliffs of Watamula, located along the northwest coast of Curacao, are perfect for a spectacular late afternoon hike!
Today, I’d like to share several images from such a hike, which we took on March 16, 2022.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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May 19, 2022:
Willemstad:
Today, I’d like to share several images from my initial visit to Willemstad, Curacao’s attractive capital city:
Two photos of the Old Town Center; three shots of Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, which was dedicated in 1732, and is the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the Western Hemisphere! (Notice the interior sand floor!); three examples of Willemstad’s plentiful street art; and a couple of contrasting Willemstad street scenes.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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May 17, 2022:
Shete Boka National Park (Curacao):
The north coast of Curacao is quite rugged and wild!
There, the waves of the Caribbean Sea incessantly pummel the jagged ironshore.
Shete Boca National Park is a special place located along the island’s northwest coast.
It provides the opportunity to hike along the ironshore, and to experience, up close, the impressive power of the ocean smashing into the coast, and exploding through blowholes!
Today, I’d like to share several images from a fun hike that we took at Shete Boka National Park on March 13, 2022, my first full day on Curacao.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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May 14, 2022:
Curacao Underwater Finale:
Today, I’d like to share a few final images from my March 25, 2022 dive at “Watamula,” as well as a couple of photos of my dive buddies, taken on March 24th at “Elvin’s Plane Wreck.”:
Blue Tang; Foureye Butterflyfish; a couple of shots of schooling Yellow Goatfish; Spotted Drum; Glasseye Snapper; Common Lionfish; and my dive buddies.
In subsequent Curacao posts, I’ll move back onto land, and concentrate on landscapes/cityscapes.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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May 13, 2022:
Curacao Underwater Homestretch:
For my final two Curacao underwater posts, I would like to share images from my last dive of the trip, which was on March 25, 2022 at “Watamula,” my favorite dive site.
Here are the first set of photos:
Two shots of an impressive Green Moray Eel; schooling Blackbar Soldierfish; Banded Butterflyfish; Yellowtail Damselfish; Trumpetfish; and a Channel Clinging Crab.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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May 11, 2022:
Elvin’s Plane Wreck:
“Elvin’s Plane Wreck” is a west end Curacao dive site named for a Fokker Fairchild 27. which used to fly for Antillean Airlines as an island hopper between Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao.
The plane did not crash at this site, but was purposefully sunk to serve as an underwater attraction.
Today, I’d like to share several images from our March 24, 2022 dive at “Elvin’s Plane Wreck”:
Yellowhead Wrasse; Spanish Hogfish; Butter Hamlet; Butter Hamlet with Juvenile and Adult Bluehead Wrasses; Smooth Trunkfish; Banded Butterflyfish; two photos of a Rock Beauty; and a shot of our Marvelous Divemaster at the plane wreck.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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May 10, 2022:
More From Alice in Wonderland:
Today, I’d like to share a few additional images from my March 23, 2022 dive at “Alice in Wonderland”:
Butter Hamlet; schooling Blackbar Soldierfish; Parrotfish; Longsnout Butterflyfish; two photos of Spotted Drums; and a shot of the “Chichi Curacao” Statue.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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May 6, 2022:
Return To Alice In Wonderland:
As we head into the weekend, I’d like to share several images from a March 23, 2022 dive back at “Alice in Wonderland,” the excellent “House Reef” of Go West Diving:
Two photographs of Honeycomb Cowfish; an Orangesopotted Filefish with a small hitchhiker; a group of Christmas Tree Worms; a school of four Yellow Goatfish; a Glassy Sweeper; and a Smooth Trunkfish.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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May 2, 2022:
Back To Watamula:
At the west end Curacao dive sites that I visited, a few fish species were locally more common than I recall at many other Caribbean locations which I had previously dove.
These species included Spotted Drums and Smooth Trunkfish.
Today, I’d like to share a few images from a March 21, 2022 dive at Watamula, my favorite Curacao dive site:
Spotted Drum; Smooth Trunkfish; Longsnout Butterflyfish; Fairy Basslet; and Rock Beauty.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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April 30, 2022:
Kortape:
Today, I’d like to continue my underwater tour of Curacao by sharing several images from an attractive, though infrequently visited, west end dive site called “Kortape”:
Goldentail Moray Eel; Honeycomb Cowfish; a pair of Banded Butterflyfish; Common Lionfish; a couple of Christmas Tree Worms; Sharpnose Puffer; three Creole Wrasse; and a Smooth Trunkfish.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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April 26, 2022:
Mushroom Forest:
The west Curacao dive site “Mushroom Forest” is named for the site’s hard coral formations, which somewhat resemble giant mushrooms.
Today, I’d like to share several images from a March 20, 2022 dive at “Mushroom Forest”:
Bearded Fireworm; French Angelfish; Yellowtail Damselfish; Spotted Scorpionfish; Giant Anemone; Sharpnose Puffer; Porcupinefish; Common Lionfish; and Barred Hamlet.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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April 25, 2022:
Watamula:
During my recent trip, my favorite Curacao dive site was Watamula.
Located at the island’s northwest corner, the site is subject to some current and surge.
Likely, at least in part, as a result of this, Watamula was the healthiest and most vibrant reef that I dove on in Curacao.
It seemed strange to me to encounter Lionfish, an invasive Indo-Pacific species, at Watamula, and at virtually all of the island’s dive sites that I visited.
Introduced into the Caribbean Sea more than fifteen years ago, reproducing prolifically and lacking natural predators, Lionfish have unfortunately become quite widespread and common in the Caribbean Basin.
Today, I’d like to share several images from a March 17, 2022, (Saint Patrick’s Day), dive at Watamula, including a shot of a Common Lionfish:
Barred Hamlet; two photos of Whitespotted Filefish; Common Lionfish; Spotfin Butterrflyfish; Porcupinefish; and Fairy Basslet.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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April 24, 2022:
Black Coral Forest:
Today, I’d like to resume sharing underwater images from my recent trip to Curacao.
These photos are from a dive at a West End site called “Black Coral Forest”:
Two shots of Smooth Trunkfish; Orangespotted Filefish; a pair of Bicolor Damselfish; Bearded Fireworm; two images of Sharpnose Puffers; and two photos of Creole Wrasse.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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April 20, 2022:
Curacao Underwater Begins:
I learned how to scuba dive in the Caribbean Sea, starting over thirty years ago!
For a number of years, initially I pretty much dove exclusively in the Caribbean Basin.
However, I subsequently expanded my diving horizons, and have predominantly dived in the Indo-Pacific Region in recent years.
Until my recent trip to Curacao, I hadn’t dove in the Caribbean Sea since August 2007!
This trip provided me with the opportunity to again dive in the Caribbean Sea, and to dive for the first with my sister and brother-in-law!
What a thrill!
We dove with Go West Diving, an excellent dive operation located on the West End of Curacao, and visited numerous nearby dive sites.
Today, I’d like to share a few images from my initial dive of the trip, at a site called “Alice in Wonderland,” which serves as the “House Reef” for Go West Diving:
Rock Beauty; Glasseye Snapper; Smooth Trunkfish; Graysby; French Angelfish (Intermediate Stage); Foureye Butterflyfish; and two photos of an adult Spotted Drum.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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April 14, 2022:
One More “Dose” Of Curacao’s Flamingos Before Moving On:
Since they are such striking birds, and I had never previously photographed them in the wild, today I would like to share several more American Flamingo images from my recent trip to Curacao, before moving on.
The last photo in this series includes two Black-necked Stilts, who were feeding along with the Flamingos.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
P.S.: In several upcoming posts, I plan to explore Curacao underwater.
Stay tuned!
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April 13, 2022:
Mainly Curacao Water Birds:
Today, I’d like to share another set of avian images from my recent trip to Curacao, with emphasis on bird species found around water:
Greater Yellowlegs; Lesser Yellowlegs; Osprey; Reddish Egret; Black-bellied Plover; Short-billed Dowitchers; Great Blue Heron; and a couple of shots of Bananaquits thrown into the mix.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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April 12, 2022:
Return To Curacao Birds:
After a brief hiatus, I’ve resumed reviewing avian images from my recent trip to Curacao.
Today, I’d like to share several more photos, this time featuring Tropical Mockingbirds, which are quite common on Curacao:
Five shots of Tropical Mockingbirds; Blue-tailed Emerald Hummingbird; Common Ground-Dove; Yellow Warbler, and two images of Caribbean, (or Brown-throated), Parakeets.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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April 7, 2022:
A Few More Curacao Birds:
Today, I’d like to share a few more avian images from my recent trip to Curacao, featuring pictures of raucous and energetic Caribbean, (or Brown-throated), Parakeets:
Four photographs of Caribbean, (or Brown-throated), Parakeets; two shots of Tropical Mockingbirds; Bananaquit; Great Egret; Blue-tailed Emerald Hummingbird; and a Tropical Kingbird.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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April 6, 2022:
More Curacao Birds:
During my recent trip to Curacao, I was thrilled to have multiple opportunities to observe and photograph American Flamingos in the wild.
That was an exciting first for me!
So today, I’d like to feature six images of these striking birds, along with three more photos of Troupials, the lovely national bird of Curacao, and a shot of four Black-necked Stilts joined by a Willet.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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April 3, 2022:
Curacao Birds (Continued):
On this beautiful Spring day here in Charlotte, NC, I’d like to share another batch of avian images from my recent trip to Curacao:
Bananaquit; Tropical Mockingbird; Two photographs of a Tricolored Heron; Two shots of a Caribbean, (or Brown-throated), Parakeet; Two images of Yellow Warblers; and a Magnificant Frigatebird.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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April 2, 2022:
Some Additional Curacao Birds:
Today, I’d like to share several more avian images from my recent trip to Curacao:
Yellow Oriole; Crested Caracara; Lesser Yellowlegs; Black-bellied Plover; two photos of a Troupial; Tropical Kingbird; Common Ground-Dove; and a Little Blue Heron.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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March 31, 2022:
Watamula Birds:
In the afternoon on March 16, 2022, my sister, brother-in-law, and I hiked along the cliffs of Watamula, located at the northwest tip of the island of Curacao.
Today, I’d like to share a few avian images from this exhilarating hike:
Three photos of Brown Boobies; and two shots of a Crested Caracara.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
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March 30, 2022:
Curacao:
From March 12th through March 26th, I enjoyed a wonderful two-week visit, as a guest of my sister and brother-in-law, on the beautiful Southern Caribbean island of Curacao!
Lucky me!
We shared numerous fun adventures during my stay, both on land and in the adjacent sea.
Starting today, I plan to devote a bunch of online posts to images from this great recent trip.
For starters, here are several avian images from March 14, 2022, my first morning of birding at Coral Resort and environs, on the mid-south coast of Curacao:
Two photographs of Troupials, the beautiful national bird of Curacao; Rufous-collared Sparrow; Four shots of Caribbean, (or Brown-throated), Parakeets; Tropical Mockingbird; Yellow Warbler; and a small flamboyance of American Flamingos.
Enjoy!
Stay safe, and have a great day!
