What can I say...Jane, Thor and Ben were above and beyond accommodating for my Fiancée and I while we were in Curaçao.
A healthy blend of professional and friendly... read more environment made us feel both cared for and safe during our 4 day dives that included lion fish spear fishing and a night dive.

  My journey with TDS began at the airport - Ivanna picked me up, bubbly as ever. Having previously ensured I had all the correct paper work and visas needed to... read more arrive smoothly.

It was a Monday and after dropping my bags at the onsite accommodation I was invited to dinner with a few of the divers from the amazingly welcoming dive community in Curacao. What a lovely evening it was, everyone very fun and friendly. I highly recommend the restaurant De Visserij.

The next day we were straight in the water for some fun dives and skills circuit after a tour of the dive center and being given access to a secure place for my gear. A couple of days later the IDC started. . .

It's quite an intense 12 days, water sessions, class room sessions, mock exams and home work. There was still plenty of time to have at least a beer whilst the sun was setting on the secluded beach that The Dive Shop shares with a couple of bars though, then back to study 😉

I went into the IDC with 7 strangers and came out with 7 good friends, really. You build incredible bridges, learning and making mistakes together as the instructors guide you through the process of becoming perfect candidates.

The course instructors Ivanna, Gerome and Thor each have their own charm and personality which is great for different learning styles the one thing they all have in common though is that they all went above and beyond their call of duty to ensure everyone was ready for theory and practical, staying with candidates well into evening for tutoring if it was necessary. Also special thanks to Jane the shop manager, who was more than happy to help at any time and an all round legend.

The exam weekend came and went and everyone nailed it, there were no surprises as we'd practiced everything in the IDC.

That evening there was a really nice party organised for us all in town, the perfect end to an intense but truly enjoyable experience in Curacao.

I obviously couldn't recommend these guys enough. I had a beautiful time on the island and the location of The Dive Shop is disgustingly perfect!

Thank you TDS so much! 😀

Oh yeh, Ivanna also organised an epic fun day for us all to learn how to hunt and prepare lionfish on the beach!

  We're back for our second winter in Curaçao and back to TDS in Piscadera. Last year, I did my PADI... read more