CURACAO NETHERLANDS ANTILLES
From: Habitat Curacao-The Freedom Journal Hi Phil,
If the winter blahs are getting you down, Habitat Curacao can turn that aroun'.
THE "FREEDOM JOURNAL"
WHITE-BELLIED WHALE AND OTHER TALES
Okay, perhaps it was a gray-bellied whale. Humpback? No-one onboard Freedom Diver II
could seem to agree on what type of whale they were watching swimming alongside the boat
as they motored towards Black Coral Gardens the morning of February 9th. As whales do,
it decided to shy away from getting close to any of the divers, but it did puff and blow
a few times just for show.
Who knows if the Curacao Coast Guard was chasing whales or just pink elephants offshore
but a few of them decided our Habitat beds would be more comfortable than their military
bunks and pulled into our dock and took a room for the night. Mike and Tuki eyed their
high-speed inflatables with dreams of taking them out for a spin however a big, burly,
fully-equipped coast-guardsman kept them at bay. Even if you missed the whale sighting
there have been plenty of dolphins passing by each morning to the delight of many late
breakfast goers.
MORE UPCOMING EVENTS
Can you answer this little rhyme?
Corny poetry aside, Dive Manager Mike is so thrilled with his new toy (the ANX Supreme
Nitrox Blending System) that in addition to having "Go Green Nitrox Week" this month from
March 13-20th he's decided to make the ENTIRE MONTH of September "Get on the Gas" Nitrox
Month with 1/2 price on all Nitrox tank fills (custom blended to your specifications) and
instruction. Why bother with Nitrox? Well, simply put, Nitrox has more oxygen and less
nitrogen in it than regular air. When diving with a Nitrox tank your body is absorbing less
nitrogen (the cause of decompression sickness) than it would be during a dive of the same
duration on air so you are able to stay down longer without risking decompression sickness.
Many people just dive with Nitrox because of the added safety aspect of absorbing less
nitrogen and others claim they feel less fatigued after a day of diving. The course is
easy and only takes 1/2 a day!
Giving Photo Pro Chris equal time, the ENTIRE MONTH of August is "Photo Month." With
weekly prize giveaways, slideshows and seminars by Chris, plus underwater camera try-outs,
this should be alot of fun.
The Events "99 list at the end of this newsletter details even more upcoming events both at
Habitat Curacao and island wide.
CONTESTS, CONTESTS
Contest lovers have a double bonus this month, two contests!
First, our sister property Capt. Don's Habitat on Bonaire has a new monthly newsletter but
they don't know what to call it. Check it out at
http://www.habitatdiveresorts.com/BonaireNews.html and send your suggestion to
DonsContest@HabitatDiveResorts.com.
Second, Congratulations to Charles Primer of Bedford, Texas who correctly identified the
Scorpion Fish in February's riddle. Would you believe more people thought it was a Southern
Stingray than a Scorpion Fish at a ratio of 3:1! When taking a guess, remember that the sea
creature described each month can be found almost anytime on a shore dive here at our house
reef "Nos Kas." The big boss said to make the riddle a little harder this time but our
readers are pretty smart so I'm sure you'll have this one figured out in no time:
Like a blossom I bloom, but only at night.
First correct guess to divecuracao@habitatdiveresorts.com will win a Habitat Curacao
t-shirt mailed to you. Good Luck!
BUBBLE BLOWING BUBBA
Look under the boat next time you're diving with popular Divemaster Cecil "Bubba" Gomez
and you'll probably see him performing one of his many underwater antics like walking upside
down under the boat, or lying on his back in the sand blowing bubble rings. It's his
good-natured antics and easygoing manner that have kept divers happy during his last
16 years as a divemaster. Born in Alabama, raised on the tiny island of Saba, and a
resident of Curacao since 1988, Cecil speaks English, Dutch, and Papiamentu. Where does the
nickname "Bubba" come from? Actually from Photo Pro Chris a few years ago after watching
Cecil inhale a plate of shrimp (remember Forest Gump?) Cecil's favorite divesite? Mushroom
Forest, of course!
His best day out on the diveboat? One day at Boca Hulu when whales were feeding on sharks
who were feeding on tuna who were feeding on ?? all together at the same time!
Cecil's message to his friends and divers everywhere: "Keep on doing what you're doing, and
enjoy it more." Though he's not big on correspondence, if you want to drop Cecil a note,
his e-mail address is bubbadiver@hotmail.com.
AS THE BOAT FLOATS
It was a working vacation for many of the instructors traveling with Aquatic Adventures from
Washington D.C. as they took full advantage of our facilities and taught numerous advanced
and specialty courses to their group of enthusiastic divers during February. It was great
to see people eagerly thumbing through fish ID books as they worked on the Underwater
Naturalist specialty among others.
Part-time Bonaire resident Ron Sewell would like to communicate with any others who share his
passion for fish watching and marine conservation. Contact him at
huntingdonfusion@bonairelive.com.
The "Fit for Fun" German TV show filmed here in September finally aired in Europe and was
truly a first-class production. Our thanks to the production team for making us look so
good!
Our agent Omni Divers has terrific rates and packages so you can come and share the fun with
us too. Contact them at omnidive@omnidivers.com or call 1-208-345-1990.
HAVE A MAGNIFICENT MARCH!
EVENTS 1999
1999 marks the 500th anniversary of the discovery of Curacao by Alonso de Ojeda, one of
Columbus' lieutenants. Throughout the year celebrations will be taking place to mark this
historic occasion. Following is a list of some of the events taking place this year and more
are being added all the time. Visit the Curacao Department of Tourism's official website
http://www.curacao-tourism.com for the latest events details. Curacao based
http://www.k-pasa.com is also updated weekly concentrating on the entertainment scene.
(Dates are subject to change without notice)
March 13-20th- HABITAT CURACAO'S "Go Green" Nitrox Week. Half price on all Nitrox tank
rentals and instruction.
April 23-25th- Curacao's International Blue Marlin Tournament at the Curacao Yacht Club.
April 30th- Queen's Birthday celebrations.
April 30- May 1st- International Food Festival. A chance to sample cuisine from around the
world presented by our world class local restaurants.
May 8-24th- Dine & Dive Around Program. Purchase a coupon book on-island for great discounts
on diving and dining at many local establishments including HABITAT CURACAO.
July 2nd- Curacao Flag Day with parades, ceremonies, and cultural events in Otrobanda and the
village of Barber.
August- HABITAT CURACAO Photo Month with seminars, weekly prizes, and camera try-outs.
August 6-7th- Curacao Salsa Festival with international performers.
August 17th- 1795 Slave Uprising Anniversary Celebrations.
September- HABITAT CURACAO "Get on the Gas" 1/2 price on all Nitrox tanks and instruction.
September 1-3rd- Curacao Travel Expo 500 at the World Trade Center
September 26th-October 2nd- Curacao Tourism Week sponsored by the Curacao Department of
Tourism.
October 1-2nd- Curacao Jazz Festival with local and international jazz stars.
October 1-3rd- HABITAT CURACAO Coral Spawning Event with contests, special night dives, and
the chance to participate in the research of Reef Care Curacao.
October 10th- Miss Curacao Pageant
October 21st- Antillean Day. An official holiday celebrating the unity of the 5 islands of
the Netherlands Antilles.
October 28-31st- Sail Curacao 500. Tall ships from around the world will sail into Willemstad
Harbor as part of our 500th anniversary celebrations. Check
http://www.curacao500.an for more details.
October 30,31st & November 1st- HABITAT CURACAO Coral Spawning Event with contests, special
night dives, and the chance to participate in the research of Reef Care Curacao.
November 1st- Last day of the Coral Spawning.
November 5th- Caribbean Tourism Day.
December 6th- St. Nicholas Day for children.
December 25th- Christmas Day Holiday.
December 26th- Boxing Day Holiday.
December 31st- Last Day of the 2nd Millennium!!
Date: Mon, 01 Mar 1999 15:37:51
Subject: March Newsletter
Our agent Omni Divers,
Offers goodies that are sure to please!
On airfare and packages from wherever you're at....
Contact them now, its as simple as that!
1-208-345-1990 or omnidive@omnidivers.com
HABITAT CURACAO
What mixed gas gives divers more bottom time?
In Halloween colors yet without a fright.
I cling to a pole, a pillar, or rock.
If you know my name, you're now racing the clock!
http://www.habitatdiveresorts.com
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