If you’ve never gone scuba diving or snorkeling but have always wanted to, the Aquafari adventure in Curaçao may be the adventure for you. What’s an Aquafari, you ask? It’s an underwater activity, where you cruise around in the underwater world on a self-propelled, submersible scooter. It sounds like exactly what it is…a water safari!
How Do You Breathe?
The scooter has a bell-shaped glass container that has an oxygen tank in the front, which supplies enough oxygen for about a 45-minute dive. Because there are pressure issues when going so far under water, the instructors gave us a tutorial on how to alert them if we were having any problems. After our group of seven was given about a 30 minute tutorial on the equipment and signals for safe play, we were ready to have some underwater fun.
How Do You Get On the Scooter?
Since two of my friends are not strong swimmers, one of the instructors met them at the shore so they would feel more comfortable gliding onto the scooter. I met the other instructor at the end of the dock. I actually think it was easier to get under the helmet in deeper water because I was able to slide right under there while already being in the water. All you do is sit on the scooter, hold your breathe and glide under the helmet. Super simple! Once we were all safely on our scooters and under the containers, our two guides made sure we were good to go and off we went! My ears popped the most when I first got under the helmet, but after that, it was smooth sailing…errrr…scooting.
How Fast Do the Scooters Go?
The scooters move fast enough for you to glide along to enjoy all of the fish and coral. The instructors even bought food to feed the fish so you really get to see them up close. I actually found myself wanting the scooter to go faster but because they are constantly checking on you and providing individual attention, it only makes sense that they take small groups and the scooters move slowly. They are also swimming in scuba gear without scooters so it’d be hard for them to attend to everyone if the group was any larger or if the scooters moved any faster.
How Deep Do You Go?
The furthest we went was 6 meters down, which is about 20 feet. Our instructors checked with us often to make sure we weren’t having any pressure issues. There’s a buoy on the top of the scooter that 1) helps you not to sink and 2) alerts other people in the water that you’re there. If weren’t having any issues, our guides lowered us deeper into the ocean.
If you’re a diver, you probably wouldn’t enjoy this as much as us novices. But if you enjoy a leisure water activity, this is the perfect adventure for you.
Things to Note:
- You can do this adventure without knowing how to swim.
- Obviously, wear your bathing suit.
- Bring a towel to dry off after you finish.
- If you have a large group, bring money for food and drinks and something to keep you occupied while the other group goes.
- Have fun!
For more information, contact them here. Tell them Will Drink For Travel sent you!
