Unda Tha Sea With Substation Curacao

50, 205, 375, 538. Every time I glanced up at the monitor in our mini submarine it revealed that we were plunging deeper and deeper into the Caribbean Sea. My heart fluttered, my nose was pressed up against the window like a five-year-old and my eyes were wider than they’ve ever been. I was literally awestruck. Never – in a million years – could I have imagined this: ME, in a submarine, exploring the unknown…

You see, I’ve always been fascinated by two realms that we know very little about: deep sea and outer space. Seemingly opposite yet oddly similar in so many ways, they’ve piqued my curiosity from a young age (so much so that I studied both as a science nerd at university). And since space exploration is out of the question for me in this lifetime – or so I think – I’ve focused on squeezing in as many sea adventures as I possibly can during my travels. BUT, I face two major obstacles: I’m not a very strong swimmer AND I’m terrified of scuba diving. So I’m pretty much left with one option: snorkelling. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good snorkel and have had some epic journeys (Maui was my fave so far), but I’ve always wanted to dive deeper. So when I heard that a tiny vessel on the island of Curacao could take me deep into the Caribbean Sea, I was beyond ecstatic…

How deep you ask? Substation Curacao transports tourists and researchers alike to depths unreachable by divers: up to 1000 feet! Unbelievable, right?! I felt so fortunate to hop on board the Curasub to experience their most popular dive (Standard Dive – $650/person) which plunges 500 feet below the surface for approximately 1.5 hrs. Yup, the journey to another realm will cost you a pretty penny. But like all epic adventures, the memory is priceless. And once you see how much work goes into maintaining, launching and navigating the submarine, you’ll quickly understand the price tag…

The incredible crew at Substation Curacao works really hard to make sure all of the dives are safe, informative and fun! They even jump in to snap a few photos of your once-in-a-lifetime experience…

The journey kicks off at Bapor Kibra where visibility is crystal clear. It was absolutely breathtaking: they basically could’ve left me there and I would’ve been a happy camper. We saw everything from damselfish and blue tangs to arrow crabs and colourful coral…

But the dive is all about venturing to a place most people haven’t gone before: a quiet, dark and undoubtedly mysterious world. It’s quite literally another universe once you go below 300 feet. We saw sea life that I’ve only read about: boarfish, Spanish flag, deep-sea shrimp…So many creatures came to say hello to our mini sub! The most memorable was a close encounter with a Lionfish (one of the world’s most venomous fish):

Since the submarine is also used for scientific marine research, the team is always on the lookout for new species (they’ve already discovered a few)! The powerful lamps on the vessel help illuminate the surroundings so we could get a good look at the fascinating life at depths that natural light can not reach. To me, everything looked like a miniature version of what we see on land: tiny mountains, trees and even snow (which I later found out was coral spawning)…

It was honestly so magnificent that it brought tears to my eyes. Philosophical musings may have had something to do with it, but I felt so many emotions wash over me as I stared out at what seemed to be an infinite, parallel universe. I didn’t want the journey to end: I felt so connected, inspired and energized. Alas, I had to catch my flight home! But I’ll continue to daydream about the deep sea until my next dive. If you have a bucket list, this adventure NEEDS to be on it. It is certainly one of the most memorable experiences I’ve ever had.

Things To Know Before You Book…

• Curasub descends daily (up to four times) with a maximum of four people on board at a time.
• The mini submarine has been certified by Germanischer Lloyd and exceeds the highest safety standards.
• There are four types of dives offered by Substation Curacao: Standard Dive ($650/person, 1.5 hrs, approx. 500 feet deep), Deep Dive ($650, 1.5 hrs, approx. 1000 feet deep), Night Dive ($800, 1.5 hrs, approx. 500 feet deep), Adrenaline Dive ($425, 45 min, approx. 450 feet deep). They can also coordinate private dives and accommodate special requests if you want to explore the deep sea with a special someone.
• Note: the vessel is quite small inside. I felt a bit claustrophobic for a few minutes, but the sea life is so beautiful that I was quickly distracted!

• The staff are really knowledgeable so ask them tons of questions during your dive. Shout out to Barbara for being such a skilled and well-informed pilot! I learned more from her in two hours than I did in most of my uni courses.
• The submarine is fully pressurized so your body won’t feel any effects as you plunge deep into the sea. Yeay! So you can sit back, relax and actually enjoy the surroundings without the stresses you’d face during scuba diving. Bonus: this also means that many people who can’t dive because of medical reasons (cardiac disease/ear problems/lung problems etc.) can experience deep sea life with Curasub!
• Although you can take as many photos as you like, I recommend fully immersing yourself in the experience instead of trying to snap pics the entire time. The folks at Substation Curacao have a photographer who will capture the epic moments and put them on a USB for you to take home!