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Best Water Town
Willemstad, Curacao, Netherland Antilles
Sea Kayak, windsurf, sail, fish or snorkel just a shell’s throw from downtown on this accessible island.
The Spanish, French, British and Dutch all fought tooth and nail to rule this 38-mile-long Caribbean isle 35 miles north of Venezuela because of its protected natural bay that cuts a deep channel inland from the south. That bay still helps Curacao thrive—the top two industries are large ship repair and oil refining—and serves as the heart of Willemstad’s charming tropical downtown. Rows of pastel buildings hug the water, oozing Dutch influence. And tourists can stroll across the floating pedestrian bridge while locals play dominoes nearby.
The bay is hardly the only water attraction here though: The city is well positioned halfway along the protected southern coast, such that you can sea kayak, windsurf or sail the prevailing northeasterly trade winds in no time. But the best water options remain under the surface. Sixty-six dive sites dot the southern coast, from the famous mushroom forest of brain coral in the west to the upright wreck of the Superior Producer at the mouth of town. With many sites right offshore, the snorkeling is also fantastic (there’s a tugboat wreck just 15 feet down). Year-round ocean and air temps that hover around 80 degrees and 60-foot visibility provide everything else required for countless tropical evenings spent recounting stories of encounters with moray eels, octopi and loggerhead turtles over a few Amstel Brites—the island’s home brew. If you go: www.curacao-tourism.com.
Best Watering Hole: Calypso Café, Rincon, Puerto Rico
Nestled into the palms of Maria’s Beach at the Point between the famous breaks of Domes and Tres Palmas, this open-air cantina drips with surf culture. Guys still wet from their last session gulp down Medallas and stuff themselves on dorado fish sandwiches, and a surf shop’s directly downstairs. http://calypsopr.com .
Best Guide Service: Baja Wild, San José del Cabo, Mexico
In a land known for thinking about pesos first and the environment later, Baja Wild’s English-fluent guides not only bring you snorkeling above the only living coral reef in Baja or kayaking through the translucent waters of the Sea of Cortez, they do so in a safe and conscientious manner.
011-52-624-14-253-00; www.bajawild.com .
Best Water Hotel: Extreme Cabarete, Cabarete, Dominican Republic
You can’t stay any closer to the action at kiteboarding mecca Cabarete than this new 20-room hotel on the sand of Kite Beach. Catering to adventure sports nuts, it features a full-service kiteboarding school, a handful of surf breaks nearby and a skate park in the basement. www.extremecabarete.com .
Most Remote Lake: Lake Licancabur, Chile/Bolivia border
The water that rests in the caldera of the 19,726-foot Licancabur Volcano on the
border of Chile and Bolivia is so high and so far afield that NASA helped fund recent expeditions in hopes that the Mars-like environment would give clues to life on other planets. www.extremeenvironment.com .
Tallest Waterfall: Angel Falls, Venezuela
At 3,287 feet, Angel Falls is the world’s tallest—more than 17 times higher than Niagara Falls. Located in Canaima National Park, a World Heritage Site, the cascade erupts off the back of one of the table mountains of the Guyana Highlands and falls more than a kilometer into the verdant jungle below. 011-440-1223-277722; http://www.wcmc.org.uk/protected_areas/data/wh/canaima.html.
Best Underwater Attraction: Dean’s Blue Hole, Long Island, Bahamas
On the eastern shore of Long Island, the largest of the naturally occurring “blue holes” that dot the Bahamas plummets more than 600 feet. Formed by rainwater soaking into fractures in the limestone,
the bus-sized underwater cave provides a fascinating glimpse into the depths.
242-338-2050; www.stellamarisdiving.com.
Best Fishing Spot: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Because the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific collide at Cabo, an entire aquatic food chain can be found here year-round. Striped and blue marlin are top trophy catches for first-time tourists and pro derby contestants alike, or you could always “settle” for hooking a dorado, roosterfish or yellowfin tuna. www.loscabos-tourism.com/cabo.
Best Cliff Diving (to watch): La Quebrada, Acapulco, Mexico
Trained divers bring out Acapulco tourists en masse five times a day to witness their natural circus act—130-foot swan dives into a sliver of a cove, timed perfectly with incoming waves to land with a splash, not a splat. www.visitmexicopress.com .
Best Cliff Diving (to do): Negril, Jamaica
Limestone cliffs plunge into 80-degree Caribbean deeps along much of Negril’s coastline. The most famous spot stands outside Rick’s Café, where locals launch from atop a 30-foot palm to outdo those who muster the courage for the platform-level 40-foot drop. www.visitjamaica.com .
Best Whitewater River: Pacuare River, Costa Rica
The Pacuare has gained a well deserved reputation as one of the best runs in the world. It combines heart-pounding Class III and IV rapids with dramatic natural scenery flowing through neck-craning canyons and lush rainforest alive with the chatter of 850 species of tropical birds. www.rainforesttours.com/pacuare.htm .
Last Updated: Feb 24th, 2006 - 14:18:11
© Copyright 1999-2006 by Hooked on the Outdoors
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