Snorkeling at Jan Thiel

Anyone been to Jan Thiel lately? We want to go snorkeling on the East side of Curacao, and would like to know if this is about the best spot? Also, is it easy to get to this beach on the bus?

Well, if you go on the east side of the island you will never find Jan Thiel since its located on the Southwestern side of the island :). Not sure if the bus service is very reliable, but you will have no problem finding a taxi (possibly shared) at the port. We assume you have researched this beach and have a reason to choose the place because it would be very low on our personal list of beaches to visit on Curacao. For those not familiar with this area, it is a very commercial beach that can often be overcrowded with tourists. For snorkeling we love to rent a car and drive to the far Northwest of the island where we have some favorite snorkel spots (like Jeremy) where we are often the only humans. But Jan Thiel is a good pick for those that want facilities, food, and lots of company :).

Hank

Thanks Hank. I guess I should have said East of town, since that is how they describe in online. We didn't want to travel too far from the port, and we are looking for a beach, that one of the ladies in our party could enjoy, while others of us snorkeled. We don't want to leave her in the middle of no where, while we are in the water, but we also want some good snorkeling. Any thoughts on what beach would work best, fairly close to the port, with easy access by bus/taxi?

Thanks Hank. I guess I should have said East of town, since that is how they describe in online. We didn't want to travel too far from the port, and we are looking for a beach, that one of the ladies in our party could enjoy, while others of us snorkeled. We don't want to leave her in the middle of no where, while we are in the water, but we also want some good snorkeling. Any thoughts on what beach would work best, fairly close to the port, with easy access by bus/taxi?

We will leave a recommendation to others who have gone to the beaches close to town. When on Curacao we usually rent a car, so have no experience with their public transit except that friends have told us it is oft unreliable. All the beaches we would recommend are Northwest of the port (some of our favorites are more then 15 miles Northwest of the port and would not work in your situation. You might want to ask (here on CC) about so-called Seaquarium Beach....but we will not recommend it because we have never spent any time at that popular place.

Hank

We went to Jan Thiel by local bus back in June while on our Sunshine cruise. We stopped at the information booth at the pier and a couple we had met on the ship had just finished talking to the lady there who recommended Jan Thiel, so we hooked up with them. The bus system didn't seem as easy to follow as on some other islands, but we got to the beach and paid about $7 USD for two beach chairs. As Hank said it is touristy and commercial with a bar/restaurant. It got a little crowded later in the day, but was never that bad. There is a decent reef off shore, and a sunken sailboat. It was overcast and windy the day we were there, with some rough seas that made snorkeling the reef uncomfortable, but we had a nice day. We misunderstood the bus schedule and waited a while for a bus to pick us up to return to the ship, but going on memory the drive took about 20-30 minutes. Does that sound about right Hank?

We prefer quieter, less touristy beaches... This was our first time to Curacao, so we have no other beaches to compare Jan Thiel to, but if I were going back, I'd probably try a different beach. However, if you want decent snorkeling and need the food/drink/chair/bathroom amenities, this is a good choice.

Thank you both so much! This info really helps!

Yeah, 20-30 sounds about right for the drive from the port. Now you guys have me thinking about Curacao since we will be back there for a port day in December. With a rental car we will often hit several different snorkel beaches and only stay at one where the snorkel conditions are good.

Hank