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Stella Maris Reef
 Bapor Kibra, Curaçao, Curaçao
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Max Depth: Over 150ft/46m
Average Viz: 36-40ft/11-12m
Entry Type: Shore
Aquatic Life: Plenty To See
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Rating: 5.00 by 1 divers
Spring: 76-80°F/24-27°C
Summer: Over 85°F/29°C
Fall: 81-85°F/27-29°C
Winter: 71-75°F/22-24°C
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Stella Maris Reef is a shore accessible salt water dive site, located in Bapor Kibra, Curaçao, Curaçao. This dive site has an average rating of 5.00 out of 5 from 1 scuba divers. The maximum depth is over 150ft/46m. The average visibility is 36-40ft/11-12m. Training platforms are available.
As the story goes, the Stella Maris was seized by local authorities many years ago because it was found hauling illegal drugs into Curacao. It then sat empty for years and years in the harbor. Dutch told me today that after all the court cases it finally became a liability to the Curacao government and the Sea Aquarium received permission to make an attempt to use the ship as a dive object or artificial reef. So 18 years ago the boat was pulled out of the harbor by tugboats and slowly made it’s way to it’s chosen location out in front of the now Mambo Beach. The plan was to sink it in 120-140 feet of water which would have made it a great deep diving spot but as you know things sometimes don’t go as planned! The charges were set and the boat began to sink and all looked good until it all of a sudden decided to turn the wrong way because of a big air bubble inside the hull. The tugs tried and tried to force it in the right position but may have ended up doing more harm than good. I was talking to people today that were on location when it was sunk and they said, “the back went down first and then the front came out the water like a breaching whale and you could hear this terrible whistling sound! Then the ship was gone, never to be seen by anyone again, until now! What happened years ago was that the ship slid down an extremely steep vertical slope, (in fact it looked like a sheer wall to me today) and then came to rest in the sand at 450 feet! So now as luck would have it anyone can visit the Stella Maris as it’s going to be one of the main trips that will be offered thru Substation Curacao.