World dive sites

Aruba Diving

Land Temperature:
Average 27°C (81°F)

Water Temperature:
27°C (81°F) in winter, 29°C (84°F) in summer

When to go:
The best diving is between January and April but Aruba is a year round destination and is not affected by Caribbean hurricanes. October to December is the rainiest period.

Wetsuit required:
3mm – 5mm

Visibility:
15-40m

Diving types:
Coral Reefs, Walls, Wrecks (including the Caribbean’s biggest wreck), Boulders

Experience Level:
Beginner to Experienced

Marine life:
Schools of reef fish, turtles, reef sharks, nurse sharks, barracuda, manta rays, eagle rays

After diving:
Suntan, sightsee, snorkel, sail, windsurf, kitesurf, gamble in the casino, play a round of golf.

Aruba Dive Sites

There are over 40 dive sites around Aruba, most of them on the west and south west sides of the island, protected from the constant trade winds which create waves. Many of these dive sites now have park status as the local authorities try to preserve their underwater assets and there is a park entrance fee payable by all divers. Many sites now have mooring buoys installed. Many of the dive sites are also great for snorkelling. A feature of Aruba diving is the excellent visibility.

Shark Caves, just of the south east coast of the island, is a good place to spot nurse sharks and sand sharks.

Punta Basora, stretching out from the south east tip of Aruba is a narrow reef that can be affected by waves and strong currents. When conditions are right the marine life here is very impressive with the chance to see hawksbill and loggerhead turtles plus stingrays and eagle rays. Other pelagic visitors include barracuda and tuna. Hammerhead sharks have also been seen here.

Baby Beach Reef is another shallow hard coral reef with a maximum depth of 18m. Barracuda are commonly seen here.

Commandeurs Reef slopes from 12m to 30m. Schools of fish include snapper and angelfish. Lone barracuda are often spotted in the blue.

Isla di Oro is a popular dive site for it’s diversity of marine life. Angelfish, trunkfish, cowfish, parrotfish and porcupine fish are just some of the inhabitants here. Green moray eels and octopus can also be seen in coral crevices. Maximum depth is 35m.

Mangel Halto Reef is a shore dive from Magel Halto Beach with a maximum depth of 18m. Coral, seafans, anemones and sponges are all healthy and abundant here. Eagle eyed divers will be able to spot seahorses here. Moray eels and octopus can also be found.

Pos Chiquito is an easy shore dive where it is possible to see manta rays. Turtles and big schools of fish are also common.

De Palm Island is just a short boat ride away, off the west coast of Aruba. The reef life here is diverse and colourful. Nurse sharks are commonly seen. The reef starts at just 1m below the surface and quickly drops to 35m. Snorkellers enjoy this spot too. Close by Mike’s Reef is one off Aruba’s best coral reefs with healthly corals, sponges, anemones and sea fans all fighting for space.

Cudarebo Rocks on the northern most point of Aruba Island is only accesible on calm days and is therefore not on dive centres regular shedule. Fish life is prolific when conditions allow.

Black Beach is one of the few places on the northern coastline that is sheltered enough from the waves to dive safely. Schools of fish and crustaceans like crabs and lobsters can be seen here.

Plonco Reef starts at 6m deep and drops beyond 30m. Large brain coral and star coral formations are fused with gorgonian sea fans and encrusting sponges. All the usual reef fish are here including parrotfish, trumpet fish, surgeonfish and angelfish. Also look out for cowfish and the hard to spot scorpionfish.

The Fingers dive site gets it’s name from the reef formations that point out to the deep like beautiful coral covered fingers. Turtles and moray eels are highlights here.

The Wall is a very impressive dive site covered with gorgonian sea fans as well as star, flower, brain and black corals. Moray eels poke their heads from coral crevices. Grouper and porcupine fish hide in sheltered areas. Smaller reef fish swarm over the reef. Angel fish and butterfly fish are abundant. From May to August lots of green turtles can be seen here as they return to the area to lay their eggs.

Sponge Reef, close to Renaissance Island has a wonderful array of sponges including barrel and tube sponges. plus hard coral formations and sea fans. Schools of smaller reef fish are prolific here including damsels.

Barcadera Reef, located close to Orangestad harbour, is suitable for divers and snorkellers and is home to colourful corals and reef fish. Maximum depth is 28m.

Dantchi’s Delight is an easy reef dive starting at 5m and sloping to 20m. Staghorn coral and sponges are home to angel fiosh and a myriad of smaller reef fish.

Skalahein dive site has some very impressive coral formations down to a maximum depth of 45m. Schools of barracuda are usually seen here and manta rays are sometimes seen. Currents can be strong making this a great drift dive.

Kantil Reef also gets visits from passing manta rays as well as eagle rays. The drop off starts at 2m and descends to 40m. It is covered in brain and star coral as well as large gorgonian sea fans. Schools of fish abound. Moray eels can also be seen.

Aruba Wreck Dives

The Jane C Wreck (or Jane Sea Wreck) lies off the western side of Palm Island. She was a Venezuelan cargo ship carrying cement. However authorities also found her carrying cocaine. She was deliberately sunk to create an artificial wreck. This is a colourful dive where encrusting corals of reds, yellows and purples have completely covered the steel wreck. Soft corals, sea fans and brilliant blue tube sponges add even more colour. Night dives here are particularly impressive when the coral polyps open up to feed in the currents. The wreck is 75m long and sits upright in the sand with the stern deepest at 28m, the bow is in just 22m of water and is an impressive sight as you descend onto it. Currents can be strong here making this a dive site for intermediate to advanced divers. The currents can attract pelagic visitors like barracuda and manta rays.

Old Tugboat Wreck lies at 25m deep and is home to two huge green moray eels, octopus, stingrays and the occasional spotted eagle ray.

The Rum Runner Wreck, off the north west coast was an old wooden fishing boat that had been convered to a tourist cruise boat. It was sunk as an artificial reef when it was no longer useful and is now home to reef fish and turtles. Corals, sponges and anemones are quickly taking over the wreck. Lobster can also be seen here.

The Vera Wreck, located off the south east coast, was a frieghter that sank in 1954 on it’s way from South America to North America. The cargo was allegedly Nazi gold.

The Captain Roger Wreck was an old tugboat that also sank off the south east coast and is now home to schools of reef fish.

California Wreck was a wooden passenger ship that ran aground of Aruba’s northern coast while sailing from Liverpool to Central America. That was nearly 100 years ago. Now the wreck is covered with encrusted coral, sponge and anemones. Choppy seas in this area can make entry and exits difficult and can create surge underwater.

The Antilles Wreck, located off the north west coast of Aruba, can be reached by dive boat only. It was a German freighter that was skuttled by the Germans in 1945. Antilles WreckAt that time the ship was virtually new and the superstructure is in good condition today. At 120m (400 ft) long it is the Caribbean’s longest wreck. The maximum depth is just15m and she sits on her port side. Penetration is easy into the large holds. Colourful coral and spongest covers large parts of the wreck. Schools of snapper, blue tang and angelfish inhabit the wreck. This is a popular dive for all levels of diver and is also an excellent night dive when hundreds of lobster can be seen.

The Debbie II, located just south of the Antilles wreck, was a 36m fuel barge that was deliberately sunk in 1992 to create an artificial reef. It now sits in 24m of water and is home to lobsters and stingrays.

The Pedernales Wreck is broken up in shallow water at just 8m deep. The sea here is calm making this an ideal beginners dive. The Pedernales was an oil tanker that was torpedoed by a German U Boat during the second World War. After it sank the US Navy cut out the middle section of the wreck that was bombed and salvaged the bow and stern which they welded together to make a smaller troop carrier. That ship went on to serve in the D Day Normandy landings. In the remaining middle section of the wreck divers can still see the cabins, wash basins and toilets as well as the tankers oil pipeline system. Grouper and angelfish are prolific in the reef patches around the wreck.

Star Garret Wreck was a 90m long cargo ship that sank in 20m of water and is now covered in coral and fish life including barracuda and snapper. The propellers are still visible and the large cargo holds can be penetrated.

The Sonesta Plane Wrecks are located around Renaissance Island and make for unusual wreck dives and great photo opportunities. Snorkellers can also enjoy these wrecks as they are relatively shallow.

One is a Convair 400 sitting on a sandy bottom in 12m of water and the other one is a Beech 18 which is just 5m deep. Penetration is possible into the planes.

The Sonesta reef has some nice soft corals, brain corals and orange cup corals.

Arashi Reef is an artificial reef created by a Lockheed Lodestar plane that crash landed in Arashi bay, in the north west of Aruba Island, and now sits in just 10m of water making it suitable for all levels of divers and snorkellers.