Explore the Most Beautiful Dives Sites of Aruba
Aruba has a variety of divesites from reef, drop offs to ship and airplane wrecks. The Caribbean waters will present you lots of marine life to discover for beginners as for pro’s.
Arashi
Arashi reef is a fine dive site full of surprises. There is a Lockheed Lodestar scattered at depth of 12 meters and is therefore accessible for inexperienced divers. At Arashi reef we find the most diverse marine life. As this is a feeding ground and cleaning station for young Green and Hawksbill turtles, we might spot a few. But besides turtles we see lots of other fishes like Lionfish, Lobsters, Moray Eels, Stingrays and Octopus.
Antilla
The Antilla is a popular wreck to dive to. With its 122 meters it’s the largest shipwreck dive in the Caribbean. The ship is covered by tube sponges, coral formations, tropical fish, Shrimp, Lobsters and Orange Anemones. It is home to multiple species of marine life and a fun wreck to explore.
Whether you go inside the wreck and take a look around, swimming amongst the many creatures that call it home or you snorkel from above, this is a one-of-a-kind dive site.
Blue Reef & Debbie II
The 40 metres/120 feet long Debbie II was sunk down on purpose in 1991 to become an artificial reef and serve as a dive site. She served as an oil tanker and wind breaker before but was no longer needed. Now she lays next to Blue reef on 21 metres/70 feet of depth. An interesting dive site as it has both a lively reef and an impressive wreck. If nature allows it, we can find some bigger fish and stingray swimming around here.
Star Gerren
The Star Gerren is a 68.58 meter long coaster of German origin, which was sunk off the coast of Aruba in 2000 especially for diving. Holes have been made in the ship to make it easy to enter en exit. The ship should have landed right on the seabed, but tipped over and ended up on the port side. The Star Gerren was moored on 16 July 1996 in the port of Barcadera with technical defects. It remained there until August 2000 because the owner could not be traced. After the ship started to leak oil and became a threat to the environment, it was decided to convert it into a diving wreck.
Pedernales
The SS Pedernales is a well-known diving wreck off the west coast of Aruba. It lies at a depth of no more than 10 meters in calm water. This makes the Pedernales suitable for divers of all levels. But also for scuba dive training and underwater photography, this site is very suitable. The SS Pedernales was torpedoed by a German submarine during the Second World War. The undamaged front and back were welded together, after which the ship was transported for further overhaul. The middle part now serves as a diving wreck.
Harbor Reef
The Italian-built lake tanker Pedernalis was torpedoed by a German submarine U-156 during World War II. After the attack the still intact front and aft section of Pedernalis were separated from the damaged midsection and both were towed to the Lago drydocks to be welded together. The repaired ship left Aruba on July 30, 1942 for Curacao with final destination Baltimore for further repairs. The midsection of the Pedernalis is what constitutes the wreck dive site today.
Renaissance Airplanes
Just in front of the Renaissance Island are two submerged planes that make an interesting dive site. One plane is a Convair 400 with the fuselage largely intact and at a depth of 80ft. The cabin has been stripped and all doors are accessible. Various crustaceans have made the cockpit their home. The other plane is the YS-11, a former Air Aruba plane lying in 40 ft of water.
Sponge Reef
Sponge Reef lives up to her name. The reef is covered with soft corals, varying from the orange elephant sponges to the purple and yellow tube sponges. You’ll see the largest and most interesting leaf and plate coral formations you can imagine. Here and there, in the midst of this colorful splendor, you’ll can spot parrot fish and turtles.
Barcadera Reef
At the entrance to Barcadera the coral grows thin due to the sand, which is the enemy of all coral – Only the bigger kinds, like staghorn, elkhom and pillar coral, grow near the reef islands. Further out, on the edge of the bank and out of reach of the sand, the other corals have a better chance of survival.
Jane Sea Wreck
The wreck of the Jane C lies just outside the coral reef west of Palm Island. The sea has taken possession of the wreck corals grow profusely on the steel plates of decks and cabins, and soft corals wave in the currents that flow in and out of the ports. This is a good spot for a night dive, when the polyps of the corals come out and the wreck seems enveloped in a halo of colors.
De Palm Slope
De Palm Slope is a dive site with beautiful coral and the wreck of a Cessna 414 off the coast of Palm Island on Aruba. In this turquoise blue water you’ll find a colorful reef where moray eels hide and parrotfish forage for food. With some luck you might even surprise a sleeping nurse shark.
Mangel Halto Reef
The Hole in the Wall is a very popular dive spot, since you can dive with the current past the steep and narrow reef wall all the way to Mangel Halto. At Mangel Halto, the current pushes you through the sandy channel back into the lagoon, where there is a beautiful, shady beach ideally suited for an afternoon of sunning, snorkeling or picnicking.
Santo Largo
Santo Largo is one of the deepest dive sites on Aruba. The site has an impressive reef with large coral formations. It’s a fairly unknown dive site. So you can expect a lot of fish and dense coral fields in good condition.
Baby beach Reef
Baby Beach is a very popular location for swimmers, children, snorkelers and of course scuba divers. A beautiful sandy beach provides access to a protected bay which is ideal for sunbathers of all ages. Diving happens on the colorful reef just outside the bay. There are plenty of facilities, from a diving center, where you can rent equipment, to restaurants and cafés.
