Scuba diving

Aruba's diving is built around wrecks. The best known is the SS Antilla, a 121 m German freighter scuttled off Malmok on 10 May 1940, but the Aruba Tourism Authority's own list of top wrecks runs to ten, from the Pedernales in under 8 m to deep sites below 37 m. Most sites lie off the sheltered west and south coasts and are reached by boat; Mangel Halto offers shore diving.

Which wrecks can you dive in Aruba?

• Antilla – Hamburg America Line freighter launched in 1939, scuttled by her own crew when Germany invaded the Netherlands. She lies on her port side in Malmok Bay at up to 18 m. Storms have broken her up; the tourism authority says swimming through the wreck is not allowed because it is old and fragile.
• Pedernales – the mid-section of a tanker torpedoed by the German submarine U-156 in San Nicolas harbour on 16 February 1942. The bow and stern were rebuilt and sailed away; the middle was left at Aruba, later used as a bombing target, and now lies scattered in about 7.6 m of water. A common first wreck dive.
• Jane Sea – a Venezuelan cargo ship sunk in 1988 as an artificial reef: bow at about 18 m, propeller at about 28 m. Entry is prohibited because the hull is not fully stable.
• Kappel – a small ship sunk in 2010 off Mangel Halto, reachable as a shore dive at about 15 m; the inner reef there sits around 17 m and the outer reef drops to about 30 m.

Deeper wrecks such as the Topaz (37–47 m) are for experienced divers only.

When are conditions best?

The trade wind blows from the east all year (mean direction 80–90° in every month, according to the Departamento Meteorologico Aruba), so the dive sites on the leeward side stay diveable most days. The windiest period is May to July (mean 8.3–8.8 m/s); October to December has the lightest winds but the most rain — 451 mm a year in total, mostly in short showers.

What rules apply underwater?

Four marine protected areas totalling about 60 km² — Parke Marino Aruba, which includes the Mangel Halto coast, the Oranjestad reef islands, Seroe Colorado and the Arikok coast — are managed by the Aruba Conservation Foundation. Access is free, but feeding wildlife is strictly prohibited. Since July 2020 sunscreens containing oxybenzone may not be imported or sold in Aruba. Do not take anything from wrecks or reefs.

Do you need to be certified?

Wreck penetration and deep sites require certification and experience; check with your dive centre. Beginners can start with discovery dives in shallow water or try snorkelling over the Antilla first. After diving, avoid flying for the interval your training agency recommends — the airport is only minutes away, so it is easy to cut this short.

How do you combine diving with the rest of the island?

North-west sites (Antilla, Malmok reefs) pair well with an afternoon at Arashi Beach or a sunset sail; south-coast dives at Mangel Halto combine with Savaneta and Zeerovers.