Been living in Aruba for just over three months now and have done quite a few dives here. After trying a few operators I chose "S.E. Aruba Fly ‘n Dive" (
Welcome to S.E. Aruba Fly ‘n Dive / Diver Factory). They run a boat from the beach located just to the south of Oranjestad, which is about a fifteen to thirty minute drive ,depending on traffic, from Palm Beach thats the so called high rise area where you will be staying. They do run a pickup and drop of service to the Palm Beach area if you prefer not to drive yourselves. They run a largish boat, but the most divers I ever seen on the boat has been about ten, and more usually it's around six. The boat leaves around 9:00 AM (8:30 meet at dive shop) and depending on dive site returns between 1 and 2 PM. Dive times tend to be between 50 and 60 minutes on average depending upon air consumption and of course the dive site. As there are four of you in your party you can probably request a particular dive site as long as you ask in advance.
One of the signature dives on Aruba is the "Antilla Wreck" which is up to the north end of the island in front of Palm Beach. It's famous because it is one of, if not the largest wreck in the Caribbean, in my opinion unless you are a wreck fanatic I would give it a miss. It's very broken up due to it being quite shallow, penetration is not allowed due to the condition of the wreck and coral coverage is not great. Although "Arashi Reef" which is also at the north end of the island is a nice reef, I prefer the dive sites to the south of Oranjestad, which, apart from the dive sites I've mentioned is where most of the diving is done.
If you only have two days of diving and you are able to specify your dive sites in advance I would recommend:
Day 1. The Jane Sea followed by a drift reef dive.
The first dive, the Jane Sea is up there with some of the best wreck dives I've done in the Caribbean. It sits on the reef straight up with the bow pointing to the shore. The maximum depth is at the stern and is about 100 feet, but although the propeller is nice to see I would concentrate on the stern and forward super structures, which are at about 80 and 55 feet respectively, the coral cover and schools of fish there are tremendous. Once you get close to your max bottom time on the wreck you can slowly come up onto the shallower reef and finish you dive drifting along the reef.
The second dive, would be a drift dive along one of the reefs close by to the Jane Sea. Plenty of soft corals, sponges, and loads of eels and schooling fish on these reefs, but you don't often see any bigger stuff, although I have seen a few Eagle Rays and Turtles.
Day 2. The Airplane Wrecks followed by a drift reef dive.
The first dive, the Airplane Wrecks are a very surreal experience. There are two of them close together, both are twin engined craft about fifty feet long, the first one is a little broken up, but the second one is virtually complete and standing upright on its landing carriage. You can penetrate the aircraft and swim though the cabin area and peer right into the flight deck, as I say very surreal when you are at about 70 feet underwater.
The second dive would be similar to day one, but probably on the different reef.
With regards to eating, as Aruba is pretty much devoted to tourists there aren't that many decent "local" restaurants around. Having said that three that I would recommend are:
- The "Zeerover", this is a local seafood restaurant located in a fishing bay in Saveneta, which is the old capitol of Aruba. Serves fresh fish and prawns straight from the fishermens boats and is reasonably priced. It's located south of Oranjestad in the direction of San Nicholas, when you reach Saveneta follow the sign on the right hand side for the "Flying Fish Bone" and follow the road you can't miss it. If you are going that way you might as well visit "Baby Beach" and go to the Zeerover either on the way there or on the way back.
- The "West Deck", this is a nice restaurant serving "Tapas" on the beach just south of Oranjestad. It's pretty close to where you pickup the dive boat and makes for a lovely place to have lunch after diving. It has a local feel but unfortunately not "local prices", but the food is good and it's not too expensive. Check out the website for directions (
The West Deck | Beach Bar & Island Grill).
- "The Old Cunucu House", this place is more suitable for an evening meal and is close to Palm Beach. Nice local ambiance, good food with some local dishes (the goat stew is great) and reasonable prices. Check out the website for directions (
Welcome to The Old Cunucu House Restaurant Aruba - Authentic Aruban Cuisine).
Hope this helps and have a great time!
