Back from Aruba...

[Arubandi07]

Two weeks of great snorkeldiving, photograhpy, and tennis. First week we stayed down at Mangel Halto, lots of time out on the reef, would like to thank Stichus for telling me about the little wreck in the bowl, found it, how long has it been down there? Later on, once again Boca Catalina proved to be the jackpot for photo opportunities, even though it's really getting overrun with tour boats. Did one stint with a local guy to the reef at Arashi, a little further up and about 450 m out, great spot, if you're willing to take the swim( strong current going back). Turtles, a big eagle ray buzzing right by us, also encountered a huge school of sennets, dove straight in, amazing experience to see that many fish circling around you. Would have been nice to have an external flash on that occasion, did get a couple of good shots though.
If you're interested, some of my new stuff is posted in the members gallery, check it out.

 

[Dave C]

You have some nice pics. I spent two weeks earlier this year on a snorkeling trip to Curacao, and it looks like you saw more diverse things in Aruba than I did in Curacao. I liked the very clear and calm water of Curacao, but did not find the fish or corals to be especially diverse at snorkeling depths. At a lot of places, dense coral growth started at about 25-30 ft, which is fine for scuba but too deep for snorkeling.

 

[Arubandi07]

Thanks for taking a look, Dave. All my photos were taken in 3 or 4 particular spots, shore entry, and ranging from 20- 450 m out. Mangel Halto reef especially has nice coral diversity, once you get past the plate fire coral in the shallows. I do take pics at 30-40 ft, but with no external flash it's all blue and not worth posting. Eventually I will probably upgrade my equipment a bit to get some good quality shots at depth, sounds like a must for Curacao, according to your observations.
Curacao and Bonaire are on our short list, but after 7 trips to Aruba I still feel, there's much more to see, and that I've only scratched the surface. I really enjoy diving a specific location for several days; as you become more and more familiar with a particular reef, your focus and attention to detail grows. Nothing beats spending day after day in the water.

 

[mshinder]

hi all,

i am not a diver and am going on vacation to Aruba and wanted to get some nice equipment to enjoy the clear water with and do some Snorkeling.

so first can you help with equipment???

i was doing some reading on the web and dont know if i should get a dry Snorkel or not.

also what would be a good one... from what i can tell i read that these 2 are good:

Oceanic Ultra Dry Snorkel
Aeris Barracuda Dry Snorkel

can anyone tell me what would be the best for a new Snorkeler who is starting out? and why?


next what dive spots were good from first hand exposure?
all i got from the web was to try to get to baby beach and a couple of the ship wrecks... any advice where I should not miss? and what dive company to use if any???

thanks

 

[Arubandi07]

Re your gear requirements, are you trying to set up for just snorkeling?
As for good spots, if you have zero experience, Boca Catalina would be perfect, no current, and lots of stuff to see at shallow depths and within close proximity to shore. Baby Beach is ok, there's interesting marine life in the narrow channel running parallel to the beach, you'll see it when you get there. Most of the other spots I dive, can be a little rough, none of the wrecks are shore entry and to deep, you need to freedive to get a closer look.

You might also want to check the "Lesser Antilles" and "ABC Islands" sub forums for more info on Aruba.

 

[jbilicska]

As always great photos thanks for sharing.


Joe

 

[Arubandi07]

Thanks for the generous ratings, the Rock Beauty(1st pic) was quite a challenge, looks like a night shot, but I was actually about 30' down and literally halfway stuck in a crevasse getting that picture. Was worth it though...

 

[bdklein]

Two weeks of great snorkeldiving, photograhpy, and tennis. First week we stayed down at Mangel Halto, lots of time out on the reef, would like to thank Stichus for telling me about the little wreck in the bowl, found it, how long has it been down there? Later on, once again Boca Catalina proved to be the jackpot for photo opportunities, even though it's really getting overrun with tour boats. Did one stint with a local guy to the reef at Arashi, a little further up and about 450 m out, great spot, if you're willing to take the swim( strong current going back). Turtles, a big eagle ray buzzing right by us, also encountered a huge school of sennets, dove straight in, amazing experience to see that many fish circling around you. Would have been nice to have an external flash on that occasion, did get a couple of good shots though.
If you're interested, some of my new stuff is posted in the members gallery, check it out.

Pardon my ignorance, but where do you find the members gallery? thanks.

 

[Arubandi07]

Pardon my ignorance, but where do you find the members gallery? thanks.

Hi, in case you want to see a member's photos, simply click "photos:..." on the lower lefthand side of their post, and that will take you there.
By now, you probably figured it out, anyway.

 

[m3zy6]

That definitely looks like fun. Great shots!