Trip Report Macro photography in Aruba?

[stuartv]

Good deal! Thanks for posting most recent intel from the field. Eating places noted. We've booked lodging, 3 days diving, only the car rental remains. Going to try hitting FIsherman Huts to learn kitesurfing or foiling for island activity for at least one day. I'm just bringing my usual Go Pro for vids. It served me well in Curacao last year.

We had cars from Jay's Car Rentals. It was a short, free shuttle ride from the airport to their location. I'm told it was way less expensive than renting from one of the places on-premise at the airport. But, man, their cheap cars were, ummm, not the greatest.

One of our crew rented a Jeep Wrangler and I think it as pretty nice. The rest of us had compact cars. I had a Nissan Versa. Of the compact cars, one had a window that went down and wouldnl't come back up, so that couple had to take it back and swap for another. My car has a trunk release on the key fob that didn't work (but the lever next to the driver's seat did), and the passenger door strut that keeps it from opening too far broke about 3 days in. We managed to finally get it to close and then it opened/closed okay for the rest of the trip, but my passenger had to be careful with it to not let it open too far and damage something else. And my brakes made a really weird, loud, sorta-grinding noise when applied moderately. But, I don't believe it was that the pads were gone. They brakes still worked fine and didn't pull to either side. So.... I guess you sorta get what you pay for...

 

[JoeTPhilly]

Nope. But, I'd rather not say who it was. I don't have any reason to think steering people away from them is going to be good for anyone involved. I think it's just "how it is" there. And I do feel like they were both nice/friendly, and safe.

Thanks. I didn't know there was another husband and wife run shop. I don't think that is how it is with all shops in Aruba. I have only dove with S.E. Aruba Fly N' Dive and have been pleased. I am really surprised you all were capped on time when you rented out the whole boat.

 

[stuartv]

Thanks. I didn't know there was another husband and wife run shop. I don't think that is how it is with all shops in Aruba. I have only dove with S.E. Aruba Fly N' Dive and have been pleased. I am really surprised you all were capped on time when you rented out the whole boat.

One of our dives was supposed to be to their "deep" wreck. 120 feet. The captain put us in the water at the wrong spot and we completely missed the wreck. So, for our second dive, the "boss" said they would give us 60 minutes on our dive to make up for missing the wreck. lol!

I think they were only accustomed to having more or less brand new divers and had no plan at all for having a group of people who would be fine with no guide at all. They seemed VERY worried about all the kinds of things newbies might do. Get lost. Run out of air. Panic. Not know how to deploy an SMB. Etc.. And they worked hard to make sure none of that happened with us...

 

[JoeTPhilly]

One of our dives was supposed to be to their "deep" wreck. 120 feet. The captain put us in the water at the wrong spot and we completely missed the wreck. So, for our second dive, the "boss" said they would give us 60 minutes on our dive to make up for missing the wreck. lol!

I think they were only accustomed to having more or less brand new divers and had no plan at all for having a group of people who would be fine with no guide at all. They seemed VERY worried about all the kinds of things newbies might do. Get lost. Run out of air. Panic. Not know how to deploy an SMB. Etc.. And they worked hard to make sure none of that happened with us...

Haha, how nice for them to give you 60 whole minutes. Yeah, you make good points. There are a lot of new divers on the trips in Aruba. A good bit of students too. For me, in Aruba diving is just something for some of the mornings. I go and then meet up with the rest of my party in the early afternoon. Aruba is mainly for topside stuff but some diving is better than no diving! Thanks for your report!

 

[scubadada]

Hi @stuartv

How did you and your group decide to go to Aruba? It is not often discussed as being one of the better Caribbean dive locations.

I would never have been able to tolerate the dive time limits you encountered. On my last visit to your unliked Bonaire, boat dives with Dive Friends averaged 70 min (58-82). I admit I generally jump first and swim around until the group finally makes it in. My average shore dives are just a bit longer, 74 min (51-96). I see quite a bit more sea life there too, and get some reasonable photos, frogfish, seahorses, eels, squid, turtles, octopi, rays, an array of reef fish, alas, no sharks Trip Report - Bonaire: Den Laman and Dive Friends, August 17-31. 2022 Maybe you will give Bonaire another try someday and take your camera

 

[stuartv]

@scubadada It was a shop trip. John and Amanda has been a couple of times before, just them and their kids, and really liked it, so they planned a shop trip.

But, going with their kids, they had never been on a boat dive in Aruba. Their youngest was just barely too young to get a C card, so they could not take them on a boat. Also, they like the topside activities, too. Me? On vacations like that, I pretty much want to dive every day and have enough good photo opps that it requires an hour or two every afternoon/evening to download and cull photos and do my daily camera maintenance. So, my ideal scuba vacation does not leave much time for topside activities.

I did take my camera to Bonaire last year. I just didn't get hardly any photos worth looking at. I have never seen a seahorse, anywhere, and would love to. Our charter operator in Aruba has a policy that if you find a seahorse while diving with them, you show it to the dive guide and you get a free dive. So, I gather you CAN spot them there - occasionally - but none of us did.

 

[BoltSnap]

And if anybody knows what kind of fish that is, please share...

Sand Diver-Lizardfish (Synodus intermedius)

The diving was pleasant. But, to me, anyway, it was boring. Very boring.

If you asked me, I'd have told you so before you went, but you never listen.



Bonaire is different actually, much more marine life, ESPECIALLY MACRO stuff. Difference between Aruba and Bonaire is huge.

 

[BoltSnap]

On vacations like that, I pretty much want to dive every day and have enough good photo opps that it requires an hour or two every afternoon/evening to download and cull photos and do my daily camera maintenance. So, my ideal scuba vacation does not leave much time for topside activities.

I know the place for you, awesome easy world class diving place with no distractions. When I plan to go there, I'll let you know.

I did take my camera to Bonaire last year. I just didn't get hardly any photos worth looking at. I have never seen a seahorse, anywhere, and would love to.

I have been to Bonaire 4 times and to Curacao 13 times and I want to go back to both and stay for longer stay very bad. They are awesome diving with lots to photograph. You probably were paying too much attention to your "DIR" "Trim" blah blah blah too much, you missed all the exciting marine life there.

 

[stuartv]

The list of places I want to visit but have not yet is much longer than the list of places I have visited.

The list of places I have been and would like to go back to has Bonaire and Aruba on it, but they are a few down from the top.

So, I may go back, but probably not any time soon. I'm tentatively on for the Phillipines in September, and definitely on for 2 weeks in Truk in April '24. Other international trips are somewhere after all that.

 

[madamimadam]

When you do go back to Aruba, check-out Pure Diving Aruba. They hit some of the deeper wrecks, offer Nitrox, and may give you a bit more independence if you talk with them about your dive experience and wishes. Most (all?) operators on Aruba guide the dives, rather than let you do your own thing like in Florida.