ABC Islands, 30 top dives in Aruba , Bonaire, Curacao

Bonaire:

Hurricanes and tropical depressions are not impossible, but the ABC Islands get rarely affected compared to the rest of the Caribbean.

Average temperatures:

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Min (°C)	23	23	23	24	24	25	25	25	25	25	24	23
Max (°C)	29	29	29	30	30	31	31	31	31	31	30	29
Min (°F)	73	73	73	75	75	77	77	77	77	77	75	73
Max (°F)	84	84	84	86	86	88	88	88	88	88	86	84

Average precipitation:

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Prec.(mm)	50	25	20	25	20	25	40	35	30	95	105	95	565
Prec.(in)	2	1	0.8	1	0.8	1	1.6	1.4	1.2	3.7	4.1	3.7	22.2
Days	9	5	3	3	3	4	6	5	5	7	11	11	72

Average water temperatures:

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Temp (°C)	27	26	26	27	27	28	28	28	29	29	28	27
Temp (°F)	81	79	79	81	81	82	82	82	84	84	82	81

Bonaire is often called the shore diving capital of the world.

You can find about 20 PADI dive shops, SSI, NAUI, CMAS and SDI are also available.

Many Bonaire dive resorts offer shore diving on their house reefs.

 Bonaire dive sites:

Nukove

This dive site is located at  the Northern end of Bonaire and has a max. depth of 100 ft, Many species live in area that consists of Corals and sand bottom. Huge gardens of Staghorn Coral cover the reef. Nurse sharks, Scorpion-, Lizard-, & Butterfly fish can be seen as well as Turtles.

Bonaire 1000 steps

This shallow, and stunningly beautiful reef starts at 10 ft and reaches a maximum depth of 60 ft.

It is ideal for all level divers.

Massive Gorgonian fans, Hard and Soft Corals form this reef that is teeming with Trumpet fish, Butterfly fish, Surgeon fish, Wrasse and turtles.

Marie Bahn wreck

The Marie Bahn sank on December 7th 1912.

This 239 ft long iron barque requires training and experience with mixed air, it lies at 200 ft, the port side is accessible at 160 ft. 

The foremast is reached in 35 ft of water and leads to the wreck.

Among the century old corals you'll find a wide array of invertebrates. Large pelagic fish can be observed at the deeper part of the ship.

Rappel

The wall starts at a plateau reef at only 15 ft, it drops all the way to 165 ft, the wall is covered in beautiful Sponges, Corals and Sea Fans with abundant micro life.

Seahorses, Frog fish, Mackerel,  Groupers, File fish, made this there residence.

On the steeper slope you can observe Barracudas, Black Durgons and even Mantas that pass by.

Turtle city

Stove Pipe Sponges and Barrel Sponges larger than a person are an amazing sight, Big (24ft) Coral Towers are an impressive sight.

Schools of Tarpons, a few Nurse Sharks and plenty of Large Green Sea Turtles are all part of this very special site, also called the white hole.

Hilma Hooker

This 240 ft long wreck is encrusted with Corals and rests at a depth from 60 to 100 ft.

The Hilma Hooker (originally named Midsland) actually sunk in Samana, Dominican Republic in 1975. It was refloated and after a serving a while for Seacoast Shipping Corp. got her final name in 1979.

In Bonaire 25,000 lbs of marijuana was found in the false bulkhead, she was confiscated and started taking on water and was towed to an anchorage and sunk in 1984.

You'll see massive schools of fish around the wreck, among them; Fusiliers, Butterfly fish, Rays and the occasional turtle.

Karpata

Karpata is one of the finest dive spots in Bonaire.

Depth is from 20 to 100 ft. Anchors are embedded in pristine corals. Karpata is the home to many Turtles, which are usually seen between 15 and 45 ft depth. Frog fish, Parrot fish, Blue Tang and Perch made Karpata their home. Divers will enjoy beautiful panoramas and good visibility.

Bari reef

This easy and shallow reef is often done as a night dive. It has many Seahorses, Octopus, Lizard fish,Tangs, Angel fish, Grunts and Snappers living in the healthy corals.

Many of the different schools of fish hide under the jetty on the Northern side of this reef.

Bari reef has a maximum depth of 100 ft, but starts at 30 ft only.

Salt pier

This shore dive takes you between 20 and 55 ft. 

The maze of pillars covered in Purple, Pink and Yellow sponges are the home to Grunts, Barracudas, Parrot fish, Scorpion fish and Snapper.

Among the Corals you'll see Spotted Trunk fish.

Lac Cai

 

On the South-Eastern side of Bonaire, this spot can be done as a shore or boat dive.

Eels, Turtles and Eagle Rays thrive on this Coral reef.

In the channel, out of the bay, large schools of Tarpon can be observed. the maximum depth at Lac Cai is around 65 ft.

Curacao:

Hurricane season is from June until November, and peaks from August until October, but just like Aruba & Bonaire, Curacao is not often affected.

Average temperatures:

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Min (°C)	24	24	25	25	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	25
Max (°C)	28	29	30	30	31	31	31	31	31	31	30	29
Min (°F)	75	75	77	77	79	79	79	79	79	79	79	77
Max (°F)	82	84	86	86	88	88	88	88	88	88	86	84

Average precipitation:

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Prec.(mm)	45	25	14	20	20	19	40	42	49	84	97	100	555
Prec.(in)	1.8	1	0.6	0.8	0.8	0.7	1.6	1.7	1.9	3.3	3.8	3.9	21.9
Days	9	5	3	3	2	3	6	5	5	7	10	12	70

Average water temperatures:

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Temp (°C)	27	26	26	27	27	28	28	28	29	29	28	27
Temp (°F)	81	79	79	81	81	82	82	82	84	84	82	81

Curacao offers healthy Coral reefs, Wall- & wreck diving.

There are plenty of Curacao dive shops: 22 PADI dive shops, SSI, NAUI & CMAS are also available.

Curacao dive sites:

Watamula

Watamula is, by many, considered the best dive in Curacao.

2 currents meet at this site and bring a lot of marine life to this 20 to 120 ft to this drift dive.

Soft & Hard Corals and Gorgonian Sea fans cover the reef. 

Trigger fish, Chubbs, Turtles, Groupers & Lobster, are living here, on the sand bottom you might spot Rays.

MV Superior Producer

This 200 ft long cargo ship sunk in 1977 and lies at a depth of 100 ft.

You can penetrate the cargo holds and dive trough the interior of the ship, the wheelhouse , at 80 ft is one of the highlights of this site.

Orange Cup Corals and Anemones attract many reef fish and invertebrates. Barracudas can be seen hunting around the wreck.

It lies very close to the cruise terminal and diving is not allowed when ships are docked here.

Eastpoint

Amazing Coral formations formed a bridge where a large school of Tarpons live.

Lots of Gorgonian fans cover this dive site,, Hard Corals & Sponges also grow here.

Because of the currents Reef Sharks, Eagle Rays and Barracudas are often seen at Eastpoint.

Beacon Point

This spectacular wall, and amazing Pillar Coral formations, which are some of the largest in the Western Atlantic are at a depth from 40 to 120 ft.

Because of the currents, Large Jacks, Groupers, and Barracudas come here to hunt smaller fish. Turtles are a regular sighting at Beacon Point.

This site is recommended for experienced or advanced divers due to the depth and frequent currents.

Saba Tugboat

At a depth of only 40 ft, this wreck is an attraction for all level divers and snorkelers alike.

Blue Chromis, Scorpion fish, and seahorses made this their home.

Next to the wreck is a wall with amazing Sponges, Corals Moray Eels, Parrot- & Doctor fish, also large schools of Tarpon & some pelagic fish can be observed here.

Director's bay

Stunning Coral formations and marine life make this shore dive a popular site that is known for it's macrofauna.

This reef formed on a shark fence, that is overgrown with Sea Fans, Sponges and Soft Coral.

Flounders, Eels, Octopus, Frog fish & Seahorses reside on this fantastic reef.

Mushroom forest

Hard corals that have grown in such way that they resemble Mushrooms at a depth between 20 and 120 ft.

Giant Brain corals, Flower corals, Staghorn Corals & Boulder Coral  are just some of the species at Mushroom forest.

Turtles, Parrot fish, Yellow tail Snapper, Eels, Moray Eels, Trunk fish and many more species are to be observed here.

Klein Curacao

Klein Curacao is a little (Klein in dutch) island, it is actually a volcanic rock, about an hour and a half boat ride of the Southeast coast. It is well worth the ride, Clear water, stunning Coral formations and an incredible variety of marine life await the divers here. 

Sunfish, Hammerhead Sharks, and Turtles can be seen at Klein Curacao.

Paradise

This reef with a maximum depth of 120 ft offers a wide variety of Hard Coral Colonies and colorful sponges.

It is the home to Lobster, Barracudas and Green Moray Eels.

On calm days you can visit a small cave, home to many Sea Turtles, Glassy Sweepers, Crabs & many Lobsters.

Booby trap

When it comes to sponges, Booby trap is the spot to visit.

The reef start around 40 ft and reaches a maximum of 120 ft.

Rope Sponge, Common Sponges, Branching Tube Sponges, and the Elephant Ear Sponges are some of the varieties that can be identified here.

Nurse Sharks and Rays are often seen at this amazing sloping reef.

Aruba:

Average temperatures:

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Min (°C)	24	24	25	25	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	25
Max (°C)	29	29	30	30	31	31	31	31	31	31	30	29
Min (°F)	75	75	77	77	79	79	79	79	79	79	79	77
Max (°F)	84	84	86	86	88	88	88	88	88	88	86	84

   Average precipitation:

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Prec.(mm)	40	20	10	10	15	20	30	25	45	80	95	80	470
Prec.(in)	1.6	0.8	0.4	0.4	0.6	0.8	1.2	1	1.8	3.1	3.7	3.1	18.5
Days	8	5	2	2	2	3	5	4	4	7	11	11	65

   Average water temperatures:

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Temp (°C)	26	26	26	26	27	27	27	28	28	29	28	27
Temp (°F)	79	79	79	79	81	81	81	82	82	84	82	81

Aruba is known for wreck diving, it hosts the second biggest amount of wrecks in the Caribbean, it also offers some very nice Soft Coral reefs and Gardens of seagrass.

You can find plenty of dive shops in Aruba, 8 are PADI dive centers and also a few SSI and NAUI dive centers are available.

 Aruba wreck diving;

Jane Sea Wreck.

This 170 ft cement freighter sunk in 1988, the reef starts at 20 ft only and the wreck sits upright on a sandy bottom at around 100ft. 

The Jane sea is overgrown with Sponges, Gorgonians and orange cup corals.

There is plenty of fish to observe at the wreck, Snapper, Angelfish, Grunts, Grouper, Reef and Nurse sharks and sometimes you'll see some Eagle Rays. The big schools of tropical fish attract the Barracudas.

Airplane wrecks.

This dive site is quiet unique, it boasts not one but two airplane wreck.

The first one is a DC 3, which was split in half in 1991 by hurricane Lenny, a part lies lies at 45 ft and the other half at 80 ft. The second wreck is a S11, which apart from the nose is still intact. The S11 lies at 80 ft and you can enter the plane.

Reef and Nurse sharks live around the wrecks together with Turtles, Grouper, File fish, Grunts, Groupers and Grunts.

Pedernales wreck.

 

This tanker lies in very shallow (33 ft) water and was sunk by a German torpedo in 1942.

The site is reached with a 20 minute boat ride, sections of the cabins, washbasins, toilets and the pipeline can be seen on this wreck.

Blue Moray Eels, Rays, Turtles, Angelfish and Groupers made this their home.

Debbie II wreck.

This wreck lies at a depth of 70 ft in the Blue Reef.

The reef is known for it's purple, green & orange Barrel Sponges and Brain Coral.

The 120 ft long fuel barge was sunk in 1992 and it is the home to many Lobster, Rays and the schools of fish attract the Barracudas. The Debbie II is very easily reached by boat.

Antilla wreck.

With a lenght of 400 ft, the Antilla is the biggest wreck in the South Caribbean.

The wreck is mostly intact and the interior sections, deck fitting and porthole can be explored. The wreck rests in 66 ft of water and is easily reachable by boat.

Corals and Tube Sponges cover the Antilla. It is the home to Shrimp, Lobster, Tropical fish & Orange Anemones. jumping Silversides attract Pelicans.

Aruba reef diving:

Mas Bango reef.

This reef starts at 5 ft depth only and reaches a maximum depth of 130 ft, healthy Corals cover the slope.

Angelfish, Tuna, Anemone fish, Mas Bango, Surgeon fish, and Barracudas are to be observed at the Mas Bango reef. Good visibility and the variety of marine life make this a popular dive spot for photographers.

Arashi reef.

With a depth of 35 ft this reef is ideal for all level divers. 

Between the Coral formations you can enjoy parts of a sunken Lockheed Lodestar.

Nurse and reef sharks share this reef with Parrot fish, Turtles, Angelfish, Stingrays, Grunts and Groupers.

Finger reef.

This dive site ranges from 40 to 130 ft and is recommended for advanced divers because of the strong currents.

Apart from the Turtles, Eels, Shrimp,Crabs and tropical fish you'll have a good chance of seeing some pelagic that the currents attract.

Mangel Halto reef.

This easy shore dive that starts at 15 ft only and reaches 110 ft maximum.

Lots of different Corals, and a diverse marine life make this a great site for snorkeling and diving. 

Grunts, Eels, Anemones, Snapper, Grouper and Angelfish can be seen here.

Sponge reef.

This reef didn't steal it's name, as far as you can see this reef is covered in sponges.

Often Turtles can be spotted at this 65 ft deep reef. 

Grunts, Grouper, Angelfish, Parrot fish and Snapper all live here at this amazing reef.

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