(L-R): Snorkeling in the southern waters of Mangel Halto, path to the sea on the northern side of Mangel Halto
Aruba is one of my favorite Caribbean islands for the clear blue waters and incredible abundance of marine life. The water is almost always warm, the waves are almost always calm and the sun is almost always shining. Breathtaking is an understatement when it comes to the topic of snorkeling in Aruba. Sea turtles, manta rays, jelly fish and so many other species of tropical aquatic creatures are what you can expect as you take to the sea in Aruba. Nearly every beach is amazing, each with their own pros and cons, but not every beach has good snorkeling and not every beach that has snorkeling has the marine life you may be looking for. For example one may have guaranteed turtle sightings while another has no turtles but instead a multitude of brightly colored fish. Here is a guide to snorkeling in Aruba at, what is in my opinion, the top three snorkeling beaches - Tres Trapi, Mangel Halto and Baby Beach.
*Tip: Bring anti-fog spray for your snorkeling gear - even if you plan on buying your gear on the island. We had no issues finding and purchasing a nice pair of gear, but we visited many stores and couldn't find any anti-fog, which made it a little difficult at times when we just wanted to admire the sea life and had to tread water to clean our masks off. For the pro snorkelers out there reading this, yes we tried spit and it unfortunately didn't work. If you do know anywhere to purchase anti-fog spray in Aruba, please let me and other travelers know in the comments! Another tip is to bring a go-pro or other underwater camera - trust me, you'll want it!
Tres Trapi
I spent two months in Aruba and the amount of days I spent snorkeling at Tres Trapi is bananas. If you're searching for sea turtles, Tres Trapi is where you'll be sure to find them. The turtles hang out and graze on the seagrass about 20 meters directly offshore. They hang out here often, but your chances of seeing them are pretty much guaranteed if you arrive anytime before mid-afternoon as they seem to migrate further away as the day goes on. The sea turtles are stunning and you can get pretty close to them, too! You'll watch them graze and rest on the sea floor and they get even closer when they come to the surface for some air. Please keep in mind these turtles are endangered and protected - do not feed them, touch them (keep a reasonable distance between you) or chase them.
Also at Tres Trapi we were able to see a Manta Ray which was pretty amazing as I'd never seen one while snorkeling before! Of course there's also a ton of fish. Another benefit to Tres Trapi is that pelicans love to hang out here and hunt for fish so you can watch them dive head-first into the water to feed from insanely close up!
As a side recommendation, if you spend the day snorkeling at Tres Trapi, I recommend heading over either a 2 minute drive or 11 minute walk to Arashi Beach where you can grab a snack and drink (I recommend the Jamaican beef patty and Aruba Ariba cocktail) at Arashi Beach Shack and watch the sunset! Sunsets on Aruba are insane all along the west coast. I've seen a lot of sunsets around the world and these are by far the best. The sun goes down directly over the water and I swear it seems like the sun is 10x bigger and redder on this island paradise than anywhere else. Watching the sun set on the island is definitely one of the top things to do in Aruba, but combining it with snorkeling is the perfect day! I only recommend heading over to Arashi from Tres Trapi to watch it since Arashi has soft sand and Tres Trapi does not.
Mangel Halto
Northern section of Mangel Halto
Mangel Halto is one of my favorite places to hang out, sunbathe, swim and snorkel. It's separated into three beach areas along the coast - there is the northern desert-like section, the shady middle section surrounded by mangroves and other forestry, and then the southern section with sand, pebbles and reefs. I will explain each section and which has the best snorkeling!
The northern section combines with Pos Chiquito Beach Park; it has wooden stairways that descend down a small cliffside to take you into the blue waters. The top is rocky with free lounge chairs and picnic tables (first come first serve) and has lots of cacti and occasional trees for shade. There is street parking available for this side. This is my favorite side for just hanging out and swimming as the water is more sandy.
The middle section is surrounded by trees and therefore provides a lot of shade, has soft sand, and also offers free cabanas (again first come). Each section has access from the road, but if you're coming from the water on the northern side it is through the mangrove path as seen above.
(L-R); snorkeling in the southern side, stairs to the sea in the northern side,
and the rocky shallows leading to the snorkeling spots in the southern side.
From the middle section you can walk along the coast to get to the southern side. The southern section is the best for snorkeling and there is a large parking lot with access to this side as well. There's a nearby restaurant/snack-shack located in The Core of Aruba hotel with cheap and delicious food & cocktails (please keep in mind it is cash only). The beach is sandy, however I highly recommend water shoes here for snorkeling or at the least keeping your sandals on as it is has very sharp rocks where you make your way into the water. Here there are so many beautiful reefs and lots of tropical fish. The waters are extra clear here (more so than the other beaches). There are more free cabanas in this section that you can put your stuff under to keep from the sun while you're out searching for marine life!
Baby Beach
Baby Beach is unique from the others as it is like one giant swimming pool. It's shaped as a 'U' with a barrier of rocks that prevent any waves so the water is extremely calm. It is uniformly shallow throughout nearly the entire 'pool' and has unbelievably smooth sand, unlike most of the other snorkeling spots that have have tiny pebbles and rocks. There are two restaurants on the beach itself, each on opposite ends, and food trucks often stop by to park just behind the beach during lunch hours. The restaurants are called Big Mama Grill and Rum Reef. I tried both, and I recommend Big Mama Grill just for drinks and Rum Reef if you're looking for food and drinks (Rum Reef also has a pool you can swim in so long as you spend money there, though I don't get the appeal being that you're at the beach. To each its own!)
The water felt warmer at Baby Beach than anywhere else on the island. For the best snorkeling with the most abundant amount of fish, you have to swim towards the rocks on the Big Mama Grill side of the beach, just past the rope barrier but not past the rocks. Depending on your time of arrival to the beach there will be quite a few people snorkeling over there so it won't be hard to miss (don't worry there is plenty of room). Just be careful that you don't go past the natural rock barrier and out of the 'pool'. Stay just past the ropes as the currents behind the rocks can be very strong. The water is clearer here than other spots on this beach and there are tons of different species of fish! I made friends with what looked to be a tiny species of pufferfish.
Please enjoy snorkeling in Aruba, be safe, and have fun meeting the beautiful marine life that reside in the tropical waters of the Southern Caribbean Sea.
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