Snorkeling in Curacao, a Caribbean paradises on earth where you get of your lazy chair and walk three feet right into the ocean. The beautiful beach calmly descend into shallow reefs where many colorful coral and fish live. To make your life even more relaxed we have a count down for the best 3 snorkeling beaches on the island.
1 # Klein Curacao – Must see!
Accessibility
Klein Curacao is arguably the number one spot to go snorkeling and encounter turtles. This small island can only be reached by a boat and several operators have retour trips everyday. The ride over to this heaven on earth is already unforgettable thanks to the bottle nose dolphins which often show their face and swim along side the boat. To get to the remote island the trip takes about 2 hours back and fort and cost somewhere in between the 70 and 100 dollar a person. You can only go for a full day and a lunch on the beach often including lobster. Besides snorkeling you can hang on the beach, explore the island or book a scuba dive with one of the operators. Both the Mermaid and Miss Ann are regarded top picks for this trip, both have boats which are very large and luxurious.
What’s there to see?
Klein Curacao is known for its long white beach, but especially being one of the nicest of the island. Once you’ve put on your mask and snorkel and enter the vast ocean in front of you, you will almost always encounter one of the many turtles present around the little island. The turtles are very calm and will continue to swim besides you when you stay calm yourself. Whatever you do though, don’t touch the turtles. It causes them a lot of stress en they will vanish into the blue immediately. Besides the turtles there is a lot of coral and colorful fish to spot. One thing is sure though, you will never forget this magical place!
Material
Almost all the boat operators have snorkeling gear on board which is free for you to use. Unfortunately, there are often no snorkel fins, so you need to bring them when you want that extra bit of comfort. And of course it’s always better if you bring your own snorkeling gear! We have already reviewed a lot gear and you can check them out here.
2 # The Tugboat
Accessibility
Second on the list is a world famous snorkeling place called The Tugboat. This spot can be very difficult to find so make sure you ask for directions first or fire up the navigation on your smartphone instead. Also make sure you leave all your valuable items at the hotel. It isn’t uncommon that windows get smashed and items get taken while tourist are enjoying a wonderful snorkel. Pro Tip: Leave your windows down. This shows there isn’t anything in the car of value.
What’s there to see?
The name of this spot already gives it away because yes there is a beautiful tug-boat just below the surface. The tug-boat is overgrown with colorful corals and a lot of life has made the boat its home. Around the old dock to the left you can find all kinds of old shipping materials such as big anchors, large chains and the old dock itself has partly collapsed. If you swim on over the tug-boat you will come across a large underwater wall on the left where you can find even more beautiful life. Make sure you look in small nooks and crannies for big moray eels.
Material
Renting equipment can be a problem here because the scuba diving place on site is often closed. Make sure you bring your own equipment or rent some at a different dive store. The beach is a coral beach and has a lot of sharp stones, make sure you bring some sort of a shoe!
3 # West Point – Playa Kalki – Alice in Wonderland
Accessibility
Number three on our list is Alice in Wonderland which also goes by the name of Playa Kalki. The name kalki means lime stone in the local language Papiamento. Which refers to all the lime stone which is found in the cliffs. This is a place where diving and snorkeling come first and you will see a lot divers and snorkelers getting in and out of the water. The spot can be found on the far most western tip of the island. It is easy to spot thanks to the the large yellow divers stone with the name Alice and Wonderland on it. You can park at the top of the hill, the steep staircase shows you the way to the beautiful beach. The beach isn’t that big and there aren’t a lot of beds but if you get your hands on one you’r gonna have a lovely day!
What will you see?
Like on Klein Curacao turtles are no strangers to Alice in Wonderland. As said before just swim with them and avoid touching them. You will be rewarded with a happily swimming turtle besides you. The reef is quitte shallow so you will have a lot of ground to cover to see the whole reef. The reef is filled with different kinds of corals and there are also green moray eels, monk fish and many colorful reef fishes.
Material
The diving school on Playa Kalki is easy to reach and you can always rent snorkel equipment here. If you are in possession of water shoes I would recommend using them because of the stones in the water. Next to the diving center is a lovely bar where you can sit and relax and enjoy a drink or a bite.
Snorkeling in Curacao worth it?
Snorkeling in Curacao is definitively worth it. The island is great, the people are friendly and the snorkeling is awesome. The beautiful beaches all contain nice accessible reefs which are easy to snorkel. Snorkelers from all levels can safely enjoy the spoils of the underwater world.
2 comments
While these are all excellent snorkeling spots, I believe the Author missed two even better places. First, Playa Grande is a turtle haven, when the fishermen return with their catches. And, topping the list, one of my favorite snorkeling spots in the world is Blue Beach.
Hi Mark,
My husband and I are retired divers due to my severe decompression injury so we snorkel instead as it is ok for me to do that.
Although we miss diving tremendously we settle for fabulous snorkeling of which is hard to come by due to the horrific storms
all over. We have snorkeled in D.R. which has gone down hill, jamaica but the people are so unfriendly there, cozumel and
most recently in Huatulco, Mexico which was much better than the above places with the exception of a freezing ocean and
water color poor, nothing like the caribbean color. We went in December trying to get away from the cold, Michigan weather
but were so disappointed again in the cold ocean…..so with all that said and done it sounds like Curacao sounds like it
would be the “perfect” place for us to try this coming year with lots to see in the water and a hot ocean.
I am not sure if i can find this sight again so if you would not mind please email us at this address with some more
helpful tips for best snorkeling spots and hotels:
kirkneedham@aol.com
Thanking you much……….Mr and Mrs. Kirk and Rebecca Needham