Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Atlantis VI is an authentic 65-foot-long submarine that takes up to
48 passengers 150 feet below the surface to view shipwrecks, reefs, and sea
creatures. Tickets are $74 for adults and $35 for children four-16. Trips
leave every hour between 9 am and 2 pm daily.
TIP: For Atlantis VI and Seaworld Explorer reser-
vations, contact the activities desk at your hotel or
800-253-0493 (in the US) or 297-583-6090 (on
Aruba); www.atlantissubmarines.com/aruba.
The SeaworldExplorer is a semi-submarine. The upper portion remains
above water while the air-conditioned observation deck is five feet below
the surface. Passengers look through large windows at the Antilla ship-
wreck and the Arashi Reef. Tickets are $37 for adults and $20 for children
two-12.
Scuba
Aruba is known as the Ship Wreck Capital of the Caribbean because of the
number, quality, and accessibility of wreck sites off its coast, but the island
also has intact natural reefs. Novices can shallow-dive with an instructor
in placid waters during a resort course, while experienced divers take on
swifter currents and greater depths. The strongest and most advanced
divers will want to tackle crashing waves off the windward coast to explore
the famous California wreck and the boulders near the Boca Andicuri
Natural Bridge.
Aruba is surrounded by a shallow sandy embankment of reefs that are eas-
ily reached by boat from the west side of the island. Experts can shore dive
off the northeast and southern coast. When cruise ships are in port, the
most popular sites often get crowded with divers, boats, the Atlantis sub-
marine, and the Seaworld Explorer all jockeying for a favorable position at
the same time. Plan ahead so that you can dive these sites during off-
season or at off-times. If you can't choose your time, elect to dive one of the
less-visited sites.
Since visibility ranges from 60 to 100 feet, many of Aruba's underwater
sites can be seen from the surface with only a mask and snorkel. Parts of
the Antilla , the largest shipwreck in the Caribbean, stick out of the water
or are close to the surface, so snorkelers enjoy exploring it almost as much
as divers who descend up to 60 feet. Most dive operators will allow non-
divers to go out with an organized group, if there's room on the boat.
Boat Dives
The Antilla wreck is famous. Its 400-foot-long hull sits in 60 feet of
water about a half-mile off Aruba's northwest coast. Parts of the huge ship
stick up above the water's surface, and more experienced divers may
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