Scuba Diving
DIVE OPERATORS
The
Antilla | Reef Diving | Night Diving
| Wreck Diving | Wall Diving
One of the most unforgettable
experiences while in Aruba is scuba diving. You can see a fabulous array of corals
and fish, spot a seahorse for the very first time in your life
and see how stingrays hover above the seabed. If you swim slowly over the
corals, you're bound to see lobsters or moray eels. If
you're lucky, you may even come across a sea turtle, gentle and curious
as they are.
Diving equipment may seem pretty complicated to the uninitiated. Should you choose to
enrol for a one-hour course in a pool you'll find it's not as difficult as it seems.
You'll learn to clear your mask underwater within a couple of minutes! This may sound as
if it is only meant for people who instinctively know what to do, but anybody can do it!
Your diving instructor will patiently practice the diving skills with you, until you feel
comfortable and in control of your equipment. After the pool session you can dive with your instructor and other divers-to be at various dive-sites on Aruba.
The south coast holds fascinating and calm spots since
this is the lee side of the island and as a result waves and currents are not so strong.
The northern coast is also spectacular, though much rougher,
as the sea splashes onto the shore with more momentum from a much longer distance. Off the
south coast of Aruba, you can do a reef dive at Mangel Alto which is located between
Oranjestad and San Nicolas, near the drive-in cinema. There is an abundance of
corals in all shapes, colors and sizes; and fish with colors from electric
blue to bright orange make this dive more than worthwhile. You
can also go reef-diving at Baby Beach, at the eastern-most part of Aruba,
and also at Malmok, near the California light house up north.
 THE ANTILLA
Another popular place to go
diving is at the 'Antillian' shipwreck, which dates from
World War II. When you approach the wreck on a boat, which your diving instructor takes
care of, you can see part of the ship sticking out of the water (right).
Once submerged, you'll
discover how huge the ship actually is. It stretches to over 400 feet and
can now be considered to be a man-made reef, as there is so much marine life in and around
it.
You might have one niggling
question: "Great fun, but what about sharks?". Sharks are often
portrayed in movies as vicious and aggressive man-eaters. In reality, however, sharks keep
to themselves and the chances of getting injured by a shark are much less than the chances
of being struck by lightning! It's good to learn sharks prefer to keep to themselves and
don't bother you as long you don't bother them. Other dangerous fish will leave you alone
if you leave them alone. Sharks are more like scavengers than predators, and it is very
rare to get injured by marine animals. Accidents only happen if the animal feels it has to
defend itself because it is being provoked in some way by divers. The golden rule for
divers is to dive sensibly and responsibly. Some corals and sponges may
be harmful but this will only be the case if you touch them. In case you accidentally
touch or scrape one, your dive master can quite easily treat the sting with an ointment he
will carry with him to the diving location.
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 REEF DIVING
This is by far the most popular type of diving. Depending on where you
planned your dive, you'll be able to see corals of all shapes and sizes
and in all colors; shipwrecks and rock formations. Each
place you choose to go diving has its own uniqueness and every time you go, will be
different from the last.
The fact that after a dive
even the most professional and experienced divers still come out of the water with new and
interesting experiences speaks for itself!
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 NIGHT DIVING
In addition to reef diving, night diving is also very popular. Reefs look
completely different at night. The combination of spectacular reefs combined with the
adventure taking place at night will give you a thrill you'll never
forget! An underwater torch will enable you to get a clearer look at all there is to see.
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WRECK DIVING
The next most popular dive type is wreck diving. Let your imagination run
free and add to the mysteriousness of these age-old wrecks lying at the bottom of the sea.
Where was the captain's cabin? What caused the ship to sink? Was it a war ship? You may
prefer to read about the wreck you're about to explore beforehand. You can always ask your
diving center to provide you with the information you want. Once down there, you'll aIso
find numerous fish in and around the wreck since most wrecks serve as a plentiful source
of food, with a large variety of marine vegetation thriving in the area.
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 WALL DIVING
In diving terms, a wall means a steep plunge of the seabed, going down for many metres.
Many divers find this the best way to go diving, since many fish live and feed off the
wall. The vastness of the blue water above and beyond the wall is a thrilling feeling!
Underwater cameras are for sale at very reasonable prices or can be rented for the
occasion, allowing you to make some great pictures to take home with you and show your
friends.
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