Snorkeling

I love to snorkel. My first attempt, a lifetime ago, was disastrous. It was on the north shore of Oahu. We rented all the gear and passed on the insurance.  What could possibly go wrong? A rip tide;  that’s what. Didn’t even get the gear on before I watched it being pulled out by one mean tide. I remember sitting there pissed that we were going to have to pay for it yet thankful that my body had not followed.

A couple of decades later I went on a Caribbean cruise with some girlfriends. One of them, Patti, graciously showed me how a snorkel mask was supposed to fit. She explained how to breathe through the mouthpiece. She patiently encouraged me past my claustrophobia and said, just put your face in the water. I did. And then I was lost to wonder. I forgot that breathing through a tube was not “normal” and floated/swam around following tiny little fishies in their magical world. Yes, please.

About ten years ago Greg & I went to Australia and were able to scuba dive and snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef. I preferred snorkeling; Greg preferred diving. Another day we both booked separate tours to do just that. He saw a turtle! I floated all day! It was great.

When we booked this Aruba/Curaçao trip we knew that snorkeling was front & center on the agenda so we went ahead and bought our own masks & snorkels. 

Since this blog is my memory jogger (how many times have I looked back at posts when someone has asked me about this or that trip?) here is a recap of our snorkeling adventures in the ABC (Aruba, Bonaire & Curaçao) Dutch Antilles.

On Aruba we started on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world—really. Eagle Beach consistently ranks as one of the top three. Fine white sand and turquoise water but little to see under the surface. It was a great place for us to “fit” our masks and get used to them. Headed back to the south point of the island and spent some time on the Baby Beach Reef. Good day. 

Tres Trapi was a little bit north and just across the street from our apartment. The coolest thing about this swim was that I saw a turtle! Was so excited that I popped up to let a couple nearby know it was headed their way. Their reaction was muted and they seemed a bit distressed, so I looked back toward shore and noticed that I had drifted a little bit further than I had intended. My delight stoked my strokes and soon I was babbling on to Greg about the TURTLE! Headed up to Arishi Beach next but neither of us really felt like getting back in the water so we chilled/read for a while before changing for a night out eating delicious seafood at Whacky Wahoos. 

Booked a catamaran tour for our last full day in Aruba. It took us to the Antilla shipwreck. That in itself was pretty cool but TWO more turtles—yay! We then sailed to Boca Catalina where we spent the better part on an hour as we enjoyed the best variety of coral & fishies yet. 

On to Curaçao. Our apartment is on the northwest shore, again chosen because of its proximity to the best snorkel/dive sites. The vibe here is less crowded, less commercialized…just our speed. It was a double dip day. We started on Playa Piskado, also known as the “Fisherman’s Beach”. Prettiest corals & fish I’ve ever seen. The fishermen throw their filleted carcasses back in the water so there were turtles (& tourists) galore on the other side of the dock. Then we headed to Alice in Wonderland. Divers are especially fond of this one but I found it to be lacking for snorkelers; especially after our earlier swim. 

Have a couple of more days and more beaches to explore. Here are a few more pics.