Planning on a scuba diving trip to Aruba which is an island lying in the southern Caribbean Sea. Aruba is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. And Aruba island is a paradise but it is not very big but has plenty of attractions and activities such as scuba diving. But are there sharks in Aruba?
There are sharks in Aruba. The sharks are found further out in the open water, they don’t commonly come near the beaches. There are over 20 species of sharks in the Caribbean waters which is home to reef sharks, whale sharks, and hammerhead sharks. There are certain diving locations where they are sharks are should be avoided.
In today’s post, we will go through in more detail about are their sharks in Aruba. Let’s get started!
Read more on common questions asked by divers
Where Is Aruba?
Aruba is in the Southern Caribbean Sea and is one of the lesser Antilles islands. Aruba has two neighbours which are Bonaire and Curacao. These islands are collectively known as the ABC islands.
The island is 18 miles (29 km) off the north coast of Venezuela miles and on clear days from the south-eastern side of the island it can be possible to see Venezuela.
Are There Sharks In Aruba?
Yes, there are sharks in Aruba. The sharks are found further out in the open water, they are not known to come near the beaches. You will find that there are over 20 species of sharks in the Dutch Caribbean islands.
You will find sharks species like reef sharks, whale sharks, and hammerhead sharks there.
What Types Of Sharks Are In Aruba?
The Dutch Caribbean islands are home to at least 20 species of sharks. The seas around Aruba are home to well-known sharks like reef sharks, whale sharks, and hammerhead sharks.
These are some of the species of sharks that are in the Caribbean sea.
- Reef shark.
- Whale shark.
- Hammerhead shark.
- Nurse shark.
- Lemon shark.
- Bull shark.
- Tiger shark.
Are There Any Shark Attacks In Aruba?
There have been no major shark attacks recorded in Aruba. There was an incident between Aruba and Venezuela in December 2015.
Where a boat capsized and a sailor was mauled to death by a shark before a rescuer hanging from a helicopter overhead was able to pull him from the water.
Are There Sharks Around The Beaches In Aruba?
Aruba sharks normally stay in deeper water where their food supply is and they can feed on larger fish. It is very unlikely or any reason to come to the Aruba shores.
Is It Safe To Swim In Aruba?
It is not safe to go swimming alone as are no lifeguards on some of the beaches in Aruba.
How To Go Diving In Aruba?
Most of the dive sites in Aruba that are close to the shore. All the diving is provided by the dive shops or operators on Aruba.
What The The Best Dive Sites In Aruba?
In Aruba, you can go scuba diving and see shipwrecks and reefs. Aruba has a lot of shipwrecks that are good diving sites. The dive sites more suited towards open water divers are on the south of the island.
The sites north of the island are more suited to experienced divers due to currents. Here are some of the best dive sites in Aruba.
- Tugboat Wreck.
- Airplane Wrecks.
- Antilla.
- The Pedernales.
- Jane Sea Wreck.
- Finger Reef.
- Mas Bango Reef.
Tugboat Wreck
A tugboat wreck is a wreck of a harbor tugboat. The wreck is roughly around 24 meters deep. As well as seem the wreck you can see other sea animals like the french angelfish, moray eels, octopuses, and sometimes stingrays.
There is also a reef slope that has gorgeous formations of soft and hard coral.
Airplane Wrecks
As the name suggests this site is a wreck of two airplanes. The airplanes were sunk there is create an artificial reef. If interested this is a good opportunity to see coral growing on wrecks and other creatures living in the wrecks.
Antilla
The Antilla is another shipwreck and is properly the most popular for scuba divers to Aruba. The Antilla was a German freighter that was scuttled in 1940 when the Germans invaded Holland during WWII.
The dive site is only 18 meters from the surface and the wreck spans over 121 meters.
The Pedernales
The Pedernales was an oil tanker that was torpedoed during WWII in February 1942 while anchored at Aruba. From the damage suffered the ship was cut into three sections. The fore and aft sections were joined together. Making the ship seaworthy.
Leaving the middle section in Aruba, which today is a scuba diving site. This is very suitable for open water divers.
Jane Sea Wreck
The Jane Sea wreck is not a popular one to visit. This wreck is over 30 meters from the surface. You would need to be an advanced diver to do this dive.
As well as that you will have to contend with strong currents.
Finger Reef
As the name suggests this is a huge finger-shaped coral reef. It is 12 to 40 meters of water. It is more suited to the advanced diver’s cause of the strong currents.
During your dive, you will have the opportunity to see animals that live in the reef as see sea turtles.
Mas Bango Reef
This reef has a depth of 1.5 meters to 40 meters. And has a hard and soft coral surrounded by sand. The coral islands are circled by shoals of Mas Bango fish which attract predators such as tuna, and barracuda.
When To Go Diving In Aruba?
Aruba has a tropical climate with average temperatures of 28°C all year round. Aruba has two seasons which are the rainy season and the dry season.
The dry season is normally from about April to November. In which the island becomes extremely dry and sunny with an average temperature of 29°C.
The rainy season is between December to March. The only difference from the dry season is that it will rain most days for a short period of time.
Things To Do On Aruba
Aruba might be small island but there are enough things and activities to do to keep you entertained for a few days. One of the biggest draws to Aruba is the beach as well as snorkeling and scuba diving. There are other things to do on Aruba besides the beach.
Tara from noshingwiththenolands has wrote a a great travel guide on Aruba that will help in preparing for your trip to Aruba. Here are a few things to do on Aruba.
- Visit Arikok National Park.
- Go Shopping.
- Enjoy Fine-Dining.
- Relax At The Natural Pool.
- Enjoy The Beaches Around The Island.
- Visit Aruba Donkey Sanctuary.
- Try Your At the Stellaris Casino.
- Go Snorkeling and scuba diving or Sailing.
Wrapping Up
Finally, there are sharks in Aruba but they are found out in the open water near their food supply. They don’t normally come near the beaches as they have no reason to do so. And you shouldn’t dive at the locations where they are sharks.
And that’s it for now! I’d love to know if this guide on are their sharks in Aruba have helped you. Let me know if you have any questions and let me know if there is more to add.
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