We Know Because We Go! | Book with a 5-Star Team,| Trusted by 10,000+ Divers
We Know Because We Go! | Book with a 5-Star Team,| Trusted by 10,000+ Divers
Discover the best of Aruba scuba diving with highlights of top dive sites, marine life, and practical travel information. Explore diverse wrecks, vibrant reefs, and snorkeling opportunities year-round. Plan your perfect dive vacation with tips on accommodations, dive conditions, and the best time to visit.
Average flight time from LAX
9

Scuba Dive Level
All Levels
Visibility
68 to 100 feet (20 to 30 meters)
Average Water Temperature
85
Tropical Fish
Wreck Diving
As a southern Caribbean island, Aruba scuba diving offers a range of diverse but relaxed dive sites and one of the most abundant wreck scenes in the Caribbean. An Aruba scuba diving vacation is a great choice for a laid-back family holiday or a romantic getaway, and diving Aruba never gets boring.
There are plentiful accommodation options in Aruba, including some great beach resorts, hotels, and guesthouses to suit all budgets. No liveaboards currently visit Aruba.
Located 18 miles (29 km) off the north coast of Venezuela, Aruba is a neighbor of Bonaire and Curacao, and collectively the three are known as the ABC islands. Lying south of the hurricane belt, and with a characteristically hot, dry climate year-round, Aruba is a popular vacation destination a little over 2-hours flight from Florida.
While it may not boast Bonaires world-class shore diving infrastructure or the rich macro of Curacaos reefs, diving Aruba is worthy of a dive-specific vacation. Sites are characterized by numerous wrecks along the islands southern fringing reefs, while the northwest tip features seagrass beds and turtles galore.
Aruba is also a fantastic snorkeling destination, with many shallow wrecks close to shore and outstanding visibility allowing good access to some deeper sites.
For another great snorkeling destination, check out our French Polynesia dive travel guide.
Aruba scuba diving is fantastic year-round with consistent weather and water conditions. Like most tourist destinations, Aruba experiences high and low seasons in terms of the number of visitors. High season runs from December to mid-April, so to get the most of your Aruba scuba diving holiday, it's better to visit in the off-season when there are fewer crowds.
Aruba hosts a wide range of marine habitats, from coral reef systems and mature seagrass fields to mangroves and artificial reefs. This encourages a great diversity of marine life and some unique encounters while scuba diving Aruba. Seahorses, loggerhead, and green turtles are commonly spotted weaving through the seagrass beds on the northwestern coast, while the tropical reefs host a myriad of small fish species. Huge brain and mountain corals adorned in tube sponges hide moray eels, lobsters, and loitering grouper, while schools of angelfish add colorful decoration. Mantas, stingrays, and sharks are sometimes seen around the outer reef sites.
Conditions both subsurface and topside are consistently good throughout the year, with April to June enjoying the calmest conditions. Peak tourist season is December to mid-April, and accommodation prices can soar during this period.
The dry season lasts from April through to November, with air temperatures a steady 89oF (31oC). The rainy season from December until March experiences a brief downpour each day and air temperatures drop by a couple of degrees, which is typically welcome. This rarely impacts Aruba scuba diving, however, and the island has the added benefit of lying south of the hurricane belt meaning storms are extremely rare.
Aruba is just over 2-hours flying time from Florida; getting there is a breeze with direct flights to Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA) from many US cities. It is also on the itinerary of many Southern Caribbean cruises.
The dive sites around Aruba are close to shore, and diving is done from resorts and shore-based centers. The protected south coast sites are ideal for novice and less experienced divers while the north coast experiences stronger currents and is better suited to advanced divers.
There is a wide range of resorts and accommodation available from luxury through to budget and catering to all tastes, as well as self-catered apartments and villas.
Aruba caters well to tourists with a wide selection of restaurants and bars, casinos, spas, and a lively nightlife. Consistent trade winds make the island a popular windsurfing spot, and other watersports such as kayaking and deep-sea fishing are also readily available.
There are numerous land tours and activities in Aruba ideal for a family vacation or group trip. Island tours, mountain biking, and offroading are options for adventurous visitors, and nature trips, sightseeing, and golf are all popular pastimes.
Explore Aruba

