Are Snorkeling Tours in Aruba Worth It?

Snorkeling tours in Aruba are worth it for one reason above all others, and not worth it for several others. We sell these trips, so read that sentence again.

When a snorkeling tour is worth it

The Antilla is the real argument. The wreck sits in 18 to 27 metres of water off Malmok Beach, and you cannot reach her properly from the sand.

Multiple stops are the second argument. A four-hour sail visits reef along a stretch of coast you would otherwise need a car and three separate mornings to cover.

Gear is the third. If you did not bring a mask, a boat solves that without a rental shop.

And a private charter is worth it for a specific reason: you choose where it stops and how long it stays. Above roughly eight people it also costs less per head than a shared trip.

When it is not

If you mainly want turtles, go to Boca Catalina at seven in the morning instead. It is free, and the tour boats arrive there after ten anyway — on the same reef, with forty more people.

If you want the healthiest coral, no boat goes there. Mangel Halto is shore access only.

And if you are travelling with small children, a lagoon beats a boat. Baby Beach lets them stand up.

How to judge a tour before you book

Ask where it stops. A trip that names its sites is telling you something; one that says “the best spots” is not.

Check the departure time, because a morning boat sails in calmer, clearer water than an afternoon one.

Count the stops as well. Three beats one, and the price difference is usually small.

Finally, look at who you are booking with. Direct with the operator means more of what you pay reaches the crew, which is why the snorkeling tours here lead with the direct ones.