Hello---My husband and I are evaluating a trip to Aruba in late Feb/early Mar. Any scuba divers or snorkelers out there----thoughts on the quality of diving in Aruba?

My husband and I are novice divers. We completed our first five (and only) dives in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt on the Red Sea. Red Sea diving is incredible, so our expectations are pretty high, in terms of flora and fauna. Any thoughts?

As I responded to your post above, Aruba is not really known for diving or great snorkeling. It is a beach island with some watersports and good dining.

I really think you should look into Grand Cayman. They have fabulous diving and snorkeling and they also have a Marriott.

I agree if you want a real good diving experience go to Grand Cayman.

We are not divers, but we have snorkeled quite a bit in many different destinations. We liked Aruba for snorkeling. The water is not as clear as some other Islands, but there were many fish. We did a boat cruise on the Mi Dushi that had three snorkel stops incling the wreck of Antilla. We also, did a beach tour to Baby Beach, Rodgers Beach and Mangel Hato. We enjoyed the snorkeling at those places.

We also liked Aruba because there are so many things to see and do and plenty of great restaurants and bars. Something Grand Cayman is lacking in and way too expensive.

If your interested we have all of our vacation pictures posted. We have a digital underwater camera that we use for snorkeling, so we've got some really nice shots.

http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn

I must agree with both of the above comments. It turns out Curacao on the WEST END is very good, spots about 40 miles south of Cancun are good but overcrowded but Aruba has poor snorkeling and barely passable diving, in my opinion. I have been to Sharm, Dehab, 4-5 places in Asia and you cannot even say Aruba and diving in the same sentence with the above. Sorry.

You can go snorkelling and scuba diving in Aruba, there are some quite good sites eg Antilla wreck and an aeroplane wreck near to the Renaissance hotel. These might be too deep for novice divers but there are some reef dives in around 15 feet of water.
For snorkelling, the beach at Malmok is very good. We used Mermaid Divers and can recommend them.

As much as I love Aruba, I think it would be disappointing *IF* you plan to make diving the focal point of your trip. I went snorkeling at the Antilla wreck -- pretty, but shallow and probably only an hour's worth of exploring (at a relaxing pace)! We have friends who are serious divers and loved Little Cayman and Bonaire.