ABC Islands Diving
The ABC islands are the tropical, picturesque, Dutch Caribbean islands which provide many different underwater adventures for a wide range of divers. The warm waters hold marine life of all shapes and sizes living amongst different marine environments. Everyone will find something to get their hearts pumping here.
Aruba
Aruba is one of the larger islands in the Netherlands Antilles and is the true definition of a tropical island. Underwater, the main features are the many impressive shipwrecks, accompanied by stunning reefs, an abundance of marine life and warm waters throughout the year.
Bonaire
Bonaire, the shore diving capital of the world, has abundant and easily-accessible coral reef dives, seagrass beds, wrecks and mangroves. This Caribbean biodiversity hotspot will astound you with its colourful reef life and dramatic coral structures, plus turtles, manta rays and even passing whale sharks.
Curacao
Easy, laidback shore diving with magnificent reefs, plus shallow walls and wrecks make Curaçao paradise for every diver. Dive in for vibrant Caribbean fish life, swirling pelagics, sea turtles, numerous sharks and one of the largest coral pillar formations in the Caribbean.
Diving in the ABC Islands
The ABC Islands, of the Leeward Antilles, are made up of three islands; Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. They lie in the Dutch Caribbean, in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea. Each island has a handful of dive centres and dive resorts which will help divers have an exciting diving holiday in these clear, flourishing waters. If divers prefer spending their diving holiday on a liveaboard, there are also a number of those that visit this region.
The islands all have a range of marine environments and a high abundance of things to see. Some of the highlights include a high number of wrecks accessible to divers of all levels, vibrant coral reefs made up of corals of all shapes, sizes and colours, a plethora of marine fauna including many schools of fish, seagrass and rocky topography. What heightens the experience of diving here is the calm, clear waters which range between 26 and 29 degrees Celsius throughout the year.
The warm, tropical climate here also means warm air temperatures all year round. Whether divers want to increase their diving skills by taking dive courses, get their hearts pumping while diving into history in some of the many wrecks, or float overtop the many healthy reefs, it is all possible here.
Best places to dive
Aruba
Antilla is one of the most popular wreck dives of Aruba. This German Freighter has been submerged since 1940 and since then has created its own ecosystem made up of a colourful collection of corals and sponges surrounded by many species of fish and other critters. It lies at 12 metres so accessible to divers of all levels.
Bay Reach Reef is a popular shore dive in Aruba as it holds some of the most pristine corals of any dive site here. It is made up of impressive Elkhorn Corals, Brain Corals and many more.
Bonaire
Hilma Hooker is a 70 metre long wreck which can be reached right from the shore of Bonaire! She was scuttled in 1984 after being seized with a large amount of drugs on board. Knowing this story helps make this dive even more exciting.
Forest is one of the dive sites reached by boat from Bonaire, and this dive site is known for its large and truly stunning corals and sponges including Black Corals, Purple Tube Sponges, and Elephant Ear Sponges, Anemones and more. This marine flora is accompanied by Angelfish, Squirrelfish, Goatfish and more!
Curaçao
Superior Producer is the largest wreck of Curaçao, it went down in 1977 and it lies upright at depths between 15 and 33 metres of water, so can be enjoyed by divers of all levels.
Seldom is a dive site ‘seldomly’ dives but essentially should not be missed in Curaçao. This is one of the few steep wall dives of the area and is covered in marine flora. The marine species include numerous Crustaceans hidden in the cracks and pelagics out in the blue.
