My mother, myself and my 8 year old daughter are going on a girls trip in June and I need to book a good snorkeling trip. We went to the Bahamas last year and we snorkeled in calm water. I've read reviews of choppy waters in Aruba...are most tours to choppy waters? I'm not sure my daughter will be strong enough without getting scared...any ideas?

I recommend a day trip or a 1/2 day trip to Baby Beach.
Another spot that is usually calm is Arashi.
(both of these are shore entry snorkels and NOT tours)

You may want to speak with Anthony who is the "captain" of the Tranquillo and see if the snorkel tour that he offers would be appropriate.

I am unsure if Jolly Pirate would be appropriate...........could be rough waters
and the boat gets a little wild sometimes.

Hi jpress, welcome to the BB. Definitely go to Baby Beach, it's the perfect place to get started and to get a feel for how much current you/they want to face. It's like entering a swimming pool, very calm and shallow and deepens very gradually (so does Arashi for that matter). You can get acclimated there, and work yourselves into more current as slowly as you prefer to go. Good snorkling

Where are you staying? It may be as safe and simple as just going to the beach at your resort. DePalm Island is also an option, easy snorkling right at the dock, calm water (except for all the other snorklers in the water), lots of fish. Not free though...

Have fun!

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Thanks for the options. We are staying at the Divi and some of the reviews I've read say that snorkeling is good just down from the Tamarjin, also. This is such a great forum to have and to be able to get ideas from people that actually KNOW. I would feel awful if I took my daughter on a trip that was too much for her to handle. Thanks again to everyone who has replied.....

Re: DePalm Island

Respectfully, I disagree about DePalm.
We have been there at least 7 or 8 times and each time the current was pushing us pretty strongly.
The water gets deep pretty quickly.
There are huges heads of coral that one can get pretty banged up on.
There is fire coral as well, although out aboout 25 yds.
I think the parrot fish (with their big teeth) although gorgeous would tend to freak out an 8 yr old.

Yes, a snorkeler can stay right there at the dock/steps and see plenty, but to confine someone to the steps/dock area is difficult.

There is a new water park though located on Depalm. Folks say it is geared towards young kids.
Depalm cost about $50 for a half day. Unsure of child's pricing.

Years ago when there was a pier near the Tamarijn, there was some pretty good marine life all around the pilings and the pier. Sorry to say that is gone now and we snorkeled there in early Feb and there was nothing to see.

Sherry (our moderator) and her husband have snorkeled in front of the Divi Phoenix and saw fish!

andrea is right about the aruba phoenix. it is a perfect spot to take a new young snorkeler. as you face the water, the barrier on the right side is the one to take a child to. plenty of fish, almost no water movement. you can actually lie almost totally still for quite some time before you float more than a few inches. it might be a perfect spot to do a test run and get your child comfortable.

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Last August we took our sons snorkeling in Aruba and they did terrific! They're 9 and 12 and the 12yo is the weaker swimmer. Back at home, we bought water ski belts for them to wear so they didn't have to worry about staying afloat. By the end of the 2 weeks, they were asking me to hold the belts so they could dive down. If your daughter has fins, she will do very well.

We enjoyed snorkeling at the locations north of the Marriotts. That said, my husband found a starfish right in front of Marriott's Ocean Club. It's not the greatest snorkeling spot, but my boys just liked putting on the mask and snorkel and seeing what there was to see.

As long as your snorkeling close to your daughter, you guys should do fine. If she gets tired, she can hold on to you for a while.

Have a great trip.

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In memory...Virginia Tech...4/16/2007

Last year we took the Tranquillo tour with our then 10 year old daughter who had been snorkeling only once prior. She did great. I, my wife and she all wore the float belts. But the water was so calm, we really didn't need the belts. That tour, if I recall correctly, was $60.00 each. The only drawback was that the boat ride to and from the snorkeling spot was 2 hours each way and the actual snorkeling portion was only about an hour long. All-in-all it was very enjoyable and Captain Anthony and "Sir" John were gracious hosts. We are going back this June and are considering taking the tour again. You must first reserve your tour which can be done at this site: http://www.tranquiloaruba.com/ You don't pay until you board the boat.

We have heard alot of good things about the Tranquillo tour. I'm not sure we would have a lot of patience for a 2 hour boat ride, though!!! We are also going in June...June 21st through the 26th and we're staying at the Divi Divi. We've talked ourselves into taking our own snorkeling equipment, too so we can go to multiple places whenever we want....we'll still go on a tour, though. Was there anything else that we just HAVE to do while we're there? I hear there is a Butterfly Farm....

Bon dia,
This year will be our third trip to Aruba and I regret to admit that we have not seen all the attractions on the island. Yes, there is a butterfly farm, the Natural Pool, and the Natural Bridge, which unfortunately collapsed in September of '05. One thing I would suggest putting on your "must-do" list is the Atlantis submarine tour. It's pricey, $90.00 per adult, but it's a once in a lifetime type of thing. Be sure to take your camera. http://www.atlantisadventures.com/aruba.cfm
We will be there June 2-9 and we are staying at Divi Dutch. The Divi resorts are very nice. There are 5 Divi resorts in all and there are little golf carts that will take you from one resort to another and the Alhambra Casino free of charge. The cart drivers will also take you to other places close by, such as restaurants, if you ask. We usually tipped $1.00 per ride for this complimentary service. It's well worth the $1.00 because the driver will remember you and bend over backwards for you throughout the week. You are also welcome to use all the Divi beaches and resort amenities.
There is also a neat little restaurant off the beaten path called The Buccaneer which I would recommend. Comparitively speaking, it's reasonably priced and the food is good. It's got a nautical theme with some neat aquariums. Little known, the owner of the restaurant lives in the house next to the restaurant and he has several birds, including talking parrots, in his front yard. He will let you in his yard to talk to the birds. Our daughter loved that. Take your camera. Like I said it's not on the main hotel strip so you have to take a taxi. http://www.arubadining.com/buccaneer/
Here are a few other links that might help you plan:
http://www.visitaruba.com/
http://www.enjoyaruba.com/
http://www.aruba.com/pages/regionalmap.htm
http://www.worldwidemart.com/aruba/aruba1.htm

JPress--if you have your own equiptment may I suggest Boca Catalina and Mango Halto. For pictures and directions go to www.shorediving.com. Click on enter,click on ABC islands and click on Aruba.

Nice!!!!!!

Jim P..Thanks for the ideas..The website is just what we needed since we have no idea what we're looking for! We've also not heard anything about the Atlantis Submarine...what a find! Thank you to everyone. We're going to be there for 5 days but I think we'll need more time!