Difficulty
Unrated
Viz (last reported 17524h ago)
Max Depth
Unknown
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Tugboat Beach
After my husband dived from a boat at this site and really liked it, we rented a car and drove out there so I could snorkel. It was the best snorkeling we did on the island. There are huge columns used for tying off ships that have lots of corals growing on them. The coral was pristine and the fish abundant. Coronets, spotted drums, parrotfish, several kinds of butterfly fish, eels, Spanish hogfish, and a very attractive tugboat below.<br><br>From Anonymous: Get there early and beat the snorkel boats to this picturesque site! Tugboat is everything you see in the dive Curacao ads. Shallow site, great for photographing the little things! Finish your dive by checking out under the pier. There is a small dive shop there, but the day we went they were out of tanks and have no compressor. The attendant promised to have tanks there in a hour, we waited two hours and still no tanks. Bring your own tanks!
From downtown Willemstad go east to Salina and take Nieuwe Caracasbaaiweg all the way out to its end, which is a roundabout, where you take the left turn (east). continue along the road, passing the ruins of Fort Beekenburg and alongside Baya Beach. Follow the unpaved road up the hill and back down to a parking lot below the Quarantaine Building (old, large, yellow building on hill). At the end of the parking lot is a small beach facility. It has a small dive shop, picnic tables, a small cobbled beach, and snack shop, changing rooms, and showers. The shop's name is Tugboat. On the big 'SmartDriving' road map we got from out hotel this divesite is marked as #63, 'Tugboat'.
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(6)
Paul Beckett
May 21, 2015, 12:00 AM
scuba
Well for this site I choose to do it because it was another wreck to tick off the list. The tugboat is a load of battered old plates and did behind pier 5. What is amazing here is the muck life. I.e cleaning stations. I did choose to interact with one but did not realize that it also besides the lovely cleaner shrimp also had a resident mantis shrimp which bit me on the finger. Needless to say I nearly spat my regulator in pain but look back with a bruised finger and laugh. Another black cat tale for the bar room! There is currently an old catamaran ferry and an old oil rig in the facility here. It's also frequented by Dutch special forces for training after dark. I don't know if the two are connected but they were busy cleaning their weapons and dive gear (pure oxy rebreathers) when I arrived.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Patrick Bridges
Apr 20, 2015, 12:00 AM
scuba
My wife & I dove this site by boat first but we returned by car and five again later in our stay. On both dives at this site, we saw lots of small fish and we got great pictures. I shot video the entire second dive. There were large schools of sardines in and around the tugboat wreck. The schools would engulf you as you swam through them. It was magical seeing all of the fish scales sparkle in the sun light as the fish spiraled towards the waters surface and then back down in and around the wreck site. Patrick Bridges, Instructor SSI DCSI 46648.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Susski
Nov 29, 2013, 12:00 AM
scuba
Extremely easy entry...good for a beginner. Enjoyed diving under the pier, but having a huge freighter docked there and overhead was a bit unnerving for even me as an advanced diver...just different! We did see an octopus and some nice sea life...it was like diving in an aquarium!
Originally posted on shorediving.com
LovetheCaribbean
Mar 17, 2013, 12:00 AM
scuba
Wonderful experience! The tugboat and coral are beautiful! We saw lots of colorful plant life and fish. The current was mild and water very shallow. I would highly recommend this site.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Caribbean King
Aug 27, 2008, 12:00 AM
scuba
I have snorkeled all around the Caribbean and this site receives some of my highest marks. There was a wide variety and abundance of life here and I have some remarkable photos to sustain my memory. I will always come back to this spot for the beauty of the water, reef, and just above it all... the old fortress with its cool gunnery tower looking over the bay. This is truly a historic and memorable location.
Originally posted on shorediving.com