John 1's Dive Log

Found a specific spot here that had swarms of Sergeant Majors and other silver fish wanting to be fed (as Mark J stated). Also a large black and gold angelfish was in the group. I snorkeled early and late, even at sunset, yet the fish were quite active. It was approximately 150 yards from shore and towards the right (N) of the cove. Also saw trunkfish and a sea turtle on my way back to shore. There was little or no current, could float in one area for quite some time, and swimming back to shore was easy with the waves helping you back in. Exit and reentry around the rocks, even at the sandy area is somewhat of a challenge, but worth it.

After a disappointing snorkel at Mangel Halto (few fish, choppy water, strong current), but hearing other snorkelers there telling me it was the best they saw on Aruba, I went out again several days later. This time past the dropoff (deep and somewhat intimidating with the current), to the round yellow float/buoy. I saw a smaller barracuda and several larger jacks on my way out. I didn't see the wreck, but the depth became shallow again to about 6' when I came upon the reef. It was incredibly pristine and the water was crystal clear. The fish were numerous and colorful. The coral was alive and healthy. I saw a beautiful sea anemone, too. The only drawback was the distance from shore (about 1/4 mile) but about half of that could be walked on a sandy bottom. The current was in the back of my mind, so I didn't stay out too long. Of the four areas in Aruba I snorkeled (Mangel Halto, Catalina Cove, Malmok, Baby Beach), I consider this the best. The buoy/float is often difficult to see from shore, but is about 1/4 mile out, approximately one o'clock from the wooden sunning deck at the bottom of the stairs just to the right (NW) of the mangroves.