Best Places to Snorkel in Curaçao: Beaches vs Boat Trips

Snorkelling from the shore

Shore snorkelling costs you a rental car, your own mask and a few hours, and you choose when to go in and when to leave. The west coast beaches are a drive from Willemstad, so you will want a car or a taxi for the day.

Playa Piskadó at Westpunt is the beach to choose if you want turtles. It is a working fishing beach, and turtles come in close to the pier for the scraps the fishermen throw back. There are restrooms and a snack bar for a small fee, and you can rent snorkel gear on the beach. Keep off the pier, and do not pay anyone there to photograph or feed the turtles. Our guide to snorkelling with sea turtles in Curaçao covers the rules in the water.

Playa Lagun is a small, sheltered cove in a fishing village on the north-west coast, with calm water, and turtles are often seen there. It is popular and the beach is small, so arrive early.

Cas Abao and Blue Bay are managed beaches. You pay to get in, and in return you get restrooms, showers and a beach bar. Cas Abao is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and charges per car. At Blue Bay the reefs start a short swim from the beach.

The Tugboat Wreck lies in Caracas Bay, off Tugboat Beach near Jan Thiel. The beach is public and free to enter, with a restroom and a small beach bar. The entry is over pebbles and rocks, so wear water shoes, and stay out of the south-east corner of the bay, where currents can run strong.

The Blue Room is a sea cave at Santa Cruz on the island’s west coast. You can walk there in about 20 minutes on a path from Santa Cruz Beach, then swim in through an opening at water level. The path is rough in places, and there is no ladder at the cave: you climb out over low rocks. Go on foot only if you are a confident swimmer and reasonably fit.

When a boat trip is worth the money

A boat is the only way to reach Klein Curaçao, and everywhere else it takes the driving, the entry and the gear off your hands.

Klein Curaçao is boat-only, and it is the best snorkelling day on offer. The Mermaid costs $155 for nine hours, with breakfast, a barbecue lunch and masks to borrow, and it has 4.8/5 from 353 reviews. The Miss Ann costs the same, adds a guided snorkel safari and has 4.8/5 from 275 reviews. The outward crossing is open sea and can be rough. Our Klein Curaçao snorkelling and turtles guide covers what the water is like once you arrive.

The Tugboat Wreck by boat suits you if you would rather not drive or clamber over the rocks at Tugboat Beach. The Irie snorkel cruise costs $100 for 4.5 hours in sheltered water, with the wreck, a second reef stop, a barbecue lunch, an open bar and the gear included.

The Blue Room by boat spares you the walk. The Blue Room Cave tour takes two hours and costs $56, with snacks on board; it has 4.8/5 from 23 reviews, a smaller sample than the trips above. The Blue Room and turtles boat trip adds a turtle swim and pizza for $102 over five hours, with 4.9/5 from just 11 reviews so far.

Several west coast beaches in one day: the west coast boat trip stops at Kokomo Beach, Cas Abao and the Blue Cave for $150, with a barbecue lunch and a bus back to town. It has 4.7/5 from 56 reviews.

For every snorkelling tour on the island side by side, see the best snorkelling tours in Curaçao.

Shore vs boat: the trade-offs

• Cost. A shore day costs the car, any entrance fee and gear rental if you have no mask. A boat trip runs from $56 for the Blue Room to $155 for Klein Curaçao, per person.
• Freedom. From the shore you go in when the water looks good and stay as long as you like. A boat keeps to a timetable, with a set time at each stop.
• Range. A boat reaches Klein Curaçao, which nothing else does, and links several sites in one outing.
• Effort. Shore entries mean driving, parking, and walking over pebbles or rocks. On a boat the crew handles the route and you get in from the deck.
• Help in the water. On a boat trip the crew is close by. On a quiet beach you are on your own, so snorkel with a partner.

Our recommendation for a first trip

Do both. Spend two or three days with a rental car on the west coast, with Playa Piskadó for turtles and Playa Lagun or Cas Abao for an easy reef. Then book one day to Klein Curaçao, because no beach on the main island gives you that combination of an empty island, clear water and turtles in the shallows. If the open-sea crossing worries you, the Irie snorkel cruise to the Tugboat Wreck is the sheltered alternative. Check the dates on the listing before you plan around it, because some boats do not sail every day.

Frequently asked questions

Can you snorkel from the beach in Curaçao?

Yes. Playa Piskadó, Playa Lagun, Cas Abao, Blue Bay and Tugboat Beach all let you walk in from the sand. Playa Piskadó has snorkel gear to rent, but bring your own mask if you have one that fits.

Can you reach the Tugboat Wreck without a tour?

Yes. Tugboat Beach in Caracas Bay is public and free, and the wreck is a swim from the beach. Wear water shoes for the pebbly entry and keep out of the bay’s south-east corner, where currents can be strong.

Do you need a boat to see the Blue Room?

No. A path from Santa Cruz Beach takes about 20 minutes and is rough in places. The swim in is short, but there is no ladder, so you have to climb out over low rocks. A boat trip avoids the walk.

Is Klein Curaçao better than snorkelling from Curaçao’s beaches?

For one day, yes: the reef and the turtles start a short swim off the beach. It costs a full day and an open-sea crossing, though, and Curaçao’s own beaches give you good snorkelling on the days in between.