Aruba

Boat rides are short, some on small, fast inflatables carrying groups of up to five divers, and centres collect divers from the hotel area and downtown. The Antilla lies a few minutes from Pelican Pier, almost directly inshore from the wreck, and more reefs and wrecks sit further along the south side. A diving day often pairs a two-tank morning trip with a one-tank afternoon dive, and on some boats the group picks the site after booking rather than following a fixed schedule. Shore diving includes an easy, sheltered dive behind the reef at Mangel Halto Beach, on a training site in 16 m. The northeast coast faces the Atlantic, with rough seas and treacherous currents.

Wrecks set the character of the island. The Antilla is one of the largest wrecks in the Caribbean, covered by tube sponges and coral, and its starboard side still rises to just short of the surface for most of the hull's length. Reefs such as Harbour Reef slope gently to a sandy seabed with hard corals, gorgonians and sponges, others fall away to great depths, and the Kantil drop-off carries massive formations of leaf and sheet corals. Lionfish, not native to the Caribbean, have spread here as they have across the region.

The shallow wrecks suit newly certified divers, and wreck enthusiasts get a run of hulls within a short boat ride, from wartime casualties to ships and aircraft sunk as artificial reefs. Divers wanting depth have the Jane Sea, whose stern and propeller lie at 30 m among black gorgonians and whips. Divers after steep walls and pinnacles should look elsewhere: the reefs are easy and pretty rather than dramatic. Reef visibility can turn murky, and a planned reef dive can be switched to a wreck on the day.