Aruba (aka Las Vegas on the Beach)

We left Phoenix at MIDNIGHT to make a connecting flight in Philadelphia to get to Aruba. Who’d have thunk it! Other choices were equally out of the way. And most had either a 45 min connection time or 8-10 hour layover coming back…..no way. Given the winter storms that the eastern part of the country had been suffering thru, we were a bit nervous about flying out of Philly. But we lucked out again and the weather was perfect! There was not an empty seat to be had on either plane, full in Phoenix, full in Philly…..amazing! Obviously we picked a popular destination. What was really great was that at the gate they offered to check your carry-ons for free, hoping to avoid running out of overhead compartment space. Pretty cool considering the airline normally charged $25 for each checked bag both ways!

Aruba was warm and sunny and the diving was good. Sadly a lot of the coral is dying in the popular dive spots, but the farther south you go, the better it gets. We dove some wrecks, a first for Becky, one of which was supposedly the largest in that part of the Caribbean. We swam through a submerged airplane, entering like a passenger at one end and exiting thru the other. While the seats were gone and most of the instruments the cockpit still had some controls and one could imagine what it was like to fly it. We found out later that the plane was used to transport drugs from South America. Glad we weren’t on her last flight. That’s one of the best parts of wreck diving…learning about their role in history, some good, some bad.  Here are some links to some of the dive sites and the stories behind them and information on Aruba.

Aruba information

Dive sites 

Wreck information

We also did a lot of drift dives along the reefs, which was very cool.  For the 1^st time we experimented with video underwater. It was a lot of fun and Becky became quite good with just our little digital point and shoot. We saw some new and different fish along with turtles and what seemed like the world’s largest blue parrot fish, which thrilled Becky. While there was more color than we normally see in San Carlos it still seemed kinda drab ….mainly orange and shades of beige, brown and rust. Lots of different types, shapes and sizes of sponges especially some amazing purple tube sponges. There were many different shapes and sizes of worms but not many soft corals. . but who’s complaining. The water was warm and the diving laid back. The shop we dove with offered an unlimited dive package for a flat rate. So we dove 16 times in 5 days. That may not seem like a lot of dives to some but at the end of the day we were ready for a siesta. All the dives were boat dives, with very experienced crews. It goes without saying that having a knowledgeable local dive guide is priceless. The boat was the same kind and length we dive off of at Ocean Sports, but not as well equipped as the Ocean Spirit. No surface interval snacks, either. We really missed the great “comida” that Ernesto, Edgar and Junior make. All in all, a great time.

Aruba itself was definitely a bit of a contradiction. It is a small island that is part of the Dutch Antilles located approximately 14 miles from the northern coast of Venezuela. Dutch is the official language, but most locals speak at least 4 languages, English, Dutch, Spanish and a native patois, Papiamento, that is a combination of many different ones. It is a popular destination for most of the eastern seaboard, so it is somewhat like being center stage at a Jimmy Buffet concert in a New York state of mind. Inland the architecture and vegetation is much like San Carlos but along the beach……. can you say Las Vegas? High rise hotels, casinos, Hooters, TGI Fridays, Tony Roma’s and beach bars, bikinis, beach bars, and more….. bikinis. And HUGE cruise ships, 2-3 different ones every day. It was really a sight, watching them “park” at the pier. All the grocery stores are owned and operated by Chinese who don’t speak anything else and the locals call KFC, Keep From Cooking. When we asked where we could buy fresh fish to cook ourselves, they looked at us like we were from another planet. Bizarre! The biggest surprise (a very pleasant one) was at the airport, upon leaving. You clear US Customs and Immigration in Aruba before you leave. You actually cross into US territory in the departure area. Our bags were checked all the way to Phoenix and we did not have to stand in the interminable immigration lines in the US.

How cool is that! 

Here are links to the Aruba pictures,

one for scenery  Aruba pictures

one for underwater pictures Aruba underwater stills

and one for videos Aruba videos

 Enjoy!