A rare Sparky-and-Jett photo
Aruba was the one destination on the itinerary that we had visited before. We are probably in the minority as we are not enchanted by the island. We found it windy, bustling, overbuilt and visually uninteresting – it is basically a sandbar with big hotels. The beaches, while very nice, are not noticeably better than beaches that can be found on dozens of other islands. All of which explains why we chose to spend our Aruba time on a snorkeling excursion.
About to board
The snorkel boat was the Mi Dushi – “my sweet” in the local Dutch dialect. We traveled for 40 minutes to get to the first snorkel site, then visited two more before returning to the Breeze. Total excursion time: 5.5 hours – long enough to get a serious sunburn, which we did. I fried my face (I have gone through 3 layers of skin since the end of the cruise) and even burned my scalp. But I had only minor burns elsewhere. Jett got a nasty burn on the tops of her feet – very painful – but apparently was smarter about protecting her face as she did not peel at all.
I obviously should have been smarter about the Aruba sun. In April the sun in Aruba is about as intense as it is anywhere on earth. I knew this; I just didn’t apply the knowledge. Or the sunscreen.
Anyway, it was worth it, I guess. The snorkeling was superb. The first and third sites were in shallow water with good light and lots of colorful fish. The second site was over a German freighter, scuttled by its captain at the start of World War II when he learned that it was going to be seized by the Dutch.
I snorkeled with a T-shirt – a smart decision which probably saved my back. It also made me easy to spot in the water. I had an underwater camera with me and will add some of those later, if they turn out to be interesting, but it was old technology (film) that requires processing.
Preparing for snorkeling
Pirate ship
We had to endure a very long line when reboarding the ship. I am not sure why the process was so much slower in Aruba than elsewhere. It was very windy, but the ship and its gangways did not seem to be moving much. Yet they were letting only a few people board at a time. Even as the 4pm departure time approached, the line snaked down the quay and into the terminal. So we were a few minutes late pushing off.
But with two sea days ahead, who cared?
Leaving Aruba
Sparky in the water