Sea Turtle Hotspots

Curaçao is a natural hotspot for a lot of underwater creatures. It holds a true treasure for divers & snorkelers. One of my most amazing experiences here is swimming with sea turtles. They are just so extremely cool, and human friendly too. You can swim with them & they let you come really close. It gives such a calming & relaxed vibe..

Here are 3 Curaçao beaches where you have the best chances of spotting Sea Turtles:

Turlte Encounter

Playa Grandi

All the way up to Westpunt you have Playa Grandi. This beach is also known as Playa Piscado, the small fishermen’s beach. It is not the most beautiful – or comfortable – beach to lay at, but it offers amazing opportunities under water.

Local fishermen are cleaning their freshly caught fish & throw away the parts they do not need. This alone is an interesting spectacle to watch, but wait until you put on your underwater goggles. Sea turtles really love the free snack and swim therefore most of the time around the dock!

Because of the location of the beach – upper point of the island – the water is a bit wilder. Here you have more waves what makes snorkeling a bit more difficult: water near the coast is could be unclear. Nevertheless still more than worth it.

Playa Grandi is where I’ve spotted the biggest sea turtles so far. Every time I’ve visited this beach I’ve seen turtles, so from my experiences 100% turtle spotting guaranteed. Go around noon to be sure to see a big group of turtles swimming around for their lunch break.

Playa Lagun

In comparison to Playa Grandi this beach wins it on its beachy vibes. Playa Lagun is a little gem hidden between two sides of rocky cliffs. While snorkeling you’ll see a lot of reef fish combined with healthy coral coverage and large sponges. This makes it the perfect place for bypassing sea turtles.

You have the best chance to see them here between 4 and 6 PM – that’s the time they swim into the bay to collect food.

This beach provides more than just a nice snorkeling area. Above the water – mainly on the rocks – you’ll see an extreme amount of iguana’s. If you go up to do a drink or bite at the local restaurant, don’t be surprised when one of these little dragons pays you a visit at your table.

Psst, let’s share some island beach secrets here: Life’s a beach: the Curaçao ‘Vitamin Sea’ guide

Klein Curaçao / Little Curaçao

This one is a bit farther away. I’ve been two times to this deserted island and loved both experiences. Snorkeling here I’ve spotted many, smaller sea turtles. Encountering them here gave it all such a great vibe; they were extremely gracious.

Of course traveling to another island just to see sea turtles is a bit more expensive. But I can tell you it is more than worth it.

Klein Curaçao / Little Curaçao

Klein Curaçao / Little Curaçao

Turlte Encounter

Snorkeling