Boca Cataavlina
Boca Cataavlina
4.5
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- ChristineA48158Merrick, New York7 contributionsGreat snorkeling for beginnersDon’t miss this spot to snorkel. We rented snorkel gear at our hotel and took a cab to this spot . We saw fish in low water and turtles a little further out. The beach here was beautiful! We waved down a local Aruba bus that brought us back to our hotel.Visited March 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten March 19, 2024
- Ludster16 contributionsEasy access and amazing snorkeling!!Love this beach!!! Enough sand, and amazing amount of snorkeling. Could spend all day in the water! Easily clear water to see fish while snorkeling and plenty of fish to see. Bring shade as cabanas fills up early. Glad it was only a 2-3 minute walk from our VRBO rental. Not busy beach otherwise. Can’t wait to go back tomorrow!! One of my favorite beaches on this area of Aruba.Visited March 2024Travelled with familyWritten March 31, 2024
- NickCafeBoulder, Colorado186 contributionsEasy access snorkelingExcellent snorkeling within 100 Meters of shore. Lots of varieties of fish & I was lucky to see a tortuga. We came back on a snorkeling cruise 2 days later & while the many fish were in full force, no tortugas in sight.Visited June 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten June 14, 2024
- PSoTD175 contributionsFavorite Beach We Visited in ArubaWe went to several beaches and snorkeled at almost all of them, including Tres Trappe down the shore, but this was our favorite place to snorkel. Clearest water, plenty of fish by the rocks and old coral. Smallish beach but you can find shade. Definitely worth a stop while in Aruba. Bonus: only 30 yards or so from our place for the week.Visited June 2024Travelled with familyWritten June 19, 2024
- Patron17Denver, Colorado297 contributionsClear snorkelingBeautiful snorkeling area. Water shoes are a must with a rocky entrance. Lots of sea life activity. Boat tours stay out of roped swim zone. No services and minimal shade.Visited June 2024Travelled with familyWritten June 25, 2024
- Moose_the_explorerLondon, Canada175 contributionsGreat snorkelling from shoreWe loved coming here to snorkel. Try to get there earlier before any tours or crowds as it's a very small little area. However, we saw a great variety of fish even right from shore. If you swim out more, you can see turtles. This is the perfect entry snorkelling location for young kids who are maybe not super comfortable swimming from a boat.Visited May 2024Travelled with familyWritten September 13, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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TangoNY
Great Neck, NY1,612 contributions
Jan 2021 • Family
We came to explore this beach while vacationing in Aruba. It is an easy find along the road going to the California Lighthouse.
We found parking easily.
The beach is a small opening of sand in the otherwise lava rock formation.
Once in the water there are multiple of rocks on the bottom so we would recommend wearing water shoes.
Definitely is worth visiting at least once while in Aruba.
This beach is frequently used by catamaran companies who bring people here to snorkel a bit away from the shore as it is an area of a coral reef and lots of tropical fish.
If you love snorkeling, it’s your spot!
We found parking easily.
The beach is a small opening of sand in the otherwise lava rock formation.
Once in the water there are multiple of rocks on the bottom so we would recommend wearing water shoes.
Definitely is worth visiting at least once while in Aruba.
This beach is frequently used by catamaran companies who bring people here to snorkel a bit away from the shore as it is an area of a coral reef and lots of tropical fish.
If you love snorkeling, it’s your spot!
Written January 12, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lola3302
Houston, TX31 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
Best location to snorkel in crystal clear water. Easy access by car, taxi or Arubus.
Early in the morning best time to see turtles eating the grass near shore!
Early in the morning best time to see turtles eating the grass near shore!
Written February 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike C
New York City, NY21 contributions
Feb 2020
Boca Catalina is a a small beach but popular for snorkeling. You can just go right in and only need to swim out about 50 feet or so before you start seeing fish. It is also popular with boats and there were four snorkeling groups out deeper when I was there (mid morning). I am not sure if it is like that all the time but that was my experience. The beach itself had a few palapas, particularly at the entrance that was at the northern part of the beach.
Written February 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Valerie J
New York City, NY15 contributions
Jun 2021
We brought our snorkel masks from home, rented snorkel fins from our hotel (Bucuti & Tara Resort), and parked our rental car just to the side of the beach. The snorkeling at Boca Catalina was beautiful. Many colorful fish, rocks/reef and sea urchins. We were joined at the scene by snorkelers on one of the day-trip boats, but there was enough underwater scenery to go around!!!
Written June 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa V
1 contribution
Mar 2023 • Business
Took local bus from Marriott along coast to Catalina. Rented snorkeling gear (20$ ) from Steve’s right next to Arashi Beach Shack, which is a little bar and lite fare place. We walked back a block to the perfect snorkeling spot. Amazing coral reef and beautiful fish. Water is calm and clear. Many boat tours strop along this stretch for snorkeling but by no way crowded. The beach area does lack someplace to rinse off or change. Could use more trash containers to prevent littering. It will be an amazing experience.
Written March 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SWF111111
Baltimore, MD1,438 contributions
Mar 2021 • Couples
Spent 12 days at Boca Catalina and had one of our best vacations ever. The snorkeling was fantastic- 9 out of 12 days the water was clear and calm. Two days were murky and one was just ok. So many fish!! Saw turtles every day, more towards the Malmok area. It’s pretty quiet during the week, and more busy on weekends. My husband loves to swim and swam over a mile up and back down the coast every day.
Written March 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GemmaR2012
Bristol, UK114 contributions
May 2022
We loved the shore snorkelling here. Lots to see, no need to go too far. Our 7 year old really enjoyed it. We even fed fish from the shore. We went on a weekend and arrived around 830 and got the last palapa. People were coming and going so some did become available after, but the beach is quite small and only a few shady areas. There's no facilities here so take food and water but a beautiful little spot with great marine life. We loved it.
Written June 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fdough1
Bel Air, MD81 contributions
Nov 2021 • Couples
Went snorkeling in the morning there. The water was reasonably calm and we got to see aa variety of fish very near the shore.
Go early after about a half hour a lot of people showed up and the tour boats too.
Go early after about a half hour a lot of people showed up and the tour boats too.
Written November 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
butterfly4771
Manchester, NH105 contributions
Sept 2021 • Couples
Totally LOVED it here. It's a small, white sand beach with a narrow entryway into the beautiful hues of blue. Snorkeling here was great! And I suggest getting there early , especially if you snorkel, to get a little piece of the beach. Its not crowed, but it can get busy because tourist groups stop in and out for like a hour or so. Another cool thing was the lizards and birds we saw around the cactus. We stayed for 3 hours.
Written September 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
clontzka
Bratislava, Slovakia11 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
I first visited Boca Catalina on a snorkeling cruise, but a few days later I had to see it again. I took my snorkel, paid for a cab (15 USD from Hilton) and went out on my own, at my own pace. It was so peaceful. The best snorkeling sites are just a short swim from the beach, perfect for beginners, too. The coral is not much to look at, mostly rock-like, so don't expect a colorful Finding Nemo wonderland. But the fish were plentiful, beautiful and curious. Many swam right up to me and eyeballed me fearlessly. It was glorious.
Written August 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
conny2442
Columbus, Ohio
is there a sandy bottom for those who like to walk in and not walk on rocks? are there sharks?
Written June 28, 2020
No sharks, rocky bottom, the beach is good for snorkeling but not to spend more than 2 h in there. Arashi (next to Boca Catalina) is paradise, sandy beach, turquoise water, loved it.
Written June 29, 2020
Hi What do you consider early in the morning for snorkeling?
Written February 23, 2020
Anytime before nine will help in avoiding the masses of fleet ships. It’s not fun. To snorkel with flippers constantly in your face.
Written February 27, 2020
No, fbere aren’t any to rent. It is a more residential area. There are a few Palapas on the beach to use but no chairs. We just brought towels and sat under an open palapa. The snorkeling is so nice you won’t want to stay out of the water for long. Enjoy your trip!
Written September 16, 2019
Do you know how much it costs to get a taxi out there or an uber?
Written August 21, 2019
A taxi was $12 US from the Marriott Stellaris. Another day we got a day bus pass for $10 US per person and used that to get there. The bus route goes a little short of the snorkel spot but the driver asked if that is where we were headed and took us right there.
Written August 21, 2019
hola, lei sus recomendaciones de ir a esta playa en auto sin necesidad de contratar el tour en barco porque mi hermano es discapacitado y es muy dificil subirlo a un barco ademas que no le gustan para nada entonces vamos a ir en un crucero que sale desde panama pero quisiera saber como conseguir un carro alla en aruba, saben si en el puerto existen compañias que alquilen autos y cuanto tiempo se demora desde el puerto hasta esta playa? gracias espero su respuesta pronto
Written June 5, 2018
Hola. Te comento. Yo lo alquile con esta gente super recomendable. A mi me lo llevaron al aeropuerto, pero entiendo lo entregan donde lo necesites. Yo incluso llegue 1:30 hs atrasado y no hubo problemas. Entiendo se puede coordinar.
Muy accesibles y se adaptan a las necesidades de cada uno.
Saludos y espero te sirva.
Gregory Jansen
more4less aruba
00297-588-7255 office
00297-733-2864 cell or Watsapp
Written June 5, 2018
hi Dave.. how far did you have to swim out to see the good reefs beyond the Buoys? I am w 4 teens all pretty good swimmers & we will all have also snorkle vest.. but is it manageable from shore?
Thanks
Written March 8, 2018
Yes. We joked that we could’ve used uber instead of the catamaran tour and done the whole thing much cheaper.
It’s not the best snorkeling. Mostly rocks and some brain coral. Lots of fish tho.
Written March 8, 2018
Is there any place to find lunch? Snorkel equipment?
Written January 30, 2018
No, you will need to bring your own everything. Boca Catalina is just a rocky shoreline with a few spots to park, and beautiful places to snorkel.
Written January 30, 2018
É melhor comprar logo o passeio de catamarã por internet ou deixar para comprar no local?
Written June 7, 2017
Hangt er vanaf of je via internet gebruik kunt maken van een aanbieding. Zo, dan maakt het niet veel uit, maar lokaal kun je beter de verschillende opties vergelijken en wellicht nog wat proberen af te dingen
Written June 7, 2017
Hola, las sombrillas no tienen costo, el que llegue mas temprano la toma gratis, me imagino que te refieres a las de techo de hojas de palmera seca.
Written March 24, 2017
We will be coming into Oranjestad on February 16 on the Carnival Vista. We have 4 couples that would like a private cruise, do you do that?
Thank you, Linda
Written January 15, 2017
I actually asked on the beach, there is a kiosk where they organise boat tours. I think you can have some information about private cruises. Another way to know everything is to ask to the big resorts' reception; in every resort there's a desk with boat tours, cruises and other attractions you can do on the island. Hope this helps
Written January 16, 2017
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