Antilla Shipwreck Dive

The Antilla is Aruba's signature dive and one of the biggest shipwrecks in the Caribbean. The 120-metre German freighter was scuttled by its own crew off Malmok in 1940, early in the Second World War, and now lies on its side in clear water between about 5 and 18 metres deep. The shallow top of the hull makes it a rare wreck that snorkelers can also enjoy from the surface, while divers explore the cavernous holds and coral-crusted decks below.

Decades underwater have turned the steel into a thriving reef. Tube sponges, brain coral, and gorgonians cover the plating, and the wreck shelters tropical fish, lobster, moray eels, and silversides that swirl through the broken openings. Visibility is usually excellent on Aruba's calm leeward coast, and because the island sits outside the hurricane belt and the trade winds blow offshore here, the site is divable in nearly every month.

What makes the Antilla special

• A genuine WWII wreck, large enough for multiple dives, just off Malmok Beach.
• Shallow enough for open-water divers and even snorkelers on the upper hull.
• Reef life that has reclaimed the steel, from sponges to moray eels.
• Paired easily with the nearby reef at Boca Catalina on a two-tank trip.

Most divers reach the Antilla by boat with operators based around Noord and Palm Beach. Dive with a certified operator, carry a current certification, and respect the wreck: do not penetrate the holds without proper training and never remove anything from the site.