Catamaran snorkel trip to the Antilla shipwreck

Scuttled by her own German crew in May 1940, when Germany invaded the Netherlands, the freighter Antilla lies on her port side in Malmok Bay off Aruba's northwest coast, about 400 feet long in up to 60 feet of water, broken in two by storms. Coral and tube sponges cover her, and lobsters, moray eels, blue tang and hawksbill turtles live around her. Parts of the wreck sit close enough to the surface for snorkellers to look down onto the hull.

Boats leave from the piers along Palm Beach and pair the wreck with the shallower reefs at Boca Catalina and Malmok, where fish crowd the rocks in water calm enough for beginners. Gear is provided, and most trips include an open bar plus lunch or snacks depending on the length. Morning trips tend to be the longer ones with more stops and a meal on board, afternoon trips shorter. Some boats are wooden schooners with a rope swing off the side.