Aruba’s west coast is its leeward side. This explains why a large portion of the shipwrecks are found here. Often ships were moored up here, seeking shelter from the trade winds that typically come blowing in from the northeast. Turtles also like this side of Aruba. March through July the immense Leatherbacks crawl onto Palm and Eagle Beach to lay their eggs. Around Westpunt and down the coast to the hotels one can find Green Sea Turtles year round. There are some reefs on this side of the island as well, although not as rich as around the south side. Usually there is a minimal to no current.
A dive site of note on this side of the island: Tres Trapi.
The easy access and shallow depth make this one of our favorites sites for training dives. The sandy bottom allows for buoyancy practice and is a great test of navigation skills. Experienced divers should not shun this dive site either! There is a lot of marine life that isn’t found on most other sites, and the shallow depth allows for long bottom times. Not known for it riches in terms of coral, Tres Trapi is best for turtle encounters. There are some rare species to find here as well, such as the illusive frogfish.