Tugboat Beach should rather be in our Snorkeling & Diving section, because that’s exactly what makes it so attractive for visitors. But it is called Tugboat Beach and is one of over 35 beaches in Curacao.

Towed under water

Tugboat is precisely the type of boat that gave the beach its name. A tugboat sank here over 30 years ago. The wreckis about 50 meters from the shore, behind the 3 square steel buoys, at a depth of 5 meters. It’s now completely overgrown with coral. Finally, snorkelers have the opportunity to see something like this. Normally, wreck diving means a boat dive with a depth of 20+ meters. This makes it difficult even for Open Water Divers with the permitted maximum diving depth of 18 meters.

For our newly certified Open Water Diver kids, the Tugboat was of course a must-see. It took us about an hour to get there, crossing the island from the southwest to the southeast to Caracas Bay.

View over Caracas Bay

Depressing first impression

We weren’t prepared for what we saw when wie got there. As we approached a huge oil drilling ship that looked like it was moored right on Tugboat Beach, we weren’t sure if we were in the right place. The steel sea monster cast dark shadows and was a pretty intimidating sight. Someone compared it to a Mad Max scenario in a comment on the website. 😱

The person wasn’t entirely wrong. I wish I had sound recordings from 2017. The machine noise at the parking lot was so loud that we couldn’t have a normal conversation. There were no intact sanitary facilities on the beach and the bar didn’t look anything like it does today – although it used to be beautifully colorful from the outside.

Back then, we still had to cross thick steel cables to get into the water in the bay. These were sometimes above and below the water, which added to the thrill.

Hurdle swim over ropes and cables

Wreck diving for beginners

I vaguely remember someone on site giving us a quick rundown of the dive site. It was more like:

“Behind the steel buoys is the steep reef wall. First dive to the left against the current and on the way back, you can go to the tugboat.”

It’s a good idea to spend the obligatory safety stop at the shipwreck. Nothing could go wrong, right?

Reference points on the way to the wreck

Great dive on the tugboat

Four of us went underwater as a diving family – which each of us adults having a child as a buddy. We dived a beautiful staircase profile along the specified route in picture-book style. We were armed with a simple underwater camera. One of our highlights was a huge French angelfish that swam right past the lens.

French angelfish

Our younger daughter was really excited about a baby boxfish that she had discovered. When we checked the picture, it turned out to be a Caribbean sharp-nose pufferfish, which grows to a maximum size of 7 cm. Our candidate here was slightly smaller, but it was a pufferfish and not a boxfish. Pufferfish are poisonous, but only if you want to eat them. But we weren’t planning to anyway.

It was this same small pufferfish species that caused concern in May 2023. Our diving partner Bryan reported a  mass mortality of this fish species, with dead fish washing up on the shores of Curacao and Bonaire. Upon closer examination, no specific cause of death could be found. It seems likely that the fish population grew too fast in the months before, which left them short of food or more susceptible to disease.

Center right: sharp-nose pufferfish

If you can’t see the forest for the trees…

…then you’ll miss the tugboat on the way back from your dive – just like we did. 🙈

Admittedly, the visibility wasn’t as good 50 minutes later and the bay was in the shade. This made it difficult to see the wreck underwater and head for it. After an unsuccessful search, we decided to surface and lo and behold, there were several snorkelers in one spot not far from us.

Ultimately, we could only see the wreck from above. We couldn’t get down in full diving gear and with an empty tank on our backs – too much lift. So, we had to paddle back the rest of the way at the surface. It was a shame because the motto of the dive was “Wreck diving for beginners”. Well, beginners that is. 😉

This wouldn’t have happened with a guide

If you want to be on the safe side at the tugboat, you can talk to our partner Bryan from Dive Travel Curacao. He has information about the dive site on his website and has also uploaded a video of the underwater world at Tugboat Beach to YouTube:

Alternatively, you can also reach out to Tug Divers, a diving school run by the Epsilon Dive Center. There are also numerous beach signs from other dive centers on Tugboat Beach with telephone numbers you can call.

Various diving providers advertise with beach signs

There are plenty of other reasons to check out Tugboat Beach, even if you don’t plan on snorkeling or diving.

A new beach love

Over the last few years, the look and feel of the beach has changed quite a bit. This partly depends on what kind of ship is moored at the pier at the time. You can now find a kind of quaint hippy village with an artist’s workshop here, which invites you to chill out and relax. I have to admit, I’ve fallen in love with the beach all over again.

An almost meditative atmosphere…

The way the beach and the beach bar are decorated completely blew my socks – er, flip flops – off. Decorated? Yes, you really have to say that. Because if you like painted wooden signs and wind chimes and have a soft spot for decoration, you’ll get your money’s worth here. It’s colorful, quirky, and unique—a total work of art. I couldn’t get enough of it and took one photo after another.

Creative beach decor

Tugboat Beach – trash or flash?

The Tugboat Beach website refers to the careful treatment of Curacao’s flora and fauna. That’s why the decorations are made exclusively from recycled materials and natural products. A curiosity is certainly the disco ball, which reflects the sunlight and everything around in a cool way.

Funky beach disco!

But there are lots of other creative design ideas (DIY) that are great for upcycling at home, at least for those who like that sort of thing.

Bonbini to the beach bar

Maren, a lovely student from the Netherlands, gave us a warm welcome. On a map that looks like a pirate’s treasure map, she shows us what awaits us in the water. She does the service in the beach bar and is happy to explain everything you want to know. Unfortunately, she is already back home to finish her studies. I think she was a real asset to Tugboat Beach with her open and friendly manner.

The main building with the beach bar counter has become a small art gallery. Hand-painted pictures on canvas and wooden signs hang on the walls. They depict typical island motifs such as buildings, landmarks, animals and landscapes. There are also works of art by Bert Knubben, a local artist who carves sculptures from wood and dead coral that has washed up on the shore. Of course, you can buy all the artwork – prices on request, if it’s not already written on (the back).

Maren showing the works of local artists

“Be the artist”

You can also make your own souvenir from driftwood in a workshop on site. We got talking to the painter Frans Leon Mulder Jr. He and his colleagues run a store with their paintings in Punda and in the new Corendon. They also offer painting courses at Porto Mari Beach and want to expand to Aruba in the future.

Painting workshop at Tugboat Beach

A heart for animals

The beach bar area is home to a bunch of animal roommates. They’re fed and live in peaceful harmony with the beach visitors. I remember dogs and cats that blended in wonderfully with the decor, as well as the omnipresent iguanas.

The fact that the animals are looked after here underlines what Maren told us: Part of the proceeds from the sale of the artwork goes towards the upkeep of the animals. When we visited the beach, one of the artists and a dog were at the vet.

Deco-beer and a change of perspective at Tugboat Beach

I had a tough time getting up from the lounge furniture in the shade. It was a combination of the comfort of the furniture and the beer. I also struck up a conversation with a nice Belgian couple. He was looking for a dive buddy and I tried my first attempts at speaking Dutch with her (they were from Flanders).

Meanwhile, Stefan took to the skies with his drone, soaring over the area around Tugboat Beach from a bird’s eye view. The nearby sights are just a stone’s throw away. So, you might want to allow a little more time for your tour of Tugboat Beach.

The Caracas Bay from above

More interesting things to see next to Tugboat

On the way to tugboat, as you descend from a hill towards Caracasbaai, you can admire Spanish Water with its many yachts on your left. Perhaps a quick stop at the marina?

The marina at Spanish Water

We continue along Caracas Bay to Fort Beekenburg, an old fortress from which the area around Spanish Water used to be defended. The round castle is well preserved and you can climb up to the highest battlements. The view from up there is magnificent and the old cannons are always good for a photo.

View from Fort Beekenburg to the Caracasbaai

Behind Tugboat Beach is the Quarantaine Gebouw, an old, crumbling building that once actually housed sailors in quarantine, as the name suggests. The view from there is also fantastic, as the building is a little higher up on the cliffs.

The quarantine building above Tugboat Beach

Just a little further on is the Directeurs Baai beach, which is a hidden gem. It’s small but beautiful, even if it’s a little rockier and more coral than other beaches. Unfortunately, you won’t find powdered sugar sand like at Kleine Knip. We visited the directors beach at sunset and found it very romantic.

Golden hour at Directors Bay beach