A-Z .... The ABC and D Islands on the Zuiderdam

[scubacruiserx2]

46 minutes ago, Love the beach said:

Your Aruba tour looked wonderful....I have been there several times but haven't seen those places. Going again in Feb. Was that a HAL tour or a private tour?

 

We booked a private tour .

[scubacruiserx2]

The next stop was a climb up the Casibari Rock formations

 

 

if you dare !

 

 

A look at Hooiberg

 

 

 

And to the East , what's this ?

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

It's a steep climb up and down (140' ) and we spied a lower vantage point at the red arrow

 

 

The views from the lower point

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

The sun was quite warm and the shade was a welcome relief

 

 

The Aruban Whiptail Lizard displays beautiful color

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Enjoying your reports and wonderful pictures.

 

Have been to Aruba many times and all those places you visited -- some have changed over the years.

[scubacruiserx2]

8 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

Enjoying your reports and wonderful pictures.

 

Have been to Aruba many times and all those places you visited -- some have changed over the years.

 

Thank you . We did get to go to some new ones for us which was nice . We had hoped to have dinner on the island but the 3 choices that we made we all closed on Sunday .

[scubacruiserx2]

One place that we had never been to was the Alto Vista Chapel 

[BarbinMich]

We did a similar island tour on Aruba the last time we were there--very much like a desert on the north side.  We love the ABC's and enjoyed them again through your photos!

[scubacruiserx2]

29 minutes ago, BarbinMich said:

We did a similar island tour on Aruba the last time we were there--very much like a desert on the north side.  We love the ABC's and enjoyed them again through your photos!

 

Thanks Barb . We're glad that you enjoyed Aruba and the photos .

[scubacruiserx2]

The next viewing area

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

The East coast is subject to trade winds and has a rugged beauty that is perfect for a photo op . A large natural bridge fell back in 2005 but there is a Baby Natural Bridge which is still there .

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

We had a 6 hour tour and we had requested a food stop . There is a line where you order whole  fish ( Snapper ) , Shrimp by weight or a Wahoo steak .  They gave you a number and we sat down at a low picnic table . We had stopped at a second line to by a local beer for Pat and a Heineken for me . The service was fairly quick and the food was good . There were fishing boats near us and a feeding frenzy when some people started to feed the gulls .

 

[MicCanberra]

Sounds like a great tour, will need to grab the name for when we eventually get there.

[scubacruiserx2]

38 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Sounds like a great tour, will need to grab the name for when we eventually get there.

 

We enjoyed it and she was totally flexible .

[scubacruiserx2]

One thing that we missed this trip was a chance to dive . We did have a nice dive last trip which we will reprise here .

 

Everybody on the boat spoke Dutch and English except 3 Americans , so most of the time we spoke English . Our first dive was 2 sunken airplanes nearby . And while we prefer reefs to wrecks but we did enjoy our dive . The first plane was the smaller of the two .

 

 

Pat and I tend to lead or lag when diving and taking photos . As experienced divers and diving with unfamiliar people we tend to lag and function as safety divers . Thus most of the group had swam toward the next plane when an excited Pat caught my attention . She gave the signal for an rare daylight octopus sighting . She later told me that she had seen a tentacle come out and grab a fish before the body came out to eat it on the tail of the plane !

 

 

Here's the video :

 

 

And when it felt threatened by us it expanded it's posture and body to try to scare us away !

 

[MicCanberra]

Wow, just amazing.

[scubacruiserx2]

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

Wow, just amazing.

 

They usually aren't seen in the day in the open . We love to watch them change colors which can be done rapidly .

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eizC0bmEnxc

 

 

[MicCanberra]

They really are amazing creatures, I liked the one that could pick the winners in soccer games. 

[slabeaume]

love seeing your island tours.  I can't seem to drag myself away from the water to see the islands.

 

[puppycanducruise]

Love your pictures of Aruba.  I want to go back.  Thank you.

[scubacruiserx2]

8 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

They really are amazing creatures, I liked the one that could pick the winners in soccer games. 

 

That was Paul the German octopus .

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

6 hours ago, slabeaume said:

love seeing your island tours.  I can't seem to drag myself away from the water to see the islands.

 

 

We loved diving there but we were trying to renew my life insurance and they considered diving dangerous behavior so we skipped it this trip . They cancelled us anyway .

[scubacruiserx2]

40 minutes ago, puppycanducruise said:

Love your pictures of Aruba.  I want to go back.  Thank you.

 

Thank you . The water and scenery was beautiful but it felt like Florida in the Summer . 😉 It suppose to go to 87 in the day here and the upper 40's tonight .

Edited January 4, 2020 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

After a few more sites we said goodbye to Esther . We forgot her tip so we E mailed her and met her after dinner . We were surprised that HAL was beginning to set up Christmas decorations on December 15 th .

 

[scubacruiserx2]

We had a close encounter with The Serenade of the Sea as it threaded the needle between us and the sandbar with a mangrove tree growing on it .