Beautiful French Angelfish at Boca Catalina in Aruba

Boca Catalina Snorkeling Guide [Rated + Reviewed]

by Nichole | Last updated Mar 31, 2025 | Aruba, Best Snorkeling Caribbean

Ask anyone where to snorkel in Aruba, and Boca Catalina almost always comes up—and for good reason. It’s easy to reach, calm enough for beginners, and full of colorful marine life. My husband and I spent a week exploring Aruba and snorkeled all over the island, and Boca Catalina definitely earned its reputation. In this guide, I’ll share how to get there, the best entry points, and what fish you might spot based on our firsthand experience.

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Table of Contents

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Aruba Snorkeling Rating System

My husband and I are avid snorkelers, so I’ve created snorkeling guides for all our “snorkations” around the world.

Please see the rating key below.

OVERALL SNORKEL RATING KEY

🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 = World-class snorkeling and worth traveling just for the snorkeling alone!

🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 = Incredible snorkeling and should be on your list of top things to do!

🤿 🤿 🤿 = Decent snorkeling and worth the effort!

🤿 🤿 = Worth consideration if you are running out of things to do!

🤿 = Not worth it!

If you want to discover my 4 FAVORITE Aruba snorkeling sites in ONE comprehensive list, click on the link below!

ULTIMATE ARUBA SNORKELING GUIDE

Boca Catalina Snorkeling

Entrance to Boca Catalina Beach in Aruba

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Rating: 🤿 🤿

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How to Get There

Catalina Cove is where you want to be.

There are two possible ways to access Catalina Cove, but one is much easier.

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01- Park at Boca Catalina Beach

The first option is to park at what’s labeled as Boca Catalina Beach on Google Maps and then snorkel to Catalina Cove.

Drive north along the main highway, L.G. Smith Blvd. There is a small parking area right off the main road.

A few palapas dot Boca Catalina Beach, which are in high demand!

When we parked, another car parked beside us shortly after. The lady raced over to secure the last palapa. We did not need the palapa; my husband and I were only there to snorkel.

But I thought it was funny how people elbow their way to make sure they get that palapa.

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02- Park at the Bend of Arashi Road

Parking at Catalina Cove in Aruba

The second option is to go a little further north past “Boca Catalina Beach” (as labeled on Google Maps) and park at Catalina Cove.

I could not get Catalina Cove to pull up in Google Maps.

The best way to describe how to find the parking for Catalina Cove is to follow L.G. Smith Blvd and take a left on Arashi Road.

The Catalina Cove parking area is right at the “bend” of Arashi Road.

See the map under “Where to Snorkel” below to help you get oriented.

There is limited parking in front of Catalina Cove, so go early if you want a parking spot.

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Snorkeling Map

Where to snorkel at Boca Catalina in Aruba

If you park at Boca Catalina Beach, enter the water and snorkel to the right towards Catalina Cove. There is not a lot to see right in front of Boca Catalina Beach.

If you park at Catalina Cove, you are right where the action is located. You will likely see several boats dumping off tourists here for snorkel tours.

Snorkel to the right around the rocky point towards Arashi Beach.

Arashi Beach is another great snorkeling site worth checking out.

If you are up for it, you can snorkel to the southern edge of Arashi Beach and exit there as we did. Then my husband walked the 10 minutes back to Boca Catalina Beach to pick up our car while I stayed with our snorkeling gear.

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Entry

Snorkeling entrance at Boca Catalina Beach

The entry point at Boca Catalina Beach is super easy. It has a nice sandy bottom.

The downside is there is not much to see right at the beach. You will need to snorkel to the right towards Catalina Cove for all the fish action.

Snorkeling entrance at Catalina Cove

We also entered at Catalina Cove. It’s mostly rocky, but there’s a little sandy strip which helps as you put your snorkeling gear on. See the photo above.

I always wear dive booties though so rocks are never a problem.

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Aruba Fish Sightings

The visibility was incredible!

We saw plenty of blue tang, sergeant majors, blue-striped grunt, French angelfish, white spotted filefish, parrotfish, surgeonfish, a flying gurnard, spotted trunkfish, and a school of Bermuda chub.

There were so many fish along the shallow reef. And we saw a moray eel!

We also saw pillar and brain coral.

All photos are taken with my favorite underwater camera.

French angelfish at Catalina Cove in Aruba

Snorkeling among school of yellow grunt and pillar coral at Catalina Cove in Aruba

Snorkeling among a school of yellow grunt and pillar coral at Catalina Cove

Zebra moray eel at Catalina Cove

Spotted trunkfish in Boca Catalina in Aruba

Spotted trunkfish at Catalina Cove

Blue-striped grunt at Boca Catalina in Aruba

Blue-striped grunt at Catalina Cove

School of Bermuda chub at Boca Catalina

Flying Gurnard at Boca Catalina

Final Thoughts

Our favorite snorkel sites are Tres Trapi and Mangel Halto, but Boca Catalina (specifically Catalina Cove) is still fun to explore.

The water is usually calm, visibility has always been good when we’ve snorkeled, and you’ll usually see some nice schools of fish.

The best section is snorkeling from Catalina Cove towards Arashi Beach.

I’m Nichole, the author of all the blog posts on Enriching Pursuits. Think of me as your geeky discerning travel friend who dives deep (Google Page 20, forums, travel groups deep!) to uncover the best ways to enjoy exceptional outdoor adventures and foodie experiences.

My husband and I are experienced snorkelers, day hikers, and casual cyclists who also love delicious street food, an incredible glass of wine, and the occasional Michelin-starred meal.

Balancing full-time careers, we cherish every second of our vacation days and love sharing tips to help you do the same. If this sounds like your kind of travel, subscribe below or drop me a note with any questions. I’d love to hear from you!