The Aruba Atlantis Submarine expedition goes approximately 130 feet underwater and every inch of the way is a fun submarine trip on the US Coast Guard-certified Atlantis. Do you want to go underwater in Aruba, but you don’t want to dive? The Aruba submarine tour is an adventure for you!
Get ready because you will feel like you are walking through an aquarium but it’s a lot better than that because you are really under the ocean, 130 to 140 feet below!
Before you ride on the Aruba Submarine tour you will take a tender boat to get to the submarine and then you will get to experience a cool and engaging under-the-sea experience where you may see turtles, stingrays, fish, and more.
Do expect to pay a premium for this experience, but it is one of those things you do to have bragging rights from a perfect vacation, and Aruba itself is not inexpensive, so it is priced in line with all other things on the island.
Why You’ll Love The Aruba Atlantis Submarine Expedition
While the weather is always nice in Aruba you might want to escape the beach for a little and see under the water that you have been swimming in!
- the submarine trip to Aruba is a fun way to spend family time
- Your voyage through Aruba underwater seeing what many will not get to see
- your submarine voyage in Aruba is actually on a US Coast Guard Certified submarine named Atlantis
- When you take the voyage 130 feet under the sea, in the Atlantis Submarine you’ll get to see a lot of cool stuff but you won’t get wet and you don’t have to wear a wetsuit!
- You won’t feel pressure when you dive just in case you were curious
How Long Is The Aruba Submarine Tour?
Overall the tour is 2 hours, which consists of about 50 minutes of diving and then resurfacing in the submarine and the other part is transferring from the shuttle boat to the submarine and back.
You don’t board the submarine right at the dock, instead, you ride in a tender boat, that will take you to the Aruba Atlantis Submarine, all of which is a fun experience.
How Do You Get Into The Aruba Atlantis Submarine Expedition?
Is it true that you go down a ladder to get into the submarine trip in Aruba?
Yes, you really do go down a ladder to get into the Aruba submarine tour.
What Kind Of Seating Can I Expect On the Aruba Atlantis Submarine Expedition?
I hope you like sardines because you are going to be packed inside the Atlantis Submarine like a sardine, it’s tight and you are literally but cheek to butt cheek back to back, and elbow to elbow.
However, on the bright side, no matter where you sit, you are tight and packed in.
Do note, that every seat is a great seat on the Aruba Atlantis Submarine expedition because there are portholes in front of each of you.
Will You Know How Deep You Are While You Are Voyaging On The Aruba Submarine Tour?
Yes, there is actually a digital readout at the front and back of the submarine where you are seating while on the Aruba submarine tour and you can watch it display the diving depth and the ascending depth!
What Will I See On The Aruba Atlantis Submarine Expedition?
- fish (and you’ll find a chart onboard the Atlantis submarine to help you identify the different fish species you are seeing.
- sunken ships
- maybe turtles
- the ocean floor
Tips While Waiting To Board And Disembark The Atlantis Submarine in Aruba
- Everyone is going to get on and off on the same transfer boat, so instead of being total jerks about it, stop pushing as if you are going to get a better seat or off first, you are not!
- The Aruba submarine in the Atlantis Submarine (which is coast guard certified) is air-conditioned.
- What is not fun are the people that push and shove in front of you to get ahead and you all get on and off just about at the same time, so save us all, don’t be a jerk, just get in line and don’t push.
- Know that every seat below in the submarine is the same, with portholes for all of you.
- Once you are in your seat, you will be sitting there the whole time there is NO room to move and that is fine!
- Getting in and out takes longer when people are being ignorant idiots about trying to push their way to the front of the line, plain and simple, it’s annoying.
- Don’t bring a large handbag or backpack there is absolutely nowhere to stuff it except up the person’s butt cheek you are meeting when you sit, so go small!
- Do not expect to see tons of fish, as you may not and probably won’t but most marine life will be by the shipwrecks you will pass. Some days you may and sometimes you won’t
- If you want to have the day to yourself then take the earliest Aruba Atlantis submarine expedition you can, but do note that you have to book this ahead of time.
- Also, note that you will spend 20 minutes on one side so you might have a better view, then the Aruba submarine tour turns about to allow those on the opposite side of you to see the same thing, so about 20 minutes of real viewing time!
- Go to the bathroom before you get on the submarine.
- Get to the Aruba Submarine dock at least 30-45 minutes before departure.
- The interior windows of the submarine may not allow for premium photos and will create reflectivity so don’t expect to capture the prize-winning photo due to that.
What Else To Know About The Aruba Atlantis Submarine Expedition
The day we went on our Aruba Atlantis submarine expedition, the weather was awful above the ocean but great underneath.
We happened to be in Aruba during a bad spell of weather in January, and that is unusual and trust me, it was a weird weather week.
At no point in time did we feel sick or queasy even on the tender boat, it is not that long of a ride from the port to the submarine.
Truly this is a bucket list vacation item while in Aruba.
The shipwrecks are staged so do not expect to see ships that are actually wrecked, hope that does not take the wind out of your sail, and nonetheless, the shipwrecks are where you will see the most fish and marine life.
Expect to get a little wet going into the sub, the hatch after all was underwater with you on the submarine, so don’t wear your best clothes!
I believe the Aruba submarine tour is relative to your particular Aruba underwater experiences.
If you are a person who actually snorkels or dives, chances are, you may see more marine life snorkeling than on the sub ride in Aruba.
However, if you don’t go underwater when you are at the beach, and you don’t snorkel while you are in Aruba, then this is a great way to see under the water from inside the Atlantis submarine trip as you won’t get wet but you will see nice clear water!
Overall, this is one of those tourist things to do, in Aruba underwater, and it’s a one-and-done kind of thing. ~ Dana XO
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