Page 10 - AHATA

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local Friday 1 august 2025
Up for a snorkeling adventure in Aruba?

Top 3 shipwrecks to explore

(ORANJESTAD) - Aruba is opening her seacock and
not only the perfect vaca- setting her ablaze.
tion destination to sit back
and relax on the sandy Eventually, the crew was ar-
beaches but also has great rested, but SS Antilla could
snorkeling spots for pas- not be saved by the Dutch
sionate adventurers to ex- forces. The Dutch fired two
plore. On the coast of the rounds of their 35mm gun
island, there are various aboard the ‘Aruba’ at SS
shipwrecks that have be- Antilla and left her to sink.
come fan-favorites over
the years. Here are the top The shipwreck can only be
3 shipwrecks you should reached by boat. The ship
explore. is visible from the surface
and during your snorkeling
SS Antilla trip you’ll be surrounded by The remaining part stayed called “Blackthorn”. Her Jane is now beautifully
Dubbed “The Ghost Ship”, hundreds of tropical fishes, in Aruba and was used as last owner, S&D Shipping overgrown with coral and
SS Antilla is the biggest and but the shipwreck alone is target practice. Eventually, Ltd. named her Jane Sea. is home to a diverse set of
most visited shipwreck site already impressive enough. the ship became a snorkel- Jane was a cement freight- marine life, like turtles, octo-
off the coast of the island. ing site that has attracted er between Venezuela and pus, crabs and sometimes
Located in Malmok, this SS Pedernales many visitors throughout Aruba. even nurse sharks.
400-foot ship’s story is one Like the Antilla, the story the years.
of capture and sabotage of SS Pedernales dates to The story goes that the The stories behind these
during WWII. WWII. Pedernales was used Pedernales lies on the Jane Sea arrived one day shipwrecks enriches their
as a lake tanker between north-west coast of Aruba, at the Barcadera Harbor, exploration and offers snor-
After Germany invaded Venezuela and Aruba, and and is no more than 10 feet where Aruban customs dis- kelers and divers a glance
The Netherlands, Dutch sailed under British Flag. At under water, making it an covered several tons of co- into the past, as well as the
authorities ordered the this time, The US and Britain ideal site for snorkelers and caine. The ship was confis- beautiful marine life that
confinement of the ship’s were using Aruba and Cu- divers of all levels. cated and petitioned went have molded these wrecks
German crew, who were racao as fuel stations for out for her owner to claim into their home. So, grab
ported in Aruba because the war ships. Jane Sea Wreck her. However, several years your equipment and dis-
it needed to find a neutral The Jane Sea Wreck lies went by and no one came cover another side of what
port. The Dutch ordered Under operation Neuland near Palm Island at 100 feet forward to claim the ship, Aruba has to offer!
the ship to be confiscated, (disruption of British and underwater. Jane’s story is so dive operators decided
but the German crew had American oil sources), Ger- heavily speculated, mak- to sink her as an artificial We highly recommend you
other plans. Taking advan- many fleets bombed Ped- ing her origin a tale of leg- reef. This happened in 1988. embark on your adventure
tage of a delay caused ernales. The ship was later ends. Jane Sea earned the nick with the guide of a profes-
by an anticipated armed cut into three sections, two name Jane C, because of sional and be sure to take
resistance, the Germans of which were taken to Launched in 1959, the the illicit white powder dis- of yourself and Aruba’s pre-
started scuttling the ship, the US for reconstruction. 190-feet ship was initially covered on board. cious nature. q

Aruba Birdlife Conservation warns:
Do not touch or feed wildlife!

Touching or feeding wildlife feeding patterns and rela-
may seem harmless, but it tionships between species.
can have serious conse- There are health concerns
quences for both animals as well. Close contact can
and humans. Human food spread diseases between
is often unhealthy for ani- humans and animals,
mals and can lead to mal- sometimes with danger-
nutrition or illness. When ous or even deadly conse-
animals become used to quences. Feeding or touch-
being fed, they may lose ing wildlife poses risks to the
their natural instincts to for- broader environment.
age, making them depen- The best way to respect
dent on people for survival. and protect wildlife is to
observe from a distance
Interacting with wildlife can and to avoid touching or
also disrupt natural behav- feeding animals. This helps
iors. Animals that lose their maintain healthy animal
fear of humans are more populations, supports bal-
likely to approach people, anced ecosystems, and
which can put both at risk. ensures that natural areas
This change in behavior remain safe and sustain-
can lead to increased ag- able for everyone.
gression or accidents, and So, please refrain from
it can also interfere with lo- touching or feeding our
cal ecosystems by altering wildlife.q