Tugboat Beach

Tugboat Beach – journey to the shipwreck

On the southeast coast of Curaçao, near the port of Caracasbaai, lies Tugboat Beach. This beach is especially famous for its unique underwater world. Although you won’t find a classic Caribbean white sand beach here, a unique experience awaits you. Hiding just beneath the surface is one of the island’s most famous shipwrecks. This small sunken warship is the one that gave the beach its name.

You will not be impressed by the beach or its surroundings

The road to the beach goes past the oil rig, which we also had to park at. We were a bit surprised by this construction – we didn’t expect it. Having an oil rig near Tugboat Beach is related to the historical development of oil extraction in the area, and is now almost the only industrial contrast to the pristine white beaches.

There are signs leading from the platform to the beach, but you don’t need them as the beach is right next door. Neither the sharp pebbles that make it up nor the colour of the water appealed to us at all. However, we knew the underwater world would make up for it.

Journey to the wreck

Since the wreck is not right by the shore, you have to swim a short distance to it. Take your water shoes with you – you will need them as the shore is full of sharp rocks. From the edge of the beach, you will see three piers. The first one is connected by ropes to the oil rig. From here, the corals start to appear, and interesting fish show up. Behind the second and third piers lies a shipwreck.

It’s not far, and there are no currents, so you won’t have a problem swimming to the wreck – and it’s worth it. Also, coral is already slowly forming around the piers, so you can enjoy the beauty that Tugboat Beach has in store for you along the way.

Underwater paradise at Tugboat

The main attraction of this beach is the sunken tugboat, which lies at a depth of about five meters and is easily accessible even for beginners. Once the wreck of the tugboat, it has become home to an abundance of coral, fish and other marine life. Corals cover the rusty body, playing with all the colours of the rainbow. Among them, schools of tropical fish scurry about, unafraid to approach you and watch you curiously.

Thanks to the clear water, you can admire the beauty of the underwater world even from the surface. Here you will find various species of fish such as parrot fish, moray eels and barbed fish.

Since the wreck is really in shallow water, you can peek inside the ship through the windows. You will not only see schools of fish, but also more details of the ship itself. There’s still a briefcase inside – probably with tools. Can you find it too?

Unorganized and barren

Although Tugboat Beach is about a 15-minute drive from downtown Willemstad, you’d look in vain for tourists here. We were completely alone. You won’t find sun loungers here either, but you don’t need them. You are not going to want to stay on the beach. We also just came here, put our stuff down on the shore, and were in the water snorkelling the whole time. After us, another family came, who also came here just for the underwater world.

There is a beach bar by the beach, but I don’t know if it’s ever open. It was closed when we were there, and it looked like it had been abandoned for some time. We spent about an hour and a half on the beach and then moved on to the beautiful Cas Abao Beach, where we stayed until the evening. Alternatively, you can go to Kokomo Beach, which is closer.