Diving and internship in Aruba
Bon dia, Bon dia!
That’s how every day started on Aruba—a sunny greeting that immediately made me feel at home. I arrived on the island to complete an internship as part of my biology studies, focusing on soil and plant research. My goal was to investigate soil properties in different locations like Spaans Lagoen and explore their potential for agriculture and construction.
“From the beginning, Aruba felt special.”
The locals were very welcoming and always ready for a chat, especially when I tried speaking some broken Papiamento. There were many street dogs and cats. One friendly cat came by our house almost every day, only leaving after having received it’s share of fish (we bought a bag of fish for the cat).
One of my most memorable interactions was with a park ranger. His deep connection to the island and its environment was inspiring. During our time together, we performed many conservation activities. One particularly touching moment was finding a young, injured hummingbird. Carefully, I fed it sugar water with a tiny 1 ml pipette, watching its delicate tongue reach into the tube. Together, we also fed endangered Loras (parrots) and we ensured that the Shoco’s (burrowing owls) were not disturbed by a nearby tennis event—these birds had made their nest on the podium, so they had to be relocated. We even caught some invasive Boa Constrictors!
But let’s talk diving—the real highlight of my time here. I managed to squeeze in around ten dives during my stay. Thanks to a budget-friendly dive shop I could dive for cheap. I brought my own stuff, so I only needed to rent a tank. Packing all my equipment wrapped carefully in bubble wrap on the plane certainly paid off!
”My first dive on Aruba, which happened to be a night- and wreck-dive, was unforgettable!”
The wreck, which was 120 meters long, was about a 30-minute swim from shore. We went under as the sun was setting. Swimming through the shadows of this sunken ship, illuminated only by our dive lights, was a surreal feeling. Turtles glided gracefully around us and we saw a giant pufferfish and moray eel. Coming back up, we swam back for about 40 magical minutes under a blanket of stars.
Another memorable dive was at an abandoned industrial site, where we explored a surreal underwater landscape. On a different occasion, we had an unforgettable encounter with a tiger shark. Luckily, it was “only” about three meters long, making the experience thrilling rather than terrifying!
On another night dive we saw many flatfish, octopuses, moray eels and even some small squids hunting. However, perhaps the most magical experience was our night dive with bioluminescence. During this dive, we saw beautiful shrimps and a stingray. Near the end of the dive, we decided to take off our equipment, and sat down in a sandy patch amongst the coral. With just the regulators in our mouth, we started waving our hands and kicking our feet, producing the most enchanting light show I will remember forever. Besides bioluminescent algae, even the corals produced light. All in all, a profound experience.
Between dives, fieldwork kept me busy. We explored soil properties in Spaans Lagoen, analyzing nutrients and sediment suitability for different applications. Hopefully, our data proves useful for the Aruba Conservation Foundation (ACF), and they can put it to good use in local ecological restoration or sustainable land management projects.
My last dive, again at the Antilla shipwreck, felt like a fitting farewell. Hovering above the rusting hull, surrounded by a cloud of vibrant reef fish, I couldn’t help but reflect on everything this island had given me: incredible diving adventures, fascinating research experiences, and wonderful connections with locals and other researchers & students whose warmth and hospitality made Aruba feel like home.
I’m already looking forward to returning someday, maybe to see how our work has contributed to preserving this beautiful piece of paradise. Until then, bon bini and masha danki, Aruba!
– Jelle Kok
