Aruba · west-facing
Aruba Palm and Eagle Beach
Stale data
Our newest NOAA observation is too old to stand behind, so we hold the level back rather than pass it off as current.
Head to head editorial
Aruba vs Curacao vs Bonaire: the ABC islands compared
It is a three-way tie on geography: Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire all put their main beach zones on leeward west coasts, the most sheltered setup this atlas tracks.
The reasoning
Why the map says what it says
Pick among these three on trip factors, because the seaweed odds rarely will: all three coasts below face away from the open Atlantic. The one real caution is on Bonaire, where the windward east side around Lac Bay is far more exposed than the Kralendijk coast this atlas rates; if your plans center on that side, the card below does not describe it. As everywhere, a sheltered coast is odds rather than a promise, so glance at all three cards before booking.
Right now
Current risk level, side by side satellite-derived
Both measured from NOAA's update of . Each card rates one specific stretch of coast; open a destination for the full picture.
Curacao · west-facing
Curacao West Coast
Stale data
Our newest NOAA observation is too old to stand behind, so we hold the level back rather than pass it off as current.
Caribbean Netherlands · west-facing
Bonaire
Stale data
Our newest NOAA observation is too old to stand behind, so we hold the level back rather than pass it off as current.
The record
November, five years back satellite-derived
Raw satellite floating-algae detections near each coast for this month in each of the past five years (brighter orange and red = stronger signal). These are detections, not risk ratings: clouds and glare can hide algae, offshore mats do not always land, and the nearshore strip is blanked where the signal is unreliable. Click any map for that month's full Caribbean view.
Making the call
How to decide
- Read the cards above, including the full mix of levels, not just the headline.
- Open a beach cam for each contender if one exists; nothing beats looking.
- Ask each hotel for a same-day photo of its swimming beach.
- Remember the atlas rates coastlines, not resorts: one cove can beat its neighbor on the same morning.
More head-to-heads on the compare page, or build a shortlist from scratch with where beaches stay clearer.