Scuba Season
Underwater reef at Malmok
Declining

Malmok

Aruba · Caribbean

Malmok beach on Aruba's leeward northwest shore sits above the Antilla, a 400-ft German freighter scuttled in 1940 — the Caribbean's largest accessible wreck. The site's sheltered from Aruba's near constant trade wind, giving year round diveable conditions in warm, clear water.

How this reef is doing

ⓘ How we measure this

Reef state

Declining

The Antilla wreck is the headline dive and is not coral dependent — encrusted hull sections and resident fish life remain excellent. Living reef around Malmok has thinned since 2014 but Aruba's cooler, calmer conditions mean it fares better than many northern Caribbean sites.

Coral cover

18%
LowHealthy
Low

Fish life

Not surveyed

Heat

SafeBleaching

No unusual heat right now.

Safe now

Fishing

QuietBusy

Open to fishing, and the water is fairly quiet.

Open

Sources · AGRRA and GCRMN reef surveys · NOAA Coral Reef Watch · Global Fishing Watch and reef gravity

Coral cover over time

Live coral cover, by survey year

Across surveys in 2014 and 2024, live coral cover here has fallen from 26% to 18%. Every point is a real survey reading, never a projection.

Live coral cover, percent by year

40%0%region avg 16%20142024
Two surveys
Caribbean average (GCRMN)
AGRRA and GCRMN reef surveys

What you will see

9 species across the dive sites here

Dive sites

What divers say

The Antilla is the rare Caribbean wreck where you can genuinely spend a whole week diving the same site and still find new rooms.
— Aruba-based dive instructor

Good to know

Truck rental

Most dive ops offer a gear and truck package. Worth it for the independence to hit the site before the crowds.

Gear & getting wet

  • Basic kit

    • Mask and fins
    • BCD and regulator
    • 3mm full wetsuit · warm water
    • Dive computer