Saba Tugboat Wreck at Jan Thiel
The Saba Tugboat is located, between Cornelius Bay and Sandy’s Plateau, just outside the inlet to ‘De Zoutpannen’, otherwise known as the salt pans or salt flats of Jan Thiel.
This dive site is interesting for both divers and snorkelers since the wreck of the Saba Tugboat is situated at a depth of only 12 meters and is fully covered with vegetation. The wheel house is gone and the deck is deteriorating, but it provides reef structure and home for a wide variety of marine life. Blue Chromis, Rock Beauties and other fish have made the Saba their new home.
The drop-off is only a few meters from the wreck where you will find an incredible array of sponges, corals plus the usual suspects like morays, doctor’s fish, glass fish and parrot fish.
Dive Tip: Enter the water and dive along the reef wall to reach the wreck between 5 and 12 meters. You will not be alone with your buddy. Numerous species inhabit the wreck. If you are lucky, you will even encounter seahorses. Due to the location of the Saba tugboat shipwreck, this dive is only accessible by boat. Please contact us for more details how you can dive this amazing Curaçao dive site.
Dive Site Recommendations
- Dive Type: Boat
- Snorkel Site: No
- Experience Level: Open Water (Min)
- Depth: 40 -120ft (12-36m)
Special Notes
Due to recreational & commercial boat traffic, an inflated surface marker buoy is mandatory when shore diving. Consult Ocean Encounters for additional details & recommendations.
Location of Saba Tugboat
About the Jan Thiel area
The History of Landhuis Jan Thiel
Landhuis Jan Thiel, named after early owner Jan Thielen, dates back over three hundred years. It once comprised over 3,000 acres just east of Willemstad, Curaçao and was a principal producer of salt from the extensive salt pans found on the property.
At one time it also had over 1,000 goats, 450 cattle and was a major producer of fruit for export. The Landhuis proper and out buildings sits high on ridge that overlooks the salt lake below. The property extended as far as the shores of what is now Jan Thiel Bay and in the 1920’s the owners developed one of the first resorts on the island.
Today that development has expanded exponentially and Jan Thiel is one of the major housing and resort developments on Curaçao. Fortunately much of the original plantation lands have remained undeveloped and are now a nature preserve which stretches right to the back gate of Landhuis Jan Thiel. While the original Landhuis fell into disrepair for years, in 1997 it was restored and the current owners, the Evers Lesschen family, have made it into a haven for a small number of guests. There are currently six rooms in the original Landhuis plus the two bedroom Red Cottage.
CLICK HERE for eight reasons to stay at Landhuis Jan Thiel
