Curacao: Sea Turtle Swim & Grote Knip + Free Underwater Photos

Grote Knipp Beach is absolutely beautiful. The water is so clear. The sea turtles were amazing and fun to watch. They swim right past you.

Amazing experience, fun day, great beaches with two great guides: Patrick and Eddie Swam with the turtles and learned about the island

Jeremiah, our guide was excellent. The beach was beautiful but be prepared to pay for everything including showers. The turtle swim was just OK. Not the tour operator's fault; it just wasn't what I was expecting.

amazing experience exactly as advertised. great driver and tour guide, beautiful turtles to swim with and good information and sights on the way to the destination. would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for something to do.,\

Snorkeling was worth the entire cost of the excursion. Just needed better instruction for where we were getting picked up. Overall...Patrick was awsome...

This was the excursion we had on our 12 day cruise. After an informative, interesting ride to the "turtle" beach, we were led by our guide, Patrick, to swim in an area frequented by wild turtles and fish in the wild. This not a "Sting Ray alley" type of area. Turtles of all sizes and fish frequent it due to the fish remains discarded in the area by commercial fisherman. The water was warm, crystal clear and teaming with turtles. We were provided with masks and snorkels and had the best time ever. The other beach we visited was simply gorgeous. We will definitely do this again if we get back to Curacao.

Very nice day. Pick-up was on time and very smooth. Jeremiah our driver was very knowledgeable and fun. Patrick at the turtle swim was fantastic. He was fun and did a great job with pictures.

Would definitely recommend booking this excursion. On the way to the beaches it was great to learn about the history of Curacao. Once there, the turtle photos were unbelievable and the second beach stop had the bluest water we saw our whole trip.

Loved every moment! We were worried because the morning stared off with a downpour which was so unexpected but Patrick our guide assured us it was only on our end of the island and he couldn't have been more right. From a heavy down pour flooding streets to 20 minutes later clear skies and completely dry roads you would have have guessed. Speaking of Patrick, he was an outstanding tour guide. He and his co-guide and our driver Eddie gave us so much information about not just the beautiful beaches but about the history and culture of Curacao. We learned about the strength and perseverance of the early islanders and how the name Curacao even came to be. On our way to see the flamingos we listened to Patrick as he pointed out the internal structure of the island and how the little desert does so much...or so little lol. Grote Knip was our first beach stop and it was fun...a bit crowded but everyone wanted to see the turtles. It is a lifesaver having Patrick be the taker of the photos and videos! We got plenty of great shots on the ride back and I was surprised at just how close (but not too close) he was able to get with the Go Pro. The turtles were so beautiful and sneaky...one minute you are waving them over with "treats" the next they are bumping up behind you. Playa Kenepa was gorgeous. White sands and some of the clearest waters I have every seen. It was enough to just lie on the beach and admire it honestly. Overall a great trip. Thanks Patrick and Eddie!

Patric and “Sexy” Eddy were AMAZING. I did this excursion 4 years ago also and this was even better than before. Getting pictures included made it even more memorable. Saw lots of turtles.

This was a great experience and well worth the cost. Patrick and Eddie picked us up from the hotel, gave us some history of the island, and gave us two great swimming spots. Patrick takes great underwater photos while swimming with the turtles and makes sure you have all of them on the ride back to town.

Honestly this is one of the best excursions we have been on. Patric and Eddie went above and beyond to ensure we enjoyed ourselves. I would highly recommend!

Had to receive help from port authority to find the group I was to be traveling with. (as they were leaving) The tour operator did not have me on his list of guests and had to access his phone to see that I was in fact a part of that day's tour. First stop the beach was absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed a short time in the water and then sat out waiting on our driver, nervous to the fact of being left behind because of the above-mentioned oversight. The 2nd part of the trip - snorkeling - This was the truly disgusting. We were taking to a pier area where they chum the water to get a few sea turtles to stay nearby. We were swimming with fish pieces (heads, tails, pieces of meat) floating around you and accumulating on the sea floor. I ventured out, got a quick video and left the water to shower. The smell was also BAD!!! The positives- Sexy Eddie and Patric were great guides, very personable and kept us entertained. Sexy Eddie is an excellent driver, and I did not feel overwhelmed at any point. Patric took some beautiful pictures with his gopro that we all received free. If you stay in the water, you may get a good photo of you and the turtle. Alas it was not meant to be for me.

Patrick and Sexy Eddie hosted an amazing tour. In addition to a fantastic experience swimming with the turtles, they also provided a wonderful history of the island of Curaço from the 1500s to the present. We visited a first beach to snorkel with the turtles. There we had a safe and private space to leave our belongings while we gathered our complimentary snorkeling equipment and headed to the water. Patrick knew just what to do to get the turtles to come closer in order to get great photos. We were reminded not to touch the turtles though they came very close to us. After our amazing turtle experience we visited a second beautiful beach for some swimming and relaxation time. The combination of education, sightseeing, an amazing turtle snorkeling experience and wonderful photos made this excursion truly incredible. I would 100% recommend this to others.

It was the highlight of our trip. The pictures say more than I can ever verbally do the excursion justice

This was the 1st time we had ever swam with turtles and we were not disappointed. Eddie and Patrick were great hosts, although was a bit hard to hear Eddie from the back of the bus. Prompt pickup from cruise exit 2 for us arriving on a cruise. This was communicated a few days prior too. The turtles were fascinating. Granted, it was a busy beach due to tourists but Patrick did everything he could to feed the turtles away from the general public. We had ample snorkelling time with snorkeling equipment provided. A private rooftop terrace meant our bags were safe. A free beach shower to use afterwards but the toilet costs $1 and staff were quite rude and only accept local currency or 1 dollar notes, not the coins we had on us. Water and fizzy drinks offered complimentary and excellent GoPro photos were taken and sent by air drop for free on the ride home. The 2nd beach was very nice and a brief visit for an hour was sufficient to have a nice swim and get some food from food vans. We didn’t get the flamingo visit, he said this was because they weren’t there but also we had overran on time, so not sure we had to time squeeze them in anyway. Drop off offered in a location of our choice. No desperate tipping requests were made but we did leave a tip as it was worth the trip.

The driver referred to multiple people as lazy, even the dead at a cemetery. If this was banter with Patrik it took it too far. Sexy Eddie would get upset about others driving/parking skills and his wasn’t better. This was described as 12 people or less. Our group was way over this number. The sea turtle experience is not private. It is a public area. This is the beach with dead fish on ocean floor. In order to see the turtles Patrik feeds them dead fish that he swims to the bottom to get from what fishermen have left. So they feed the turtles, the group is way larger than 12, you are at a beach swimming/snorkeling with dead fish and Patrik does not get pictures with everyone. If you stay close you get a picture but others not in the group take advantage of him luring the turtles in and also get in the pictures/way. Seeing the turtles was amazing, but this is not described well in the posting and makes you think you are getting something else than what you are receiving.

Patrick and Sexy Eddie were awesome. We loved the beaches and the turtle experience. Very generous with the sodas and water. Price is fair for the experience. Sorry about the rear end accident. We hope you were able to fix the bus. We did not get to say goodbye to the sexy boy. lol! Send our regards. Eddie went above and beyond.

Eddie and Patrick were great and fun. The van was good, had air, and drinks. We did see 2 sea turtles. They fed them to get their attention. Unsure we would have seen otherwise. We had our own rooftop area which was nice. Bathroom costs $1. We snorkeled with them about and hour before going to another beach. Tour was about 5.5 hours. I would recommend. Had food options at both beaches.

My husband and I read the wonderful reviews and had to see for ourselves. The reviews do not lie. Patrick and Sexy Eddie are great!! We saw many many turtles, history of the island, and received non-alcoholic beverages. The photos provided are absolutely amazing. The camera quality that Patrick uses and AirDrops to you before being dropped off is great! Reminder this is a bus tour not a boat tour. I saw people knocking stars in previous reviews for this. Nowhere does it say they take you on a boat tour. This is a bus that stops places. Unfortunately no flamingos were at the sanctuary and we skipped that. The last stop at Grote Knip was a nice relaxing time. The smoothie truck before heading down the stairs is fresh fruit and delicious.

Patrick was informative and fun. The pictures were Incredible. Thank you for a wonderful day! Prompt pick up and drop off:)

Wonderful! Fun! The whole experience was fantastic. It’s a great way to see Curavao and the guides were great. Our guide was a true turtle whisperer. When we first got in the water, there wasn’t much to see, but he worked his magic and the rest was simply amazing.

Patrick is the man! You will love his German accent and his passion for Curaçao! He is great. This swimming with turtles was truly unforgettable, really. You get more than enough time with them and this is truly up close and personal. Just remember ‘no touching’! What a cool experience with other cool stops along the way, flamingos, a beach that is stunning and a super interesting island history. If I go back here I’m doing this again.

This was a great experience! Patrick and Sexy Eddie were great guides around the island, very informative and fun. The group was small and we did not feel rushed. At Playa Piskado, the turtles were right with us and Patrick made a great effort to get photos with each group member. *Remember your water shoes. Grote Knip was a beautiful beach and we had a good hour there to swim. It was very busy but enjoyable.

Patrick and Eddie (driver) were amazing and shared a lot of history about the island during our bus ride to Grote Knip and turtle beach. We brought our own snorkeling gear and were able to see a lot of fish at Grote Knip, right from a shore snorkel. Turtle beach was busy, but Patrick tried to keep our group away from the crowds and we saw lots of turtles and fish. The water is not too deep and it was great to be able to walk in from shore and swim, Beaches in Curacao are rocky so you may want to wear water shoes. We were here on a cruise and they made sure to have us back to the terminal in plenty of time. For cruise passengers, pick up us right outside Gate 2 of the terminal but they also pick up at several hotels. We’ve done several other turtle snorkels in other places and this one ranks among one of the best! 10/10 recommend!!

Patric on time at cruise port. Took us to flamingos, took about 30 photos of just us and over 100 photos of the small group with the turtles, and to a nice beach for an hr. Then dropped us off at ferry for shopping before we went back to cruise ship.

We received a text the night before our tour informing us that our pickup time would be pushed from 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM. We thought, “No big deal, it’s only 30 minutes.” However, at 9:21 AM—just minutes before we were supposed to be picked up—we received another text saying that the tour was cancelled and that we would be rebooked for the following day. We booked this tour specifically because it was the one thing I wanted to do for my birthday. Swimming with sea turtles was the only “must-do” activity I had planned for this trip, so you can imagine how incredibly disappointing it was to have it cancelled at the last minute. We immediately let them know that rebooking for the next day was not an option because we were flying home. While they did credit us for the cost of the trip, that does not make up for the way this was handled. The lack of communication and professionalism was extremely frustrating. If there was an issue that was going to cause the tour to be cancelled, we should have been notified much earlier—not at 9:21 AM after we had already gotten ready, rearranged our morning, and were expecting to leave. A last-minute cancellation is disappointing under any circumstances, but when this was the one activity I had specifically planned for my birthday, it made the experience that much worse. Things happen, and I understand that tours can sometimes be cancelled due to circumstances outside of a company’s control. What I don’t understand is waiting until the very last minute to notify customers and then simply offering to “rebook” them for a day when they are no longer in town. Unfortunately, despite receiving a credit, the way this situation was handled left a very bad impression. We planned and paid for this experience, and it was a huge disappointment to have the one thing I was most looking forward to on my birthday taken away because of poor communication and unprofessional handling of the cancellation. I would not recommend booking this tour if you have a tight schedule or are traveling specifically for the experience.

We had an awesome time on our turtle swim and Curaçao beach tour! Our guide, Patric, was fantastic— very personable, accommodating, and knowledgeable. He gave us a great history of Curaçao along the way, which made the drive to our first stop more enjoyable. The turtle swim was incredible! We got to swim with around 10 sea turtles, and Patric made sure we arrived early enough to enjoy the experience before the crowds arrived. He also took lots of photos and videos of us with his GoPro and AirDropped everything to us before we headed back. That was an added bonus! Our next stop was Grand Knip Beach. It was absolutely gorgeous! We had about an hour to relax, swim, enjoy the beautiful water, and grab a bite to eat before heading back. There were a couple food trucks, and a smoothie stand. The mango passionfruit smoothie is amazing! I highly recommend this tour!

Patrick and Sexy Eddy, best tour guides ever!!! Epic experience swimming with the sea turtles!!! Patrick was a wonderful and patient swim guide. Loved it!!!

They will not be disappointed. Wonderful time swimming in the ocean. Our guide Patrick and our driver Eddie made this a very fun and exciting experience

Such amazing experience!! We swam with sea turtles for nearly a hour!! Patrick took photos in the water and sent them to us!! We have so many cool underwater shots! This is a must do activity!!

Patric and Sexy Eddie did an amazing job and we book this again without hesitation! Patric’s knowledge of the island was impressive and he was very engaging throughout the transfer. Once we got to the beach, Patric made sure everyone in the group felt comfortable in getting in the water and snorkeling. He was attentive and for those others in our group that were tentative, he went above and beyond in helping them to feel comfortable. Sexy Eddie did an amazing job with driving us safely. How he was able to negotiate the traffic in our bus is beyond me, but he made it seem effortless. He was also very knowledgeable of the history of Curacao. Patric’s pictures were with a GoPro, were absolutely perfect, and we could not have asked for a better tour and/or tour guides!

This was such a fun introduction the the island. Swimming with the turtles was unreal. Such an incredible experience. Bring cash for the bathrooms and to rent a lounge chair at the beach.

The sea turtle adventure was amazing. Patric was a wonderful guide, very informative about the history of curaçao, and wonderful with the turtles. He is the turtle whisperer. Thanks again Patric!

We saw 4 turtles. It was amazing.

This was so unprofessional ! I called numerous of times off two phones, texted on the app, texted the phone , no one answered the hours later they want to call back and say we was not outside ! We stayed at the Renaissance Hotel . Our pick up was at 9:00am ! we were outside our hotel from 8:40am-9:10am. At 9:11am we were walking across the street to book a car to just go ! I really wanted to do this activity since my other activity was a bust !Then we drove to the location on the viator app just for it to be some houses ! No beach in sight ! Then the company waits five hours later to reach out and ask me to reschedule 😐 THEN I call them to talk to them they dismiss me and tell me they offered a refund ! How is that when yall just asked me to reschedule ?? NEVER AGAIN !!

Patrick & Eddie were fun tour guides/ sharing some island history before our sea turtle adventure Stopped at a beautiful beach for a bit before going on to the snorkeling spot. The turtle encounter was surreal being face to face with them! Patrick took over 100 pictures sharing with us afterwards Cool drinks were provided on the excursion I would highly recommend

Our tour guide was amazing. He was funny and very knowledgeable. He made the whole experience so entertaining. He also took amazing pictures. I will def book this again next time I visit. I highly recommend this experience with them

The ride out to the turtle swim was fact filled and fun! Both the driver Sexy Eddy and our Guide Patrick gave a robust history of the island and colorful banter. The swim was fantastic and there were lots of turtles around. Patrick took some great pictures that everyone received immediately. Grote Knip beach has to be the most beautiful beach on Curacao! Highly recommend!

Patrick and Eddy were good trip leaders and gave great overview of Curaçao on the trip. Overall, however, the excursion was not marketed well/completely. First, it was stated that the turtles were not fed and would be a natural experience. Patrick did hand feed the turtles. It was very cool to see the turtles, but as conservationists, we don’t support hand feeding. The second beach needed better information. There was nowhere to sit or put our things so we could swim or even enjoy the sun. Chairs were available for rent at a day rate, but it seemed crazy to rent them for an hour visit. Also cash was required to use the bathroom. Beautiful beach, but we ultimately ended up just looking at it and returning to the bus.

This excursion was so much fun! Patrick was an amazing tour guide with so much knowledge! He had the turtles eating out of the palm of his hand and took so many great pics of us for free! My friend and I really enjoyed this experience with a bonus of seeing flamingos at the last stop! Would def recommend! 10/10! Thank you!

Patrick is a great tour guide. If you can pick one excursion on the island i recommend this one. Money well spent.

The turtle experience was absolutely amazing! Our tour guide Patrick, was very knowledgeable and gave us a wonderful history of the Island on our drive. In the water he made sure to get every person on our trip swimming with the turtles. We were only at Grote Knip beach for a little over an hour. If you decide to order from the food trucks beware (they take 25-30 mins- leaving little to no time to swim.).

This was the highlight of our vacation to Curacao. Patrick is very energetic and passionate about sharing this country with visitors. It was seamless and I didn’t feel rushed

They were wonderful and made sure we got back to our cruise on time. We unfortunately had a really short stop on the island but they helped make the most of it. The snorkeling was gorgeous and we definitely saw turtles!

Such an amazing experience. Patrick and sexy Eddy were superb. They were funny, personable and made the turtle experience worth wild. I can’t recommend them enough! They made my bucket list dream come true!

I loved seeing the turtles. It was invigorating and the team’s customer service was amazing as well!

The experience itself was nice and the tour guide was great, but the poor logistics soured it overall. We spent more than four hours on the bus. I would have appreciated the description noting how long we would be on the bus, or a heads up from the guide based on our specific location. I specifically booked this looking for a half day adventure, but the whole thing was nearly 7 hours, despite being described as 4-4.5. We now feel like one of our last days was somewhat wasted on a bus, which is disappointing. If you’re closer to the west side of the island and don’t have a rental car, it’s probably worth it. But it was a miss for us staying in Jan Thiel.

Patrick and his team did a wonderful job organizing this event. Seamless communication from start to finish. Highly recommend the tour. Got wonderful photos taken with the turtles.