Curaçao Sea Aquarium

The Curaçao Sea Aquarium sits on the southeast coast at Bapor Kibra, just outside Willemstad, and is the island's flagship family marine attraction. Unusually, much of it uses an open seawater system fed directly from the ocean, so the reef tanks and lagoons hold living Caribbean coral and the fish that depend on it, rather than artificially filtered water.

The displays run from coral-reef tanks and a touch pool to larger lagoons holding sharks, sea turtles, rays, and tropical fish. Beyond simply looking, the park is built around animal encounters: with a guide you can snorkel or dive in supervised enclosures, feed and touch southern stingrays, meet sea lions, and watch feeding sessions, making it a hit with children and first-time snorkellers.

An all-day marine park

The complex spreads along its own stretch of sheltered shoreline, with a small beach and calm water for swimming, so families often make a full day of it. For an even closer encounter with the island's dolphins, the neighbouring Dolphin Academy shares the same Sea Aquarium park.

• Encounter programmes (stingray feeds, sea-lion meets, snorkel and dive sessions) usually cost extra and are best booked ahead.
• The on-site beach and calm lagoon make it easy to combine sightseeing with a swim.

Arrive when it opens to catch the first feeding sessions and beat the heat, bring reef-safe sunscreen and swimwear, and book any animal-encounter add-ons in advance, especially on cruise-ship days.