Baby Beach officially known as Klein Lagoen, is a shallow, sheltered man-altered
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...
located in the Mangle Cora locality near the village of Seroe Colorado (formerly Roode Berg), on the south-west side of the south-east end of the island of
Aruba
Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...
. It is frequented by locals and tourists. It is nicknamed Baby Beach as the water is so calm it is safe for very small children. Because of the calm water,
snorkeling
Snorkeling (American and British English spelling differences#Doubled in British English, British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of human swimming, swimming face down on or through a body of water while breathing ...
at this beach is safe for children and others new to snorkeling.
The beach is popular mostly due to the lack of waves and the shallow water. The "Refineria di Aruba" oil refinery is within sight of Baby Beach. However, because of the direction of local currents, Baby Beach has clean, clear water.
The water level is generally waist high on the inside but towards the inlet, it deepens significantly. Marine life in the lagoon includes
barracuda
A barracuda is a large, predatory, ray-finned, saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1815. It is found in tropical and subtropical oceans worldw ...
,
squid
A squid (: squid) is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight cephalopod limb, arms, and two tentacles in the orders Myopsida, Oegopsida, and Bathyteuthida (though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also ...
,
parrot fish,
blowfish,
angelfish,
eels, and many other small fish. The range of most of these animals is limited to the inlet.
At the beach there is a small snack stand, and chairs and umbrellas for rent. Four-wheel-drive cars, for driving around the beach, are also available to rent.
This is not a nude beach. Public nudity is illegal on Aruba. Topless sunbathing is tolerated on beaches in resort areas, though not on resort grounds. Topless beaches include the Renaissance Island and De Palm Island. These islands have adult beach areas where topless sunbathing and swimming are allowed.
History
In the 1950s, the Aruba Esso Club was built as part of
Lago Colony (present-day Seroe Colorado), at Baby Beach (on the west side of the lagoon).
The club included a restaurant, dance floor, and a baseball stadium. In the lagoon, there was a dock and small shacks (one of which is still standing). Today, there is only one large, abandoned building (with one business, a dive shop, still in operation).
See also
*
Lago Colony
References
External links
Baby Beachat the Aruba Tourism Authority
{{Authority control
Beaches of Aruba
San Nicolaas