Sea Turtles at Klein Curacao

Sea turtles live around Klein Curacao, but no boat can promise you one. In the tourist board’s words there is a “possibility of encountering sea turtles”; a report in the Ramsar Convention’s library records three species nesting on Curacao and on Klein Curacao. The catamaran day that hands you a snorkel and mask for the search is Irie Tours’ Curacao: Klein Curacao Catamaran Day Trip with Snorkeling, from $140 a person (checked November 2026).

What the records say

Klein Curacao and the sea around it are Ramsar site 2355, a wetland of international importance since 31 July 2018, with 249 hectares in all, per the Ramsar Sites Information Service.

The detail comes from a report in the Ramsar library by J. Fretey and P. Triplet, who set out their own reading of earlier studies:

• Three species are reported nesting on Curacao’s beaches and on Klein Curacao: the green turtle, the hawksbill and the loggerhead.
• The loggerhead is reported to nest on Klein Curacao only about three times a year.
• The seagrass beds around the island are feeding ground for green turtles.

The same report notes that the Convention’s Resolution XIII.24 lists Klein Curacao among the Ramsar sites with turtle habitat. It gives no nesting season, and none from a government or park source is cited, so none is printed here.

The odds on the day

The tourist board’s word is “possibility”, and that is the honest frame. Reviewers of Irie Tours’ catamaran saw turtles on some days: a couple writing in Dutch (23 October 2026) listed octopus, stingrays and turtles, and a five-star review in English (30 October 2026) mentions many turtles, stingrays and dolphins. A family writing in Portuguese (18 July 2026) had the opposite impression: marine life harmed by the many boats and people. Your chances depend on the day.

How to behave in the water

Curacao’s authorities have published no rule on distance from turtles at Klein Curacao that is cited here, so none is invented. The rule that does apply on the catamaran is its own: Irie Tours lists touching marine life as not allowed.

Check the catamaran with snorkel gear

Which catamaran for a turtle search

Snorkel gear decides it. Irie Tours and All Boat Charters' catamaran yacht include a snorkel and mask; the catamaran yacht’s own highlight is a “great possibility of encountering sea turtles”. BlueFinn Charters does not include snorkel gear, so bring your own. On any of them, the time you get in the water is the time on the island: see shade and time on the island.