Blue Room Cave

Blauwe Kamer

Useful Information

Location:	East of Jan Donker on the coast. Best reached by boat tours. (12.297246, -69.155304)
Open:	no restrictions. Boat Tour: Al year Tue-Sun 13, 15. [2021]
Fee:	free. Boat Tour: Per Person ANG 22. [2021]
Classification:	sea cave Blue Grotto
Light:	n/a
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Let's Go Watersports, Playa Santa Cruz, Jan Donker, Tel: +5999-864-0438. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

The rather unimposing sea cave Blue Room Cave is a highlight on snorkeling boat trips. The cave is a sea cave which was washed into the reef limestone by the waves. It seems the layer it formed in is covered by a harder, more resistant layer, and so the ceiling is quite flat and only a bit above the sea level. It is possible to swim into the cave, but the sun cannot shine in through a portal. All the light inside is sunlight filtered through the clear seawater, which causes the typical blue hue of a blue grotto.

The cave is called Blauwe kamer (Blue Room), the name is Dutch as we are on the Netherlands Antilles. The bushland above the cave is called Mushroom forest, so the cave is also known as Mushroom Forest Cave. Such a second name is a good idea as Blue Grotto is a name which was given to dozens of caves in any imaginable language. However, it's the only Blauwe kamer we have listed on showcaves.com .

The only way to visit the cave is by swimming, so it is absolutely mandatory that you are a good swimmer. Not "Olympic Games" good, but "no fear of staying in the water for an hour" good. During low tide you may simply swim in along the ceiling, but during high tide a section of about 2 m is underwater. The blue hue is not influenced by the tide, but its necessary that the sun shines, which is not a big problem on the sunny island. The recommended time to go to the Blue Cave Room is around noon, when the sun is "at its sharpest". We guess any time in the afternoon is good, if it's not too late. However, if you are very lucky some dolphins may accompany you on your cave tour.

There is a pretty bad dirt road to the cave from Jan Donker, but nevertheless you have to swim to reach the cave. So there are actually four alternatives: either take a boat, a canoe, Jet Ski, or a short walk. The beach of Jan Donker is called Playa Santa Cruz and is only 1.5 km north of the cave. The Let's Go Watersports at the beach is owned Juni Obersi, nicknamed Captain Goodlife. He offers both rental canoes and Jet Skis, and boat trips to the cave. From Playa Santa Cruz you can also hike, it's only a 1.3 km hike on a dirt road. We recommend the boat trips with Captain Goodlife.