What you can see on the Mambo Beach cams
One camera looks along the beach itself, with rows of thatched sunshades and loungers and the calm water held in by the breakwaters. Another turns between views of the sheltered lagoon of the Royal Sea Aquarium Resort next door, with palms, a thatched beach bar on stilts and the boat jetty. The third is under the water at the Sea Aquarium, where rocks and coral fill the picture and fish drift past the lens: an underwater live cam.
Mambo Beach and its palapas
This camera moves between views along the sand of Mambo Beach, east of Willemstad. Rows of thatched sunshades and loungers line the beach, bright umbrellas and beach bars stand at the back, and the water in front lies calm and pale green, held in by the breakwaters, with the open sea beyond.
It is the view for how full the beach is: nearly empty in the early morning, crowded on weekend afternoons. It is part of the SHOWME Caribbean network, live on YouTube.
The lagoon of the Royal Sea Aquarium Resort
From a resort next to Mambo Beach, this camera turns between views of its sheltered lagoon of clear turquoise water. One takes in the sand, the palms and a thatched beach bar on stilts over the water; another looks across to the jetty where the resort's boats tie up.
The lagoon is closed off from the open sea, so the water here is flat even on windy days, and its colour is the best measure of the light. SHOWME Caribbean streams it on YouTube, with the name of the resort in the corner.
Under the water at the Sea Aquarium
This camera sits on the sea bed at the Curaçao Sea Aquarium, looking across rocks and coral heads through blue-green water, with the surface shimmering above; fish drift in and out of the picture, sometimes close to the lens.
How far you can see depends on the sea that day: on calm mornings the water is clear, after a windy day it turns milky. SHOWME Caribbean streams it on YouTube.
A beach made calm
This stretch of the south coast, in the Bapor Kibra area, faces the open sea, and the beaches here are held by breakwaters and groynes that turn the waves into flat, sheltered bays. That makes the water ideal for children and for swimmers who do not want surf, and it is clear enough to see the fish from the shore. The Sea Aquarium, built on the same shore, shows the reef life of the island in tanks fed by sea water.
When to watch Mambo Beach
The beach is busiest in the afternoon and at weekends, when locals and visitors fill the loungers. Early morning is the time to see the water at its calmest and clearest, which is also the best moment for the underwater cam.
Nearby
Jan Thiel Beach, another resort beach with clubs, is a few kilometres further east, and the coves of Caracasbaai beyond it are known for diving. Willemstad is about ten minutes away by car.
Getting there
Some beach clubs charge for entry or for loungers, which belong to them along with the umbrellas. The Sea Aquarium has its own entrance next door.
