The Little Green Boat wins the Tour Innovator Award at Arival

The Little Green Boat, a French and English speaking dive centre and private boat tour operator in Curaçao, has won the Tour Innovator Award at the Arival Spotlight Awards. Arival announced the result on October 14, 2026, at Arival 360 in Spokane, USA. We are delighted and very proud to share the news.

For a small team of two instructors based at Spanish Water, this is a wonderful recognition. It is also a great chance to put Curaçao and its reefs in front of travel professionals from around the world.

The essentials at a glance

• What: The Little Green Boat wins the Tour Innovator Award at the Arival Spotlight Awards.
• Who gives the award: Arival, the leading international organisation for the tours, activities and attractions industry, with a panel of five independent experts.
• When: October 14, 2026, at Arival 360 in Spokane, USA.
• Why us: 100% private outings where every trip becomes a micro-expedition: real-time 3D sonar mapping of the seabed and live reef listening with a hydrophone on our boat tours, shore dives (including fluorescence night diving) and citizen science.
• Where: Spanish Water and the shore dive sites of Curaçao, in English or French, and also in Spanish.

Discover our boat tours

What the Tour Innovator Award recognises

Arival is the international community of experience creators and sellers: tours, activities, attractions and more. Every year, its Arival Spotlight Awards shine a light on the companies moving the industry forward.

First, entries are scored by a panel of five independent experts. Second, there is no public vote: the quality of the project is what counts. The award recognises operators who have changed the way travellers experience a destination, thanks to a format, an itinerary or an approach that nobody else really offers. Four finalists were competing in this category.

Our starting idea: understand the reef, not just look at it

In Curaçao, we believe you should not only look at the reef. You should understand it and help protect it. So every outing with The Little Green Boat becomes a micro-expedition, with tools usually reserved for scientists.

1. Exploring the seabed in 3D from the boat. On our private boat tours, an Axiom RealVision 3D sonar with two sensors under the hull draws the seabed in volume and in real time: relief, sand channels, coral heads, small wrecks, schools of fish. Our guests see what hides beneath the sailboat without even getting wet.

2. Listening to the reef breathe. The underwater world is not silent: a healthy reef crackles, grunts and snaps. On our sailing trips, we lower an Aquarian H2D hydrophone connected to a Zoom F3 recorder. Our guests listen to the reef live from the deck, then take the recording home.

3. Discovering the reef’s hidden side at night. Under a specific blue light and with yellow filters, corals, anemones and tiny crustaceans start to glow. That is the whole idea behind The Hidden Glow Show, our fluorescence night dive from the shore.

4. Turning every diver into a citizen scientist. Depending on their level, our divers observe, record and collect information that helps the island’s marine biologists. We are also members of the Green Fins network and follow responsible practices: no feeding of animals, respectful distances, sites chosen to limit impact. To go further, read our guide to eco-responsible diving in Curaçao and our citizen science and reef protection page.

100% private, in English or French

All our outings are private. There are no crowded groups: you get dedicated guidance, with a maximum of 2 students or 4 certified divers per instructor. Our dives and boat tours run in English or in French, and Fabien also guides in Spanish. Beginners can start with an expedition for beginners. Certified divers can explore our expeditions for certified divers. And if you want to level up, see our PADI and SSI dive courses.

The Tour Innovator Award puts Curaçao in the spotlight

This award is not only ours. It puts Curaçao in front of the tour operators, distributors and travel media gathered at Arival 360. It also shows that the island is a top destination for diving that is both spectacular and responsible: reefs reachable from the shore, wrecks such as the Superior Producer on a wreck dive, encounters with green turtles through the turtle spotter outing and a unique lagoon, Spanish Water, where our sailboat departs.

Finally, thank you to our guests, our partners and everyone working to protect Curaçao’s reefs. This recognition is theirs too.

What happens next?

We will keep doing what we love: showing the underwater world of Curaçao in a different way, in small groups and with care for the reef. To go back to where the story began, you can read our announcement of the finalist selection. You can also follow our outings on Instagram and YouTube.

Who is behind The Little Green Boat?

The Little Green Boat is Fabien and Carolyn, dive instructors and skippers who dropped anchor in Curaçao with one conviction: every dive can make a difference. Our motto, “Every dive makes a difference”, guides every outing. To learn our story, visit the Who we are page.

FAQ: The Little Green Boat and the Tour Innovator Award