Beaches & Watersports in Aruba

BEACHES

Fringing gentle glittering turquoise waters along the southwest coast are world-renowned carpets of warm, sugar-white sand dotted with tall swaying palms and thatched huts. The lively two-mile-long stretch of Palm Beach is home to sprawling high-rise hotels, water sports centers, piers, shops, restaurants and beach bars.

Of the 3 ABC islands, Aruba stands out as having the best beaches, all of which are public & free. There are good, sandy beaches on both sides of the island although fewer on the east side which is rough and not so good for swimming. Travelling north along the west coast from Oranjestad an excellent road takes you to the main resort areas where nearly all the hotels are gathered. Druif Beach starts at the Tamarijn Aruba Beach Resort, extending and widening along the coast to the sister hotel, the Divi Aruba, with good windsurfing. At the Manchebo there is a huge expanse of sand, often seen in advertisements. North of here is Eagle Beach where the ‘low rise’ hotels are separated from the beach by the road, and then Palm Beach where the ‘high rise’ hotels front directly on to the beach. These three sandy beaches extend for several kilometres, the water is calm, clear and safe for children, although watch out for watersports and keep within markers where provided.

A residential area and the new golf course stretches up from Arashi to the lighthouse and the coast is indented with tiny rocky bays and sandy coves, the water is beautiful and good for snorkelling, while shallow and safe for children. It is also a fishing ground for the brown pelicans. At night they normally sleep in the shallow water close to the lighthouse. A little way after the lighthouse there is a very spectacular place where high waves smash against the rocks at a small inlet. There is a blow hole, where water sometimes spouts up more than 5 m.

At the other end of the island is Seroe Colorado, known as ‘the colony’, which used to be a residential area for Exxon staff but is currently used as temporary housing. You have to enter the zone through a guard post, but there is no entrance fee and no hindrance. There are two west facing beaches here worth visiting. Rodgers Beach has a snack bar, showers, yachts and is protected by a reef but is in full view of the refinery. Baby Beach, on the other hand, is round the corner, out of sight of the refinery, in a lovely sandy bay, protected by the reef, nice swimming and snorkelling, very busy on Sunday, with toilets but little shade. Sea Grape Grove and Boca Grandi, on the east coast of the south tip has good snorkelling and swimming, being protected by a reef, and is popular with tours who come to see the largest elkhorn coral. Experienced windsurfers come here to wave jump. The prison is near here, remarkable for the pleasant sea view from the cells. Other beaches on the east side of the island are Boca Prins, where there are sand dunes, and further north from there, reached by a poor road, is Dos Playa where there is good surf for body surfing. The beach here is closed to vehicles because of nesting turtles. The landscape is hilly and barren because of serious overgrazing by herds of goats. Andicouri is also popular with surfers, note that you may not approach it through the coconut grove which is private property, there are signs to direct you the right way.

Virtually every type of watersport is available and most hotels provide extensive facilities. Activities which are not offered on site can be arranged through several tour agencies such as De Palm Watersports, T824545, Pelican Watersports, T831228 and Red Sail Sports, T824500. Watersports companies are too numerous to mention in further detail, but you can hire jetskis, waterskis, wave runners, banana boats, snorkelling equipment and other toys. Parasailing can be done from the high-rise hotels. Glass bottomed boat trips from various locations are around US$20-25, but can be more for a sunset cruise.

Windsurfing: North of Palm Beach is an area of very shallow water with no hotels to break the wind, known as Fisherman’s Huts, which is excellent for very fast windsurfing. Surfers from all over the world come here to enjoy their sport and professionals often come here for photo sessions. Although speeds are high and there is a strong offshore wind, surfing is quite safe and there are several rescue boats to get you back if the wind blows you to Panama. This beach is called Malmok (south end) or Arashi (north end) and there are many villas and guest houses across the road which cater for windsurfers. There are several operators of high quality: Roger’s Windsurf Place, L G Smith Blvd 472, T/F861918, http://www.rogerswindsurf.com, windsurf packages available, boards and accommodation; Sailboard Vacation Windsurf Village, L G Smith Blvd 462, T862527, boards of different brands for rent. For information about the Aruba Hi-Winds Pro/Am boardsailing competitions, contact ATA Special Events, T823777 ext 239. They usually take place in June. At the same time a Windsurfing Festival combines a consumer trade show, with all the latest gear, and music and food on the beach.

Day Sails: Several yachts and catamarans offer cruises along the coast with stops for snorkelling and swimming. A morning cruise often includes lunch (about US$40-50), an afternoon trip will be drinks only – and then there are the sunset booze cruises (about US$20-30). The largest catamaran is Red Sail Sports’ Fiesta, which carries 90 passengers, while its sister ship, Balia, a 53-ft racing catamaran, does all the usual cruises and is available for private charter at US$450 an hour, minimum two hours, T864500; Pelican I is a 50-ft catamaran running along the west coast from Pelican pier; Wave Dancer, another catamaran, departs from Holiday Inn beach, T825520; Octopus is a 40-ft trimaran, departing from Holiday Inn pier, is also available for private charter, snorkelling and sailing cruises, US$20-35, T833081; Tranquilo, a yacht, can be contacted through Mike, its captain T847533, tranquilo@visitaruba, or Pelican Tours T831228. Mi Dushi is an old sailing ship built in 1925 which starts cruises from the Aruba Grand Beach Resort pier, morning and lunch US$45, snorkelling and sunset US$27.50, sunset booze cruise US$25, pirate sails and beach party US$40, T823513/828919.

Sailing: Near Spanish Lagoon is the Aruba Nautical Club complex, with pier facilities offering safe, all-weather mooring for almost any size of yacht, plus gasoline, diesel fuel, electricity and water. For information, write to PO Box 161, T853022. They also organize an annual ‘catch and release’ deep sea fishing tournament every October. A short sail downwind from there is the Bucuti Yacht Club with clubhouse and storm-proofed pier providing docking, electricity, water and other facilities. Write to PO Box 743. A Catamaran Regatta is held annually in November in front of the Palm Beach hotels, with competitors from the USA, Europe and Venezuela. For information contact the Aruba Tourism Authority, T823777. Also in November is the Seaport Yacht Race with races from Havana to Seaport Marina, around the island and from Punto Fijo in Venezuela. For details contact Mr Henk Grim at the Seaport Marina, T839190, F839197.

Fishing: Over a dozen charter boats are available for half or whole day deep sea fishing. The tourist office has a list so you can contact the captain direct, or else go through De Palm Tours. Whole day trips including food and drinks range from US$350-480, depending on the number of people on board. A deep sea fishing tournament is held in October at the Aruba Nautical Club, T853022 for information.

Other useful resources:

Beaches:
Aruba Beaches Photos & Descriptions
Beaches of Aruba
Diving & Marine Life in Aruba

Here are some more Water Sports Activity and Service Provider

For: Scuba Diving, Snorkeling, watersports center, sailboating, swimming, swinging, Windsurfing, Parasailing, kayaking, deep sea fishing, PADI dive lessons, under water tour, Cruise ships and boating equipment rental..site here. Check them all out:

Ads

Beaches & Watersports in Aruba

BEACHES

Other useful resources:

Here are some more Water Sports Activity and Service Provider

More . . .

Aruba - Introduction

Aruba: How to get there

Aruba - Money / business guide

Aruba - Country profile & Map

What to see and do in Aruba

Aruba - Useful information

Before Travelling

Caribbean Countries