I'm heading to Aruba the last week of April for a family vacation, was wondering if it's even worth it to fly boards. Has anyone ever surfed there? info online seems spotty at best.
went there years ago with my wife on our honeymoon. not much to do there, really, except the beach and swimming. nice and relaxing. but idk about surfing... I did see some fun looking waves when I was there- looked like on a reef, there was a crashed up boat (or something, I forget, something weird out in the water, maybe pillers) on the reef at the time too, probably still there. it was waist to chest. clean and peeling. didn't see any other surfers and don't even know if it was surfable. it was in sept. there where hurricanes around, just not there. so idk. I remember there was a 'surf shop' in town, but don't remember boards... just clothes. the waves I saw where on what would be the very north east tip of the island. I probably wouldn't bring a board- maybe see if there is rentals somewhere
I looked on a map- its actually on the very west tip of the island- north west. beach facing west, on the other side of what is called the California sand dunes.
Aruba is pretty deep in the Caribbean sea and is blocked from open ocean swells, so the best tourists usually get is small, junky tradewind swells...especially in winter (not yet hurricane season). Also, the coast looks pretty rocky/reefy so you may want to just rent a good boogie board+fins and work on your drop-knee closeout maneuvers.
Thanks, I talked to one of the shops down there and they claim they get surfable waves 200 days a year so I guess it all depends on whether our definitions of surfable are the same. I'll post an update when I get back, not getting my hope though.
Aruba sucks in many ways, at least in my experience. I found it to be very overrated and couldn't understand why people go there instead of others. I guess of you like windswell a la the Gulf of Mexico that's fine. Some days there are 45mph whipping winds blowing sand in your eyes, mouth and any other exposed orifice. Hot as ballz too. Feels like a man-made Island like Dubai. No soul there. Also, unless you like being around MA/NY/NJ cats, avoid Aruba as the NE is all over that island with regular visitors and property owners.
There's a place called Kokomo. That's where you wanna go to get away from it all: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokomo,_Indiana
The in-laws got a place for a week there, they realized several years back that the only possible way to have me participate in daily activities is if we go to a place with 0 chance of surf, so this is all just wishful thinking on my end.
