Kites off Fisherman's Huts — Photo: Vlad Podvorny

Hadicurari Beach at Fisherman’s Huts, looking south over the shallows. — Photo: EgorovaSvetlana

Fishing boats moored off Hadicurari. — Photo: Rinus de Graaff

Fisherman's Huts from above, a kite on the water. — Photo: Aruba Kitesurfing School

Aruba

Jan · 93% rideable

Aruba - Fishermans Huts

What it's actually like

Windsurfers have the water from 10:00 to 16:00, flat and shallow inside the reef, with a trade that averages 17 to 19 knots. It blows offshore, gusty near the sand and steadier further out.

Bon bini, welcome, to Fisherman’s Huts. Locals also call it Hadicurari, and part of it is now Sarah-Quita Beach: a rocky strip past the Marriott on Aruba’s north-west coast. Shallow, calm water sits inside the reef. Fishermen once lived here, and the beach is named after the huts they built. Learners of both sports favour it, and local families bring their children. The trade wind blows from the east to east-north-east, straight off the land.

Since 2017, from December to August, over nine days in ten clear 12 knots for three daylight hours, and June reaches 100 per cent. The mean sits between 17 and 19 knots. Even October clears about three days in four. Expect 18 to 25 knots, strongest from 11:00 to 15:00. September to November the trades go light or hurricanes disrupt them. Most of the year 75 to 85 kg is powered up on a 9 or 10 metre kite in 18 to 22 knots. Size to hold ground.

The water is flat and very shallow close to shore, waist to chest-deep in the learning zone, and deeper further out. There is no shore break, and a session here is dushi, Papiamento for sweet. The bottom is reef covered in sea grass and seaweed, with pebbles, stones and coral in places, so wear booties. Learners stay inshore of the white flags. Intermediates head out to the blue flags, where the air is cleaner and stronger. Learn the zones before you rig, and give lesson groups plenty of room.

The offshore wind is the thing to respect. It comes over land, trees and buildings, so it is often gusty and patchy near the sand and steadier further out. If you cannot hold ground you are carried away from the beach and need a boat to get back. The schools on the beach run boat and jet-ski rescue, and they charge for it: 20 US dollars for an independent rider in 2026. At least one operator includes one rescue with a rental. Agree the arrangement before you launch.

Rules and safety. For an emergency at sea, call the Coast Guard on 913, free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Yellow buoys mark the outer boundary of the riding area; do not cross them. Keep off the coral, which starts about 100 metres offshore. Posted rules allow kiting only before 10:00 and after 16:30, with 10:00 to 16:00 reserved for the windsurfing school. No kiting after sunset. Do not jump over boats or people. Ask a school on the beach before you ride.

Racing has a long history on this beach. Aruba Hi-Winds has run at Fisherman’s Huts every year since 1986, and its five days cover windsurfing, kitesurfing and the foil classes. In 2026 it ran from 13 to 18 May. Hi-Winds 2025 named a stretch of shoreline Sarah-Quita Beach, after Aruban windsurfer Sarah-Quita Offringa. She is a PWA women’s world champion in freestyle and slalom. It is a name for part of the same beach, not a separate launch.

Aruba Kitesurfing School teaches kite and wing at Fisherman’s Hut, in groups of two or three or one to one, with the kit included. Aruba Active Vacations teaches all three on the same beach, with lockers and a rooftop lounge. Vela Sports Aruba teaches and rents windsurf, kite and wing kit from its centre at Sarah-Quita Beach. The school bases add shade, fresh water and showers, but the sand is narrow. Beginners start in the shallow learning zone with a school and its rescue boat.

Queen Beatrix International Airport is about 11 km from the beach by road, around 15 minutes. Public parking and transport reach the beach. Noord, Palm Beach and Malmok make the best bases, with resort hotels, villas and small studios close to the sand. The sea sits at about 26 to 28°C from December to August, so boardshorts or a rash vest do the job and you need no wetsuit. Arashi Beach, the next kite spot up the coast, is about 7 km away in a straight line.

When it's good

Is it for you?

LevelUphauler to hooked in
Learners stay inshore of the white flags; intermediates sail out to the blue flags.
WaterMillpond
Flat, shallow ground to uphaul on, waist to chest deep, with deeper water further out.
LaunchBooties on
Rig on a narrow strip of sand that gets busy; wear booties for the reef.
WetsuitBoardies
Sea about 26 °C in January: boardies weather, with a rash vest at most.
AprèsGoes off till sunrise
25 bars, 6 clubs and 126 places to eat within 5 km: the night's yours.
CostNot checked yet

Where to launch

Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.

Launch
School

Fisherman’s Huts beach

Offshore wind, flat shallow water, booties for the reef.

For kite, windsurf, wing. Directions: Google Maps · Apple Maps

In an emergency

Coast Guard, free, 24 hours 913

Getting there

Nearest airportAruba (AUA). Queen Beatrix International is about 11 km by road, around 15 minutes, so you’re rigging up not long after you land.
Getting aroundCar or bus. There’s public parking and public transport at the beach, so drive down or hop on a bus.

Stay, learn and rent

Full details for every place are in the Pocket Guide.

The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba

Resort at the Fisherman’s Huts end of Palm Beach, with Vela Sports centres on both sides of it, so kit and lessons are close by.

Book on Booking.com

Boardwalk Boutique Hotel

Adults-only hotel of private casitas a few steps from Palm Beach, with two pools and a café to come back to after a session.

Book on Booking.com

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Pocket Guide