Map › Aruba › Aruba › Arashi Beach

Noord · Northwest coast, near Fisherman's Huts / Malmok · Malmok

Arashi Beach

also known as Arasji, Arashi

advanced onlyoffshoremedium crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Nearby Fisherman's Huts (Sarah-Quita Beach) 7 km · Boca Grandi Beach 27 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan to Augthe months riders and schools name How windy18-25 knotstrade, offshore Launchokaccess rules on record, below Watermixed27.7°C in summer · 10 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section

Schoolsnone named here

From the airportin words under Getting thereInternational Airport (AUA)

When it fills in

All day; there is no thermal-wind pattern on Aruba, and the trade wind is kiteable through the day.

Arashi is the beach on Aruba's northwest tip, past Malmok and under the California Lighthouse, and the trade wind that makes the island easy everywhere else blows offshore here.

NE-E, 18-25 knots most days, with 25-knot days normal enough that you ride the small end of the 6-13 m Aruba range; drop the kite or lose ground and the next stop is open sea, and unless you have paid a Fisherman's Huts school for boat cover in advance, nobody is coming out to get you.

The schools, the rescue boats and the beginners are all at Fisherman's Huts/Hadicurari, back down the road toward the hotels, and that is where a first-year rider belongs.

What you get for the trouble is a beach with no kite crowd, though plenty of families and snorkelers on the inside whose heads you have to miss: shallow, clear water near the sand, then deeper reef water outside that turns a NW swell into small-to-medium waves, with a coral shelf and urchins under it.

January-August is the season, with wind probability over 80% December-August and about 60% in September-November and early December. Whether kiting is only allowed before 10:00 and after 17:00 is unresolved; two accounts disagree and nobody official has ruled, so ask at a Fisherman's Huts school before you rig.

Water is 27.7 C in summer and 26.8 C in winter; leave the wetsuit at home.

The wind

locals call it Northeast trade winds

Direction

offshoreNE to Ewind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Kite sizes

456789101112131415

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

trade

fills in: All day; there is no thermal-wind pattern on Aruba, and the trade wind is kiteable through the day.

Typical strength

18-25 knots most trade-wind days; light days 15-20 knots, strong days 30-35 knots, for Aruba as a whole.

Reliable trade wind, but offshore at Arashi and you will want your small kites; even at Fisherman's Huts the offshore days are gusty and humbling.

January-August is the season at Arashi; September-November and early December run lighter. Wind probability is over 80% December-August and about 60% in September-November, when a Caribbean hurricane somewhere north can flatten the trades even though Aruba sits outside the belt.

Thermal or synoptic

synoptic

The quiver, in words

6-13 m for Aruba generally; bring the small end, 25-knot days at Arashi are normal.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month97
Feb, riders' month93
Mar, riders' month95
Apr, riders' month96
May, riders' month99
Jun, riders' month100
Jul, riders' month100
Aug, riders' month94
Sep88
Oct72
Nov71
Dec96

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug.

17Jan27°
17Feb26°
18Mar26°
17Apr27°
19May28°
19Jun28°
19Jul28°
17Aug29°
15Sep30°
13Oct31°
14Nov30°
16Dec28°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	97%	16.9 kt	E	26.9°C	26.6°C
Feb	93%	16.8 kt	E	26.7°C	26.3°C
Mar	95%	17.8 kt	E	27°C	26.4°C
Apr	96%	17.2 kt	E	27.6°C	26.9°C
May	99%	18.6 kt	E	28.4°C	27.7°C
Jun	100%	18.8 kt	E	28.8°C	28.1°C
Jul	100%	19.1 kt	E	28.6°C	27.9°C
Aug	94%	16.5 kt	E	29.2°C	28.6°C
Sep	88%	15.1 kt	E	29.8°C	29.6°C
Oct	72%	13.4 kt	E	29.3°C	30.5°C
Nov	71%	13.6 kt	E	27.9°C	29.5°C
Dec	96%	15.7 kt	E	27.6°C	27.7°C

modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

You can stand in the calm inside water; it gets deep once you are riding out toward the reef and the swell.

Tides

Micro-tidal, and the tide is not part of the session plan. Heights swing between roughly 0.0 and 0.4 m, usually one high and one low across a day, so the inside stays shallow and the reef outside stays a reef whatever the clock says. Wind and swell decide the day here, not water level.

Temperature

27.7°C summer · 26.8°C winter

Wetsuit

None. Boardshorts, and a rash vest for the sun.

26–31°C water

Clear water over sand and reef. Inside, the beach is shallow and flat, the snorkelers' zone; farther out the reef throws small-to-medium waves, and Arashi Bay works as a reef break on NW swell with E-NE wind, inconsistently. Do not confuse the calm inside with the exposed kite line beyond it.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

No school teaches here. Intermediate at minimum, and with the offshore wind, the reef and the deep water outside it is really an advanced call; Fisherman's Huts is where the schools and the beginners are.

The scene

What riders come here for

wave ridingfreestyleuncrowded sessionsreef swellsmall wavesadvanced freeridequiet sessions away from the main school beachsunset sessions when safe and locally permitted

Quieter and more local than the resort front, but a busy family, snorkel and sunset beach in its own right; parking and palapas go early. Kiters are an occasional presence, not a scene.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

No school names this spot

Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.

On your own

Room to launch: ok

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Fisherman's Huts (Sarah-Quita Beach), 7 km

Fisherman's Huts (Sarah-Quita Beach)Boca Grandi Beach

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

Nothing at Arashi. The Fisherman's Huts schools run boat and jet-ski support and will sell you a boat rescue, but only if you arrange it before you launch here.

Launch

Medium white-sand public beach with palapas for shade, public parking and a beach bar renting chairs. Older accounts say no facilities; that is out of date.

Space

Rules & access

2026: nothing official from the Aruba government or a beach authority. One account says kiting at Arashi is only allowed before 10:00 and after 17:00; another lists no rules. Ask before rigging.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

Skip Arashi unless you can hold upwind in offshore wind on a small kite, or you have booked boat cover with a Fisherman's Huts school beforehand.
Ask at a Fisherman's Huts school or a local rider whether the before-10:00/after-17:00 kite rule is being enforced this year; accounts differ and there is no official word.
Launch and land well away from the snorkelers and families on the inside; to visitors this is a swimming beach first.
Wear reef booties for the coral shelf and the urchins, and do not stand on the coral.
Use the Fisherman's Huts forecast and the airport station; there are no wind statistics for Arashi itself.
Get there early for parking and a palapa in the November-April high season and on weekends.

Getting there

Airport

Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA), Oranjestad

Route

Drive or taxi north from the hotel area toward Malmok and the California Lighthouse; Arubus route L10 serves Arashi from the hotel area/Oranjestad.

Transfer

About 25-30 minutes by road from AUA; about 10 minutes from Palm Beach and about 20 minutes from Oranjestad.

Cost level

high

Staying

No kite lodge sits directly on Arashi Beach; most riders stay in Palm Beach, Malmok, Noord or Oranjestad, with the main schools and rentals concentrated around Fisherman's Huts/Palm Beach.

No-wind days

snorkeling at Arashi, Boca Catalina or Tres Trapi · California Lighthouse · beach day at Palm Beach or Eagle Beach · Arikok National Park · SUP/kayak or beach-bar day in the hotel area

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kitesurf at Arashi Beach?

January through August is the best-supported season, with wind probability cited above 80 percent from December to August and lighter, less dependable wind from September to November.

Is Arashi Beach suitable for beginners?

No. The spot listing shows intermediate to expert rider ability, since the trade wind is offshore here and the water is deeper once riding out toward the reef; beginners should use nearby Fisherman's Huts instead.

What is the wind like?

Northeast to east trade wind blows all day without a thermal pattern, typically 18 to 25 knots, with lighter days around 15 to 20 knots and stronger days reaching 30 to 35 knots.

Are there rules or restricted hours?

Posted rules conflict: one source states kiting at Arashi is allowed only before 10:00 and after 17:00, while another lists no rules, so verify locally before rigging.

What hazards should I know about?

The wind is offshore, so losing ground can quickly become serious, and no dedicated rescue service is verified at Arashi; the site also has reef, rocks and reported sea urchins.

Last updated: August 2026