Eagle Beach in Aruba

My husband and I just returned from Aruba, and Eagle Beach was directly across from the timeshare we stayed in called La Cabana Beach & Racquet Club. But, I can guarantee you that it was more than sheer laziness which prompted us to hang out on this beach every single day of our stay! Eagle Beach is pristine, beautiful and calm, and you can view some truly spectacular sunsets there as well. It’s located in Aruba’s Low-Rise area (as opposed to the High-Rise area with all of the big glitzy hotels).

Calm, warm waters on Aruba's Eagle Beach

The first thing we noted was that Eagle Beach has a plethora of palapas. However, snagging one of these delightfully shady, shaggy umbrellas requires getting to the beach by 7:30 in the morning, even in low season — by 9:00 in the morning, every single one was always sadly reserved. No matter, though — we decided to do sightseeing during the day and hang out at the island’s other beaches and come back to Eagle Beach around 6:30 to watch the sunsets. And what sunsets! By that time the palapas were all free and we happily slurped on tropical beverages while watching the sun dip below the horizon.

Stunning Sunsets on Aruba's Eagle Beach

We found Eagle Beach in Oranjestad, Aruba to be the perfect beach for all-around relaxing. There were small stands offering float and kayak rentals, and there weren’t any of the loud motorboats that crowd Palm Beach. There’s a bar serving up delicious drinks near the La Cabana beach entrance and plenty of lounge chairs to relax on. Eagle Beach isn’t where you want to be for the best snorkeling — for that, you should go to Boca Catalina or Baby Beach. But, if you’re looking for a large, chill beach with plenty of room to spread out, Eagle Beach is where it’s at.

Chillin' on Boca Catalina Beach in Aruba

Starting from Aruba’s northwestern side, Boca Catalina is a very short bus ride just south of gorgeous Arashi Beach. Boca means “mouth” in Spanish, and the beach here does somewhat form a gentle yawn around the warm, shallow waters. My husband and I found Boca Catalina to have the best snorkeling on Aruba, though we didn’t spend as much time at Malmok Beach as we would have liked.

A school of colorful fish at Boca Catalina in Aruba

Boca Catalina has a lovely reef that’s popular with the island’s catamarans, sail boats and even pirate ship tours. It’s still very quiet and relaxed though, especially since there are generally very few speed boats. Closer to shore, you’ll find yourself in shallow water that’s not much more than 6-7 feet deep. There are plenty of fish here to keep you occupied (huge schools of fish will surround you!) But, when it’s particularly windy, the water can be choppy and the sand is kicked up quite a bit on the bottom, making the visibility in the more shallow areas a bit murky at times.

Swim out a good 200 feet though and you’ll be in 15-20 feet of water — this is where you should be for the best snorkeling.  The water here is very clear, the currents are not strong, and if you hover over the “dark spots” (where the reefs are), you’ll be able to admire more fish than you’ll know what to do with. If you don’t have an underwater camera, think about getting one before you go — it’s totally worth it. We saw starfish, barracudas, flounders and all sorts of tropical looking fish. Some of them can be a little mouthy at times, so watch the fingers! When you’re done with snorkeling for the day, don’t leave the beach without scouring the shoreline for shells – your efforts will be rewarded here.

IF YOU GO: Like most of Aruba’s beaches that are outside of the hotel areas, Boca Catalina doesn’t have restrooms, but the restaurants and hotels of the High Rise area and Palm Beach are a five minute bus ride away.  Hop on the Arubus for $1.30 one way or $2.60 round-trip. Take advantage of the shady palapas – have a beer and fall asleep to the sounds of gently rolling waves. Paradise.

Photos: Jenny Bengen-Albert

Gorgeous Arashi Beach

I’ve just returned from a relaxing one-week vacation in Aruba, and I now understand why every tourist we met there was on their 9th or 10th visit to the island. Gusty, persistent trade winds cool the island down on hot summer days (and keep away flying pests), the island is outside of the hurricane belt and there are gorgeous beaches at every turn.

If you drive up Aruba’s western coast to the very tip, you’ll come across a lovely patch of sand that fronts a spectacular beach called Arashi. The word “Arashi”  means “storm” in Japanese, so it must have been named on a much different day than we visited. If you’re on the Arubus, you can’t miss it; Arashi is the end of the line and the bus u-turns in the parking lot. If you’re in a car, keep an eye out for the California Lighthouse, which is a short walk from the beach via a dirt trail.

Soft, white sand is everywhere in Aruba, and Arashi is no exception. Sink your toes into it — doesn’t it feel like baby powder? As inviting as the sand was, the real draw for me was the water. Forgive the cliche, but the water is truly crystal clear on Arashi. I was mesmerized as I stepped into it – I could see all the way to the bottom, even when I swam out far enough to be in twenty feet of water. And, despite the constant trade winds continually whipping across the sands, the waves were gentle hiccups that weren’t big enough to kick up any sand at all.  Just dazzling. Check out this picture:

Truly crystal-clear water at Aruba's Arashi Beach

Like a swimming pool, right?

Most of Aruba’s beaches are oddly shallow for quite a ways out, and Arashi is, too. More than 200 feet from shore, the water was no more than six feet deep. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time in the water, floating around like a dopey pelican. Heavenly. Except for the sunburn part.

When the Baslashi beers we had chilling in a beach cooler finally shouted my name loudly enough, I tore myself away from the water and headed for some much-needed shade under the adorable palapas. Palapa. I love that word. My husband and I want to build one in our backyard now — who cares if the only body of water we have is a $25 plastic pool from Target; it’s about the ambiance, right? One of my favorite memories from this vacation was falling asleep on the beach listening to the rustling of the palapas and the gentle ocean waves. I know I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

Palapas at Arashi Beach in Aruba. Can anything sum up "tropical" better?

The California Lighthouse at Arashi Beach in Aruba

The snorkeling at Arashi is ok, but nowhere near as good as it is a little south of there at beach called Boca de Catalina (Catalina Bay). (See my next post). Arashi is a quiet, relaxed swimming hole – there are very few if any boats and no kite surfers or jet skis.

IF YOU GO: Don’t bother renting a car! Just hop on the Arubus, which is $1.30 one way or $2.60 round-trip. Arashi Beach is actually the end of the line for the bus, which does a U-turn in the parking lot. The bus hits all of the beaches on the island’s Western side and they come and go about every twenty minutes. May-December is low season in Aruba, so the beaches aren’t generally crowded. But, if you have your heart set on taking naps under a palapa, try to get to the beach by about 11:30.

Photos: Jenny Bengen-Albert

We hear about the destruction of ocean life and the impact our lifestyles have on the environment in general. What we don’t get to see that often is the positive impact that sustainability efforts have on ocean life. Then there is Apo Island in the Philippines where local firshermen were convinced by mrine scientist, Dr. Angel Alcala, to create a marine sanctuary instead of overfishing the area which would have led to the destruction of their reef system. The island itself is a 12 hectare volcanic island hosting only two resorts complete with dive centers.

Apo has come to be known as one of the best examples of community-organized marine sanctuaries. It took three years of communicating with the local fishermen but Dr. Alcala was successful and with the help of the Silliman University Marine Laboratory and the locals, an area 450 meters along the shoreline and 500 meters out from shore was selected in 1982. This conservation effort led the way for the creation of hundreds of marine sanctuaries in the Philippines and is proof that community driven conservation efforts really does have an impact and even though it takes some time to see that impact, it is nonetheless worth it every time.

The video above by Vimeo user Steve De Neef shows us what we could have lost in the world had Dr. Alcala’s efforts not been put in place.

Description of the video by the creator:

A short impression of the underwater world of Apo Island. Apo is one of the most successful sanctuaries in Asia, in the 80′s the reef was almost destroyed by destructive and unsustainable fishing practices. With the help of the local community, the reef has completely recovered, turtles are plentiful and the resident school of jacks has returned. Apo is a perfect example of what a marine sanctuary that’s run properly can achieve.

You can watch the original video here.