Out of all of my Aruba adventures including dancing through the streets at Carubbian
Festival, exploring the wilds of the northern shore on an ATV tour, snorkeling and Snuba, beach tennis, and windsurfing and SUP, I loved windsurfing the most. With the perfect combination of instruction, wind strength, and water conditions, Aruba was the ultimate place to practice windsurfing.
The instructors were phenomenal and gave each of us individual practice time before letting us try on our own. After a quick, land briefing, we headed into the water for some one-on-one instruction. The sail was smaller than I used before, making it easier to get it out of the water and position it in my hands. I felt extremely comfortable from the minute I entered the water because it was waist deep and perfectly flat. I wasn’t worried about going too far or being in over my head, literally. There were easily noticeable buoy markers to let us know when we were getting a little too far out, but they were such a far distance from the shore that I never reached them anyway.
I actually stayed on the board during my first attempt and successfully maneuvered the sail to complete a 180 degree turn. I felt triumphant; I know the instructor was there to guide me but I did it on my own! It was an amazing feeling.
I spent the next two hours learning the ropes of windsurfing. I wasn’t without a few tumbles into the water or a couple dings to the knees and elbows, but it was a rewarding adventure. Figuring out how to turn and how to get more power/speed were the most difficult to master. To make a turn, I needed to lower the sail toward the back of the board, reposition my hands, and move to the other side of the board. There was a lot happening all at once and I had to ask for help again before fully understanding all of the steps. While I was getting more instruction on turning, I also asked how to sail faster. I realized that I wasn’t angling the sail far enough ahead to get the best speed. Once I figured out those two aspects, I was really proud of my accomplishments.
I did manage to snap a few photos but I was more focused on enjoying the experience than taking pictures.
When we finished, we swapped stories about what we found difficult or enjoyable and how we did
overall. Everyone in the group was excited about their own accomplishments and the instructors made sure we all managed to get on the board and make a few moves before the end of the lesson.
I love being physically active on vacation; combine that with any water sport, and I’m guaranteed to have a great day!
Bucket List Publications 
the water is stunning!
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I know! It was amazing. We were really able to explore it when we went snorkeling. Have you ever been to Aruba?
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I haven’t tried wind surfing before, always look awesome though!
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It’s a lot easier if you start with a smaller sail. I really loved it. I can’t wait to get out there again. I might feel differently, though, if the water was choppy. The conditions in Aruba are perfect 🙂
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I love Aruba. The snorkeling is fantastic. The trade winds must be perfect for windsurfing. Good times.
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The overall weather in Aruba is perfect for all water sports. What’s your favorite thing to do in Aruba?
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I like to do absolutely nothing all day in a hammock and then go to El Gaucho’s for a 16 ounce rib-eye steak. We did the Kukoo Kunuku bus for my 40th a few years back. It was a blast!
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Aruba…..one day LOL
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I love reading about your adventures. Your blog reminds me a lot of my previous blog where I listed silly things I wanted to do before the end of the year in a to-do list format. I wish the items on my list could be as lively and exciting as yours. Unfortunately, traveling like you have isn’t in the cards for a teenage girl in college. Maybe someday. Thanks for letting me live vicariously through you until then! Here’s my silly little to-do list if you’re interested: http://teaandjammin.wordpress.com/todo-list-2011/
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I was in the same situation as you a few years ago. In time 😉
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OMG! That look so much fun!
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This looks incredible!
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Wow, I have always wanted to windsurf. Gotta try it out one day, hopefully.
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So jealous! Wish I could get out on the ocean! Looks like you had a ball. Thanks for sharing!
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I’d love to do this, but I just don’t have the balance.
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Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about Aruba. The water looks fantastic. You are a real go-getter. Keep it up.
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Thanks for sharing. How fun! Wish I could join you too.
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That’s a lot harder than it looks! Good for you! How fun. 🙂
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This looks amazing. I’d love to have a go, and somewhere with warm water and sunshine like Aruba would make it just perfect.
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Photos are amazing. It looks like you had a great time.
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I learnt to windsurf in Perth, Western Australia and absolutely loved it too. I’ve got more into surfing in the past year, but would love to do more windsurfing and get to grips with really understanding how to maximise capturing the wind and really nailing tacking and jibing. Sounds like Aruba would be a great place to do it…
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