Arashi Beach

Arashi Beach is located at the northern tip of Aruba, just past the California Lighthouse, and it is the island's best easily accessible snorkeling spot. The reef just offshore is shallow enough to reach without a boat, and on a calm day visibility is extraordinary — 50 feet or more in places.

The beach itself is a narrow strip of coarse sand backed by scrubby vegetation, with none of the resort infrastructure of Palm Beach to the south. A small food truck typically parks here on weekends, and locals bring coolers and spend the day. The vibe is informal and genuinely Aruban in a way that the resort beaches are not.

The snorkeling at Arashi is anchored by a 60-foot-long shipwreck in about 15 feet of water, which has become an artificial reef covered in coral and fish. You can see it from the surface on a calm day. The proximity to the California Lighthouse also makes Arashi a worthwhile stop on a north coast driving tour of the island.