Fishermen’s Huts

Fishermen’s Huts or ‘The Huts’ as it is popularly called is undoubtedly Aruba’s most active board sailing location. On weekends windsurfers and kite boarders abound here. Fishermen’s Huts is located on Palm Beach north of the Mariott Hotel. The area has been called after the fishermen’s storage buildings and picks nick shelters on this stretch of Palm Beach.

Sailing conditions for the Sunfish are very good once you get out half a nautical mile or more away from the shore. On the stretch to Malmok and Westpunt the wind is hardly interrupted over land and ocean swells are light. This combination can result in excellent board sailing conditions. Close to the shore the Sunfish sailor should be careful, especially when the dagger board is down. There are numerous shallow spots either marked by sea weed, floating bottles or flags.

There is a gentlemen’s agreement at Fishermen’s Huts between windsurfers and kite boarders for use of the area. Kite boarders use the area exclusively every morning until about 10:00am or 10:30am. After that time the windsurfers appear and use the area exclusively until about 4:30 to 5:00pm. After that time the kite boarders return and use the area exclusively until sunset. The reason for this agreement is to increase safety on the water by avoiding collisions.

A Sunfish racing course at Fishermen’s Huts typically starts with a beach start with the first leg downwind about one nautical mile out to the Pedernales wreck. From Pedernales the Sunfishes head windward to a buoy or boat near the Mariott Hotel. From there the Sunfishes are to sail to a buoy in front of the Huts. Typically this triangle is completed two or three times during a race with the total race taking about 45 minutes.

The Pedernales was a ‘lake’ tanker that used to carry crude oil from the Lake of Maracaibo to Aruba back and forth during the 1940’s. The Pedernales was hit by a torpedo fired by the German Navy U-156 on the night of 15 February 1942 while being anchored just outside of San Nicolas harbor. The ship caught fire and was severely damaged by the explosion. However, twisted and crumpled she miraculously remained afloat. The crew abandoned the ship: eighteen men survived and eight men were lost that night. The ship drifted off to Oranjestad and was towed to shallow water the next day. The damaged mid section of the ship of 120ft was cut out and left for target practice by the Dutch Marines. The front and aft section were welded back together and towed to the US where the ship was cut in half again and rebuilt. The new ship was a part of the Normandy invasion fleet on D-Day.

Today there is a new and large yellow buoy now marking the Pedernales wreck. The wreck is actually the left behind mid section of the original ship. Dept is 25 feet at most making it a paradise for beginning divers. The wreck's several large pieces are spread out between coral formations making visible the complete wreck cabins, wash basins, lavatories, etc., as well as the tanker's pipeline system. The area around the Pedernales wreck is known for its many types of groupers and its bounty of angel fish.

Going from the Fishermen’s Huts to Malmok or Arashi you will be crossing the Antila, the largest wreck in the Southern Caribbean. The M.S. Antilla was a brand new freight ship of 4363 tons and 400ft length built by Deutsche Werft in Hamburg. The ship happened to be anchored off Malmok on 10 May 1940, the day that Germany invaded The Netherlands at the start of World War II. Dutch authorities immediately ordered for all German ships in Dutch waters to be confiscated and the crews to be arrested. A contingent of Dutch Marines gave the ship 24 hours to surrender. However, rather than see her turned over to the enemy, Captain Ferdinand Schmidt decided to scuttle the ship. After putting the crew ashore, he heated up the boilers, which were amidships, and opened the sea cocks. When the cold sea water hit the hot boilers, they exploded, ripping the ship in half. It sank in eight minutes. The 35 crew members and captain were arrested by Dutch Marines and transported to Bonaire where they were put to build a camp for German citizens. Later they were transferred to Jamaica where they spent the remainder of the war. The story goes that the Antilla was a U-Boat supply ship disguised as a commercial freighter. However, recent reports show that this was not the case.

Today the Antilla lies on her port side in 60 feet waters, mostly intact, except for the boiler room and crew quarters, which is where the ship broke its back, scattering boiler tubes all over the seabed. Some parts of the superstructure still breach the surface. Visibility is usually between 50 and 70 feet. The wreck is excellent for penetrations because of its large compartments. Covered by giant tube sponges and coral formations, the Antilla is surrounded by lobsters and many kinds of tropical fish (mainly angel fish and yellow tails). It is a great place for night diving. Its location is approximately N 12.60175 W 070.05815.

The California light house (Fl (2) WR 10s 55m 19M) is a famous Aruban landmark. It was built between 1914 and 1916 on the Hudishibana limestone terrace. The need for a light house was fostered by intensified ship traffic due to the refinery and the loss of the S.S. California, a steam ship which stranded on Aruba’s north western shore in 1891 whilst en route for Colombia. Eventually the lighthouse was named after the California. The tower measures 30 meters in height and it was constructed of limestone and cement. Up until 1985 the tower was repainted with original paint made of aloe and limestone. The steel construction on top containing the lamp and mirrors is about 2 meters in diameter and measures additional 25 feet in height. Initially the lighthouse burned on faroline which was replaced by acetylene gas in 1965 and electricity in 1970. The light house is the only original Aruban light house which is still in active service.