eFoil regulations & spots in Aruba

Aruba's rules do not mention eFoils. Motorised craft on public waters are governed by the Landsverordening and Landsbesluit openbare wateren en stranden (AB 1987 no. 123 and 124), administered by the harbour master and Directie Scheepvaart (Navigation Department) with the police. The decree defines "jetski's, waterscooters en dergelijke" (jet skis, water scooters and the like) as fast motorboats under 4 m capable of more than 20 km/h and quick turns - a description an eFoil fits - so in practice a foil board is treated as a jet ski. Inside the four marine protected areas the Aruba Conservation Foundation (ACF) applies the 2021 spatial development plan (ROPv, AB 2021 no. 123).

A boat licence (vaarbewijs) is required to skipper a vessel (article 3), but article 4(e) exempts jet skis, water scooters and similar craft when not used for towing water-skiers; the vaarbewijs itself is issued from age 18 by Directie Scheepvaart. No registration or PFD requirement for private craft is stated in the decree. Commercial rental or carriage of passengers needs a permit from the Minister of Transport with vessel inspection and third-party insurance of at least Afl. 500,000 per person (articles 18-19). Rental businesses set their own limits, typically 16+ for eFoils.

Article 14 confines vessels to ministerially designated boating zones (vaarzones), allows a separate zone for jet skis and sailboards, and designates swimmer zones where no vessel may enter. Article 15 caps speed at 10 km/h within 50 m of the low-water line and bans water-skiing or nuisance riding there. The ACF 2025-2029 management plan records that motorised watercraft activities (jet ski, speedboat, towing, underwater scooters) are prohibited by the ROPv in all four MPAs - Arikok on the north-east coast, Sero Colorado in the south, Mangel Halto and Oranjestad Reef - and separately states that "(hydro)foiling is prohibited" in the MPAs because the near-silent fin endangers people and wildlife; kitesurfing is likewise banned. Speed inside lagoons and bays is limited to 10 km/h. That leaves the Palm Beach-Eagle Beach hotel strip and other zoned areas outside the parks as the practical riding ground.

Enforcement is by the harbour master, pilots and police (article 31); the penalty schedule sits in the parent ordinance rather than the decree, so fine levels are not confirmed here. Rules are island-wide but the MPA boundaries matter: check the ACF map before launching near Mangel Halto, Spaans Lagoen, Baby Beach and Rodgers Beach or the north-east coast. Riding with an established operator at Palm Beach is the simplest way to stay inside a permitted zone.