FlowRider ^®has become a center of attraction at the Palm Beach Plaza, promoting the California beach and board sport-lifestyle which is a lot of fun.

Basically, wave riders are invited to have a blast, and while riding the waves seems simple, it is often challenging, and always addictive.

“People just love riding FlowRider ^®,” says Indra Stamper, Tenant & Marketing Coordinator, for the Palm Beach Plaza, “Jumping in on body boards, getting a feel for it, doing turns, wiping out, getting knocked down and getting back on again to spray and wet their friends, “ she states.

“The new Palm Beach Plaza Mall which opened in December 2009, is always striving to present visitors with different products geared at different demographics, and focused on fun family activities,” Stamper concludes.

FlowRider ^®was invented by surfers, and the new sport borrows some aspects of all other board sports. The best way to describe FlowRider ^® is to say that it is like skateboarding without the wheels, surfing without a fin, snowboarding without the mountain, wakeboarding without the boat and skim boarding without the sand!

FlowRider ^®at the Palm Beach Plaza is open every day, and will also offer a bar and a retail center by the end of the month, including fancy cocktails and great beach music.

Incidentally,  Royal Caribbean International equipped 20 of its ships with FlowRider ^® ,now, you no longer have to get on a cruise ship to enjoy the sport, which can be practiced right here in Aruba

Perfectly located in the heart of downtown Oranjestad, Renaissance Mall houses over 60 stores and offers an assortment of restaurants and entertainment options.
The Renaissance Mall carries the latest collections of luxury brands such as Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Louis Vuitton, as well as other high-end lines and one-of-a-kind boutique fashions.  The opening of Starbucks’ second location is sure to please shoppers needing a quick pick-me-up, while Aquarius and LG Smith Steak and Chophouse guarantee great dining experiences.  An oasis of relaxation can be found at Okeanos Spa, while patrons looking for more exciting entertainment can try their luck at Crystal Casino or check out what’s featuring at Crystal Theater—from movie premieres and boxing, soccer, and football games to live shows, concerts, and fashion shows.
The Renaissance Marketplace flaunts a great number of casual eateries and some of the island’s most popular bars including Aruba’s first Starbucks Coffee besides the state of the art Renaissance Cinemas, jewelry and souvenirs stores, a travel agency, beach and vacation gear shops and live music most evenings.
No matter where or why you travel, there’s always something wonderfully new to be found at the Renaissance Mall & Marketplace.

The first picture he found was his initial clue, as he looked at the sign on the truck in the image, filled with diving gear. He tracked down a company called wereldstage.com, based out of Curacao, that also has a location in Aruba, and the font in its logo matched that on the truck. He then painstakingly identified the building in the background as the Alhambra Casino – the blue dome must have been the giveaway, which meant that the hotel the divers were standing at was Casa Del Mar. Then. There was also another picture and as he Google Earthed it, he identified it as Divi Aruba, right next to the Casa Del Mar. But he knew that the people who lost the camera were no vacationers, because of several pictures of children at school and in one of the images, the writing on the wall over a boy’s head, was the name of a school called the Schakel in Aruba!

So he summed it all up, this camera was lost while diving on November 11, 2009, in Aruba and found its way to Key West. The camera floated all the way to Key West in 6 months, which is totally possible due to the Loop Current.
Halfway through the camera’s journey, a sea turtle came across it. When he tried to eat it, he turned the camera on and recorded himself. The camera went from stills to video and stayed on to record the sea turtle’s tranquil, uneventful journey until the batteries drained.

Go to YouTube.com and see the turtle’s recording from January, 2010:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E43sg-Ytt58

Go to Cruisecritic.com to see the images from the camera

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1209894

Reported by Windie Oude Avenhuis, from Aqua Windie’s, Dr. Horacio E.Oduber Blvd.4, where the divers originated.

Sixty plus kids battled against each other on the water  during very strong almost overpowering and gusty winds, for the huge honor of becoming the world  champion, and Steven Max succeeded with flying colors, literally, because of his very  bright colored sail, naturally.

The beach was packed every day with windsurfers and spectators from all over the world who came all the way to Palau, to be part of this event.  The organizers Riccardo Genazzani and Jason Hands made sure everyone was well taken care of.

During each day of the 5 day event, several freestyle heats were held in several age categories, ranging from 9 to 19 year olds, in front of the surf school in Porto Pollo under a stark blue cloudless sky. Water temperatures were a lot colder than the competitors from Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao are used to, which made it harder for our athletes to compete and special warm protective gear handed out by the organization was gladly accepted. All week long these young competitors showed off their incredible moves, blowing everyone’s mind with their impossible sail tricks and high jumps.

Our Caribbean boys did extremely well taking home 1^{st Â} place prizes. 

The overall results of the Starboard Prokids World Championship Freestyle Windsurfing are:

In the under-12-years category Steven Max, Aruba, 1^st , Konstantin Schmirnov, Russia, 2^nd  and Alice Capucchi, Italy, 3^rd.            

In under 15-years: Youp Schmit, Bonaire, 1^st, Francesco Cappuzzo, Italy, 2^nd and Steven Max, Aruba, 3^rd — another impressive achievement for this 11 year old!

Rick Jandrusch, Holland, placed 1^st in the under-17-year category,  Matteo Romeo, Italy, 2^nd  and  Nick van Ingen, Holland, 3^rd

And in the under 20-years division, Dieter van Eyken, Belgium. took 1^st place, Mattia  Fabrizi, Italy, 2^nd, and Vittorio Morzocco, Italy 3^rd .

Aruba and Bonaire were represented especially well during this great event for young athletes and many of the other competitors and their friends and family members have said that they can’t wait to come to Aruba. They have been warmly invited to come and visit any time!!

Aruba Kayak Adventures offers visitors a unique and adventurous way to see the island. The exciting sport of kayaking – growing in popularity each year – combined the fun of watersports with the thrill of exploration.
Guests signing up at their resorts are later demonstrated the sport of kayaking by local guides who are both professional and friendly.
Ready and trained for a day of fun in the sun the guides begin the excursion in the calm, tranquil waters of the island’s beautiful coast.
The tour commences near the site of Aruba’s first capital historic Savaneta. Hugging along the coastal mangroves the kayaks glide past the legendary Spanish lagoon, once the hiding place for the famed pirates of the Caribbean. The excursion continues across the lagoon to De Palm Island which offers a perfect spot to beach comb and snorkel.
As enormous variety of marine life may be found on this magnificent coral reef and combined with perfect visibility this spot makes for superb snorkeling.
After relaxing and taking in a delicious lunch at the famous Windjammer Terrace the journey continues past Aruba’s nautical club and all of the splendid yachts at anchor, and back to shore. Return transportation to the resorts is included. Pick up time 8:30 a.m. in the lobby of your resort.
Call Tel.: 582 5520 for reservations and information, or visit Costa Linda Tour Desk, Tel.: 583 800.
Best of all, no experience necessary and the tour is nicely suited for all ages.