Is this true with a 20kt OFF shore wind? Are there any schools on the north and south coast which would have cross shore.

Any other tips?

Thanks

Hi in the North shore near the hotels the wind near the shore is very gusty and off shore, once you go out like 200 meters from the shore the wind is a lot more steady, this is not a place what people can come by themselves without knowing how to ride upwind and go out by themselves to the water, people in this stage should ask for supervision kiting for one of the several schools are there in Fisherman huts.
Every kiter who want to kite in Fisherman huts need to use common sense, the spot is perfect to learn how to kite under supervision, every people who don't want to spend some money on supervision or lessons should avoid this spot even if the first 200 meters are shallow. If you know how to ride upwind constantly you are going to feel the gusty winds near the shore difficult to kite the first day and then when you know what the winds feel you can easy adapt and come back to the shore by your own if you are at least an IKO level 3m kiteboarder.
The advantage of learning here is first you are going to have wind the hole week!, then you can training downwind for several miles without obstacles in front or side you, if you learn how to kite here and come back to the shore by your own you are ready to kite everywhere in the world. The time what the people takes to learn here in Aruba are shorter than the most of the other spots in the Caribbean.
This island is safe you are not going to be robed or screw up by locals.
So if you are ready to spend some money for learning hot to kite properly this is your place, if you want to do it for free then look for another location with the condition what aloud to you to do that.
Despite the schools only charge you 20 U$S dollar for supervision (the price per hotel room in this area goes from 150 to up 500 U$S per night) , if you are not ready to pay that for you safety then is up to you. Also experienced kiter need to be aware if they kite in off-shore winds something can goes wrong.
All the schools together here tech thousands of people per year and this people come year by year after that and they love to kite here.
30 minutes driving from the hotels you have Boca Grandi an U shape bay with perfect side-on-shore winds, this place is uncrowded the hole day until 4:00 pm time when the locals go to kite and could be crowded sometimes more in the weekends, but the rest of the day you have a perfect place for your own and friends. Again we need to use common sense, if you don't know how to kite properly don't try to do a water start near the shore, this things sound stupid but we see people doing it again and again.
I hope with this everyone can have a fair idea of what you are going to find when you come to Aruba.
If you need more info can check www.xtremewinds.com

I'd like to hear more about kiting in Aruba for the experienced rider. I can't imagine what it would be like to have a line break or bladder pop in offshore winds while 200m offshore... Can't see the locals paying $20/ session, is there another safe alternative?

To pin head,first thanks for the negative subject"
Have you been here?

You can also kite in Boca Grandi with on or side shore very constant winds, this spot is 30 minutes driving from the main Hotels.

Yes.

Aruba is still one of the worst places to learn compared to what else is out there in the region/world.

Did you learn in Aruba? with whom you learn? Provably you have a bad experience, im a IKO level 2 senior instructor, im teaching since 2004 in different countries like Mexico, Brasil, Argentina, Spain, Turkey, Finland, Dominican Republic and now in Aruba, and im and my students are very happy about teaching and learning to kite in Aruba, aslo they come back every year to kite here. Every year the schools in Aruba teach hundreds of happy kiters and normally the people who learn in Fisherman huts after this they can kite everywhere in the world.

offshore wind
gusty unreliable wind
many other kitesurfers in the water
many other windsurfers in the water
rough corally sea bottom
limited space near the beach
rescue boat fee to get you back to the beach
the list goes on.....................................................................

You still didnt tell me who teach you.

Boca Grandi
perfect steady trade winds
enough space during the day
side on shore winds
No windsurfers
huge bay
dont need rescue boat
the list goes on