People ask about the snorkelling before they ask about the rum, which tells you something about this bay. The reef here runs parallel to the shore, about thirty to fifty feet out, and you can swim to it from wherever you left your towel. No boat, no guide, no booking.
That’s unusual. Most of the good reef in St. Kitts needs a boat to reach. This one starts where the sand stops, which is the single best thing about drinking here.
Where to get in
Walk down to the water in front of the bar and swim straight out. You’ll be over sand for the first twenty or thirty feet, then the bottom turns and the coral starts. If you’re not confident, stay to the left of the bar where it shelves more gently.
The water is calm almost every day — this is the Caribbean side of the peninsula, so the wind comes over the hill behind you rather than across the bay. Mornings are clearest. By mid-afternoon there’s usually enough movement to stir the sand up.
What you’ll see
- Parrotfish and sergeant majors, constantly, in numbers
- Stingrays on the sand between the beach and the coral
- Sea fans and brain coral along the main stretch
- Turtles — hawksbills and greens, most often at the southern end
The turtles are the thing people come back talking about. They’re most common in the early morning and they’re entirely used to swimmers. Keep your distance, don’t chase, and they’ll carry on eating while you watch.
The reef doesn’t need you to be a good swimmer. It needs you to be a calm one.
What to bring
Mask and fins if you have them. We rent both at the bar if you don’t. Water shoes are worth it — there are sea urchins on the reef and the odd sharp edge of coral, and neither is a problem unless you stand on one.
Use reef-safe sunscreen. This is a living reef, and ordinary sunscreen does measurable damage to it. If you only change one thing after reading this, change that.
One patch to leave alone
Describe the specific spot — the shallow section that dries out at low tide, or wherever people keep standing on coral. This is the kind of local detail that makes a post worth reading, and only John can supply it.
When to come
- Before ten in the morning, for the clearest water and the fewest people
- Any time on a calm day — the bay rarely gets rough
- Not immediately after heavy rain, when the run-off clouds everything
And when you’re done, the bar is twenty steps back up the sand. That part was always the plan.
Directions and taxi fares if you’re coming from the cruise port.
