We have passed through Les Saintes many times and we have explored the main island of Terre-de-Haut. Check out this blog for more information.
Guadeloupe: Exploring with Friends, Shelley and Don
However, we had never gotten to stay in Les Saintes long enough to snorkel more than one location, Sugar Loaf (Pain de Sucre) on Terre-de- Haut. This year, we had the opportunity to spend several weeks in Les Saintes and with assistance from our friends on SV Fin, we snagged a mooring ball at Ilet a Cabrit, a small island across from the main island of Terre-de-Haut. This was a perfect location to enjoy the many snorkeling sites around the islands.
Thus, this blog is about our experiences and impressions of five snorkel sites. We were lucky that the weather and wind had been amenable to our exploration. We have had quite a few very calm days which is not always the norm for Dec-Feb.
A word of caution:
Our experiences may vary from yours depending on the time of day or year, the weather, and the boat traffic. So use discretion when choosing a snorkeling site and know your own personal limitations.
Five Snorkel Sites We Enjoyed During our Stay in Les Saintes and Our Impressions
1. Sugar Loaf Beach (Plage du Pain de Sucre)
Snorkeling at Sugar Loaf is very popular because of the picturesque palm tree lined beach and because the bay is typically protected providing an easy, relaxed snorkeling experience. However, earlier this year when we were moored at this beach the snorkeling was untenable So the right wind is important.
For more pictures from a previous snorkeling trip, see this blog post:
Guadeloupe Where Snorkeling is Sweet
The snorkeling at Sugar Loaf was close to the shore among large boulders where fans and other coral had attached themselves. There were numerous small fish traversing between the boulders. If you swim around the point of the peninsula, the coral and fans are more numerous and larger, but pay attention to the current as it can change depending on the tide and wind.
2. Site Located Behind the Anchorage at Terre-de-Haut
This unique snorkeling area was located behind the main anchorage of Terre-de-Haut below a prominent house on the hill. The snorkeling terrain consisted of ridges of coral between valleys of sand. We found plenty of open sand to anchor the dingy.
There were several varieties of colorful coral among the reef ridges.
Along a few of the ridges it looked like a garden of fans of all colors. It was beautiful! In addition, there were other fans located on the reef. This was a fascinating place to snorkel even though it was a little silted from the boat traffic and current.
Numerous fish were playing among the coral and added to the beauty of the site.
We snorkeled this spot on Terre-de-Haut later in the day. I imagine the water would have been clearer and the light would have been better if we had gone earlier on a sunny day. Nevertheless, we enjoyed this surprisingly good snorkeling spot immensely!
3. Ilet a Cabrit-East Side
This snorkeling site became one of our most favorite locations, because the reef contained a multitude of nooks and crannies where fish could hide and swim about! The snorkeling area was located on the east side of the small island of Ilet a Cabrit across the bay from the main island of Terre-de-Haut. We were lucky enough to grab a ball on the west side of Cabrit which made for an easy dinghy ride around to the east side where we anchored in sand, close to a floating fender.
The old coral reef topography was very interesting and it was fun to swim through and around the channels between the coral reef.
We were greeted by a huge brain coral almost immediately as we entered the water. There were other interesting coral throughout the jagged reef.
Lots of fish were swimming around the reef and some where doing their best to hide in the many holes!
We located some lobster hiding under a crevice.
The most exciting part of this snorkel adventure was spotting an octopus and observing him swim around the reef.
4. Ilet a Cabrit-West Side (in front of the mooring field)
Along the shore by the mooring field of Ilet a Cabrit was some interesting snorkeling through the boulders that had tumbled into the ocean. The fish were small but numerous. Usually this was an easy snorkel from the popular Anse Sous le Vent (Under the Wind Beach) or from a boat in the mooring field. You could also beach your dinghy or anchor in sand off the shore.
One area looked like a Yellow Tube Sponge nursery as there were numerous clusters of cylindrical tubes of many shapes and sizes.
The variety presented at this snorkel area, and its location down from the nice sandy beach made this an ideal place for a quick refreshing snorkel and swim.
5. Ilet a Cabrit-West Point
The first time we snorkeled the west point of Ilet a Cabrit was with Cuz John and Drew. We were all amazed when we jumped in because we found ourselves surrounded by giant boulders housing an abundance of healthy fans, coral and sponges of all colors of the rainbow. It was gorgeous!. For some reason it seemed like there were fewer fish, but maybe it was just the perception, because they were not the main event. The flora took the stage!
Each time we snorkeled here we searched for a nice patch of sand where our dinghy anchor and line wouldn’t touch any coral. We didn’t want to damage anything! One word of caution, if the wind, waves or swell are elevated, this might not be the best place to snorkel as it can be quite rough and very silty, but on a calm day, it was fun and clear!
The point on the west end of Ilet a Cabrit is a delightful location to snorkel and relish the healthy coral that surrounds you.
I hope this synopsis will give you some ideas of places to snorkel in Les Saintes if you haven’t already discovered them. Rest assured these are NOT all the snorkel venues this tiny cluster of islands hold, but it is some of the more accessible ones using a dinghy. If you have other favorite places to snorkel in Les Saintes, please leave them in the comments below.
Hope you enjoyed the pictures of the underwater wonders that await you in Guadeloupe, Les Saintes.
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Thanks for hanging out with us and allowing us to share our adventures with you!
