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In the beautiful Bahamas and located on the southwest side of the island, Anse Dufour is one of the most authentic beaches in Martinique. Martinique is known for its stunning natural beauty, lush rainforests and pristine beaches.

Anse Dufour is a popular destination for both locals and tourists.  Its shades of blue, its white sand and its colored fishermen’s houses charm thousands of visitors each year.

It is an ideal place to observe sea turtles, and green sea turtles in particular. There are many of the green turtles, and they are bay’s main attraction.

You can combine snorkeling with an exploration of the area with Anse Noire, which lies just a few hundred yards away.

Anse Dufour beach, Martinique
Beautiful Anse Dufour Beach is the best place in Martinique to swim with green sea turtles.

How to get to the Anse Dufour snorkeling spot

Anse Dufour is located in Anses d’Arlet, on the southwest coast of the island of Martinique. From Fort-de-France, take the A1 to the airport, then the N5 south for a few miles. Turn right on D7, and follow the signs to Anses d’Arlet.

Halfway between Trois Îlets and Anses d’Arlet, leave the main road and head for Anse Dufour, which is well sign-posted. There are many places to park near the beach, including in the parking area or along the road. It takes about 40 minutes by car (20mi) from Fort-de-France when the traffic is light.

Anse Dufour snorkeling map, Martinique
Anse Dufour snorkeling map, Martinique.

Entering the water at Anse Dufour

You can enter the water anywhere along the sandy beach.

Anse Dufour snorkeling exploration

All of the little bay is worth exploring, but underwater life is at its most abundant along the rocky outcrops on either side of the bay (↕3-10ft). Although the seabed is rocky, it has been colonized by large numbers of colorful sponges, small corals and sea fans. Bluehead wrasse, foureye butterflyfish, and small groups of Caribbean sergeant majors are easy to see.

Snorkeling with green turtle at Anse Dufour
At Anse Dufour, green sea turtles are extremly tame.

The central part of the bay (↕10-20ft) which is made up of sand and seagrass areas, is poor in fish. On the other hand, this is the area where you will have the best chance of spotting a green sea turtle. Many of them come to feed daily on the seagrass. By crisscrossing the area, you should not have to wait too long before seeing them.

As always with turtles, you should respect the elementary rules of observation: don’t chase after them, don’t hold on to their shells, don’t touch them, and leave them enough room when they come up to the surface to breathe.

A pair of green sea turtles at Anse Dufour.
A pair of green sea turtles at Anse Dufour.

Anse Dufour and Anse Noire are within a distance of a few hundred yards from each other, only separated by a rocky point. Combine exploration of the two spots by walking for less than 10 minutes on the path that connects the two beaches.

From the eastern tip of Anse Dufour beach, visitors in good physical shape can swim to Anse Noire, following the rocky point for about 400 to 500 yards.

Sharptail eel at Anse Dufour
Anse Dufour seagrass beds allow for encountering many specific species, such as the sharptail eel.

Anse Dufour has traditional fishing activity. You will have to share the little bay with boats, fishing nets… and a few friendly pelicans, attempting to steal fishermen’s catch of the day!

Restaurants and accommodation nearby

A few snacks and local restaurants are dotted along the beach and the road alongside it, so you can get something to eat and drink at low prices, but the choice is limited.

 

  • Level required Beginner
  • Maximum depth20ft/6m
  • Water entranceEasy, from a sandy beach
  • LifeguardNo
  • Visitor numbersHigh
  • Access costsFree
  • Restaurants nearbyYes

MAP Spot

Sea turtles watching in Anse Dufour

snorkeling-turtle

Green sea turtles are a familiar sight at Anse Dufour. In order to be a responsible snorkeler, be sure to respect the following rules when observing them:

  1. Do not attempt to touch or ride sea turtles
  2. Stay a distance of 15ft from sea turtles
  3. Do not chase a turtle that is swimming away
  4. Avoid sudden movements and allow sea turtles plenty of space when they come up to the surface to breathe

These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life.

This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.