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Terre-de-Bas, the largest island of Les Saintes, is still very authentic. Much less crowded than its “sister” Terre-de-Haut, it nevertheless offers good snorkeling, like in Grande Baie. This natural, sheltered bay boasts calm waters and seagrass beds attracting many green turtles, as well as a wide range of reef fish.

Snorkeling with a sea turtles in Grande Baie, Les Saintes
Encounter with an immature green sea turtle in Grande Baie.

How to go snorkeling in Grande Baie?

Grande Baie is located on the east coast of Terre-de-Bas, in the Saintes archipelago. The island is served daily by boat from Trois-Rivieres (Basse Terre), but also from the neighboring island of Terre-de-Haut, the most visited of the Saintes.

From Anse des Mûriers pier, you can reach Grande Baie by walking along the road for some 700 meters or by taxi.

Grande Baie snorkeling map, Les Saintes

Water entrance for snorkeling Grande Baie

Get in the water from the small sandy beach, which is accessed by stairs.

Grande Baie snorkeling exploration tips

You can snorkel throughout the bay, but we advise you to stay at a distance of fewer than 300 meters from the beach.

Plage de Grande Baie
Grande Baie small beach, the recommended water entrance.

While the edges of the bay are rocky, its central part is covered with extensive seagrass beds, where the depth varies between 6 and 15 ft/2 and 5m. It is this seagrass that attracts many green sea turtles to Grande Baie.

Although they are less abundant here than in Malendure, you will have a good chance of encountering one while snorkeling the bay, most of the time busy grazing on the meadows or resting on the seabed.

Green sea turtle in Grande Baie
A green sea turtle in Grande Baie.

In the seagrass beds, keep your eyes peeled for other forms of wildlife that favor these open environments including the sharptail snake eel, the flying gurnard and the cushion starfish, which are sometimes seen at this location. However, it is near the rocky edges of the bay that the underwater life is the most diverse.

Around the rocks, on which you will note sponges, sea fans and hard corals, you will spot several reef fish such as the bluehead wrasse, the foureye butterflyfish, several species of grunts, as well as the orangespotted filefish.

Sharptail eel in Grande Baie
A sharptail eel noted near the rocks.

Grande Baie is a popular mooring area, so watch out for boat traffic when you are in the water.

Restaurants and accommodation nearby

The closest restaurants are next to the jetty, a 700m walk from the beach. There is no hotel on Terre-de-Bas, but a choice of guest rooms and vacation rentals.

 

  • Level required Beginner
  • Maximum depth15ft/5m
  • Water entranceFrom a sandy beach
  • Potential DangersBoat traffic
  • LifeguardNo
  • Visitor numbersMedium
  • Access costsFree
  • Restaurants nearbyNo

MAP Spot

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.