Well's Bay

Last updated
Well's Bay
Wells Bay, Saba, with Torrens Point in the distance.jpg
Well's Bay, with Torrens Point in the distance
Saba location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Well's Bay
Location on Saba
Location Saba National Marine Park, Saba
Coordinates 17°38′28″N63°15′10″W / 17.64111°N 63.25278°W / 17.64111; -63.25278
Type Bay
Primary inflows Caribbean Sea
Max. depth50 ft (15 m) [1]
SettlementsMary's Point (abandoned), Middle Island (abandoned), The Bottom

Well's Bay (also Wells Bay, The Well's Bay; previously The Well Bay) [2] [3] [4] is a coastal bay on the island of Saba in the Dutch Caribbean. It is located on the northwestern coast of the island. The bay is one of a few places for swimming on Saba. [2] [5] Sometimes Well's Bay has a small beach, known locally as the “wandering beach” [6] due to the black sand that appears and disappears seasonally and sporadically. [2] [7]

Contents

The bay is part of Saba National Marine Park [8] and is popular snorkeling location due to the proximity to coral reefs. At the northernmost end of Well's Bay, Torrens Point is a popular dive site for scuba divers and snorkelers. [9] [10]

History

In the 17th century, Saba's first European settlements, Palmetto Point (Mary's Point) and Middle Island, were built on the cliffs overlooking Well's Bay. [11] [12] [13] This location provided for easy defense, and the bay below provided an area for anchoring boats as well as fishing. [13]

In the mid-17th century, these early settlers dug a freshwater well at the bay below. [14] This is the origin of the bay's current name, Well's Bay. The well at Well's Bay was used by residents into the mid-19th century. [15] The well's water quality was low and variable, and depended on the weather; [16] so inhabitants relied on rainwater caught in cisterns. [17] The well at Well's Bay is one of four historic wells built on Saba, with the others located at Middle Island, Core Gut Bay, and Cove Bay. [15]

During the 18th and 19th centuries, Saba was internationally known for illicit trade and piracy. [2] [18] [4] [19] As Saba's western coast provided coverage from other islands, [2] many ships were abandoned at Well's Bay as part of privateering schemes. [2]

Boat building is a part of Saba's history. Boats were built by hand at Well's Bay and Tent Bay, weighing as much as 60 gross tons. [20] Before Saba had docking facilities, visitors were sometimes rowed in through Well's Bay. [12]

The "wandering beach"

Swimmers emerging from Well's Bay onto the cobble beach Wells Bay Beach, Saba.jpg
Swimmers emerging from Well's Bay onto the cobble beach

At times, Well's Bay has a small beach, known locally as the “wandering beach”. [6] [7] Black sand appears and disappears depending on northerly swells and seasonality. [21] [2] [6] The beach usually appears March through October. [6] Sometimes the beach disappears for multiple years. [6] When the sand is absent, the Well's Bay beach is a cobble beach.

Wildlife

Photo of a Brown Booby Brown Booby - Sula leucogaster.jpg
Photo of a Brown Booby

Many seabirds can be seen at Well's Bay, including, the Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster), the Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens), and the Pearly-eyed Thrasher Thrush (Margarops fuscatus fuscatus). [22] [23] The Scaly-breasted Thrasher has been seen between Well's Bay and The Bottom. [22]

Reptiles at Well's Bay include the Saba anole (Anolis sabanus) and the Green iguana (Iguana iguana). In the past, Well's Bay has been a nesting site for sea turtles, specifically the Green sea turtle (Chelonia midas). [22]

Diverse marine life is found in the waters of Well's Bay and around Torrens Point and Diamond Rock. Specific examples include: Blue tang (Acanthurus coeruleus), [24] [25] Goatfish (Mullidae family), [24] [25] Parrotfish (Scaridae family), [25] Great Barracudas (Sphyraena barracuda), [26] Nurse sharks (Ginglymostomatidae), [8] Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezi), [8] Morays eels (Muraenidae family). [24]

Hiking

Trailhead sign for Mary's Point and North Coast Trail Trailhead sign for Mary's Point and North Coast Trail, Saba.jpg
Trailhead sign for Mary’s Point and North Coast Trail

Multiple trailheads are located at Well's Bay and/or with views of Well's Bay:

View of Well's Bay, Saba, from Mary's Point Trail View of Wells Bay, Saba, from Mary's Point Trail.jpg
View of Well's Bay, Saba, from Mary’s Point Trail

Access

Well's Bay is accessible by car via Well's Bay Road. This paved road leads down to the bay from The Bottom, Saba's capital. The steep road is one of the branches of "The Road", the island's primary road. Divers and snorkelers can also get to Well's Bay, Torrens Point, and Diamond Rock via boat. [30] [31] Well's Bay is not used as a harbour; Saba's harbour is located at Fort Bay.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonaire</span> Dutch Caribbean island

Bonaire is a Caribbean island in the Leeward Antilles, and is a special municipality of the Netherlands. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west (leeward) coast of the island. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao form the ABC islands, 80 km off the coast of Venezuela. Unlike much of the Caribbean region, the ABC islands lie outside Hurricane Alley. The islands have an arid climate that attracts visitors seeking warm, sunny weather all year round. Bonaire is a popular snorkeling and scuba diving destination because of its multiple shore diving sites and easy access to the island's fringing reefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saba (island)</span> Dutch Caribbean island

Saba is a Caribbean island and the smallest special municipality of the Netherlands. It consists largely of the active volcano Mount Scenery, which at 887 metres (2,910 ft) is the highest point of the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands. The island lies in the northern Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, southeast of the Virgin Islands. Together with Bonaire and Sint Eustatius it forms the BES islands, also known as the Caribbean Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oranjestad, Sint Eustatius</span> Town in Sint Eustatius, Netherlands

Oranjestad is a small town of 1,038 inhabitants; it is the capital and largest town of the island of Sint Eustatius in the Caribbean Netherlands. It’s not to be confused with the far larger Oranjestad in Aruba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virgin Islands National Park</span> 14,700 acres in St. John, Virgin Islands (US) managed by the National Park Service

The Virgin Islands National Park is an American national park preserving about 60% of the land area of Saint John in the United States Virgin Islands, as well as more than 5,500 acres of adjacent ocean, and nearly all of Hassel Island, just off the Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas harbor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bottom</span> Village in Saba, Dutch Caribbean

The Bottom is the capital and largest town of the island of Saba, the Caribbean Netherlands. It is the first stop on the way from Saba's Port in Fort Bay towards the rest of the island. In 2001, it had 462 inhabitants of the total 1,349 islanders. It is the administrative center of Saba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windwardside</span> Village in Saba, Dutch Caribbean

Windwardside is the second largest town on the island of Saba, aptly named for being on the windward side of the island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ladder Bay (Saba)</span> Bay in Saba National Marine Park, Saba

Ladder Bay is an anchorage on the leeward side of the Caribbean island of Saba. The bay sits on the west side of the island, directly under a set of 800 steps hand carved into the rocks locally known as "The Ladder". Until the construction of Saba's first pier in the 1970s, Ladder Bay was a primary point of entry for supplies to the island. An abandoned customs house sits on the lip of a cliff overlooking the bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Johns, Saba</span> Village in Saba, Dutch Caribbean

St. Johns is a settlement in Saba, the Caribbean Netherlands. It is located between The Bottom and Windwardside. It is the smallest of Saba's four villages, with a population of 186. The village was the birthplace of Cornelia Jones, the first woman to hold public office in the Windward Islands. It is the current location of Saba's primary and secondary schools. It is also one of the island's seismic monitoring sites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apo Island</span> Volcanic island in Visayas, Philippines

Apo Island is a volcanic island covering 74 hectares in land area, 7 kilometers off the southeastern tip of Negros Island and 30 kilometers south of the Negros Oriental capital of Dumaguete in the Philippines. The name "Apo" means "elder" or "respected ancestor" in the Visayan languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Scenery</span> Volcano in the Caribbean Netherlands

Mount Scenery is a dormant volcano in the Caribbean Netherlands. Its lava dome forms the summit of the Saba island stratovolcano. At an elevation of 887 m (2,910 ft), it is the highest point in both the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and, since the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles on 10 October 2010, the highest point in the Netherlands proper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zion's Hill</span> Village in Saba, Dutch Caribbean

Zion's Hill, also known by its former name Hell's Gate, is a town on the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba. Locally, it is divided into Upper Hell's Gate and Lower Hell's Gate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotts Head, Dominica</span>

Scotts Head is a village on the southwest coast of Dominica, in Saint Mark Parish. In 2001, its population was 721. Predominantly a fishing village, Scotts Head overlooks Soufrière Bay, which is protected as the Soufrière Scotts Head Marine Reserve. It is also a popular snorkeling and diving site for tourists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saba National Marine Park</span> Marine life protection zone around the island of Saba

The Saba National Marine Park encompasses the waters and sea bed encircling the Caribbean island of Saba, Caribbean Netherlands, from the high water mark to 200 feet (61 m) deep. In total, the marine park covers approximately 5 square miles (13 km2). At the time of its creation in 1987, the government passed the Marine Environment Ordinance to protect the coral reefs and other marine life within the park. The Saba Conservation Foundation manages the Saba National Marine Park, as well as the island's hyperbaric facility, and natural sites on land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Bay</span> Port in Saba, Caribbean Netherlands

Fort Bay is the official and only port on the island of Saba, in the Caribbean Netherlands. It is located on the south side of the island, about 1 mile (1.6 km) by road from The Bottom. The port is very important for the island as most of its supplies arrive here by boat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Head, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Green Head is a small Australian coastal town in the Shire of Coorow. The town is situated between Geraldton and Perth in the Mid West region of Western Australia along Indian Ocean Drive. Its beaches and lifestyle provide a relaxed holiday atmosphere. It is the home of what was a significant, but now declining, rock lobster industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flamenco Beach</span> Beach in Culebra Island, Puerto Rico

Flamenco Beach is a public beach on the Caribbean island of Culebra. It is known for its shallow turquoise waters, white sand, swimming areas, and diving sites. It stretches for a mile around a sheltered, horseshoe-shaped bay. Playa Flamenco is a popular beach destination for both Culebra and Puerto Rico. In March 2014, Flamenco Beach was ranked 3rd best beach in the world with a TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Award. In August 2016, it was announced that Flamenco Beach had regained its Blue Flag Beach international distinction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Road (Saba)</span> Primary road on Saba, Dutch Caribbean

The Road is the unofficial name for the cement road that connects the villages of Saba, Netherlands, a Caribbean island. It is nicknamed as "The Road That Couldn't Be Built." It is the primary road on the island, spanning 8.7 miles. It was constructed by local Sabans between 1938 and 1963, without the use of machines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flat Point Tide Pools</span> Natural tidal pools on Saba, Dutch Caribbean

The Flat Point Tide Pools are located on the coast of Saba, in the Dutch Caribbean. They are located on the Flat Point peninsula Lower Hell's Gate. These tide pools feature large lava rock formations filled with colorful saltwater pools. The site was formed during volcanic activity about 5,000 years ago. A large lava flow went down the northeast side of the island into the ocean, forming the Flat Point peninsula as it cooled. Today the Flat Point Tide Pools are home to diverse marine life, and are a popular hiking location. The site is accessible via the Flat Point Trail below Saba's airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flat Point</span> Peninsula on Saba, Dutch Caribbean

Flat Point is an area on the northeastern coast of Saba, an island in the Dutch Caribbean. It is located in the lower part of the Hell's Gate village, known as Lower Hell's Gate. Flat Point is the location of Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, the Tide Pools, ruins of a 17th-18th century sugar and indigo plantation, and Cove Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cove Bay (Saba)</span> Bay in Flat Point, Saba

Cove Bay is a is coastal bay on the island of Saba in the Dutch Caribbean. It is located on the southeastern coast of the Flat Point peninsula, below the Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport and the Flat Point Tide Pools.

References

  1. ↑ "Dive Site 9. Torrens Point". Sea Saba.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Swimming on Saba". Saba Tourism. 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  3. ↑ Crane, Julia G. (1987). Saba Silhouettes: Life Stories from a Caribbean Island. Vantage Press. ISBN   978-0-533-06831-9.
  4. 1 2 "Fort Bay Harbor: Maritime History". fort-bay-saba. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  5. ↑ "Saba's beaches". Saba News. 2016-04-23. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Allen, Casey D. (2017-07-19). Landscapes and Landforms of the Lesser Antilles. Springer. ISBN   978-3-319-55787-8.
  7. 1 2 Barone, Jeanine (2019-10-22). "A rare Caribbean island where beaches aren't the draw". CNN. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  8. 1 2 3 "Saba Marine Park". Sea Saba Dive Center. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  9. ↑ "Dive Sites & Dive Operators". Saba Conservation Foundation. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  10. ↑ Allan, David G. (2007-06-28). "Snorkeling Options on Saba". In Transit Blog. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  11. ↑ Hartog, Johannes (1975). History of Saba. Netherlands Antilles: Saba Artisan Foundation.
  12. 1 2 Crane, Julia G. (1971). Educated to Emigrate: The Social Organization of Saba. Round the World Publishing. ISBN   978-90-232-0702-3.
  13. 1 2 "A People At Risk of Losing Their Land". The Saba Islander. July 2021. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  14. ↑ "Saba's Permanent need for the use of cisterns". The Saba Islander. 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  15. 1 2 Espersen, Ryan (2018-12-01). "From Hell's Gate to the Promised Land: Perspectives on Poverty in Saba, Dutch Caribbean, 1780 to the Mid-Twentieth Century". Historical Archaeology. 52 (4): 773–797. doi:10.1007/s41636-018-0147-2. ISSN   2328-1103. S2CID   257091358.
  16. ↑ Espersen, Ryan (2013). "Water Use at Palmetto Point and Middle Island, Saba, Dutch Caribbean: A Modeled Approach for Settlement Viability". International Journal of Historical Archaeology. 17 (4): 806–827. doi:10.1007/s10761-013-0243-0. ISSN   1092-7697. JSTOR   24572700. S2CID   254546725.
  17. ↑ Blunt, E. M. (1867). The American Coast Pilot; Containing the Courses and Distances between the Principal Harbours, Capes, and Headlands, on the Coast of North and South, E. and G. W. Blunt, New York. Cited in Espersen, Ryan (2013). "Water Use at Palmetto Point and Middle Island, Saba, Dutch Caribbean: A Modeled Approach for Settlement Viability". International Journal of Historical Archaeology. 17 (4): 806–827. ISSN  1092-7697.
  18. ↑ "The Last Days of Piracy". The Saba Islander. 2013-03-21. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  19. ↑ Hartog, Johannes (1975). History of Saba. Netherlands Antilles: Saba Artisan Foundation.
  20. ↑ "History of Saba [brochure]" (PDF). sabapark.org. Saba Conservation Foundation.
  21. ↑ "Saba's beaches". Saba News. 2016-04-23. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  22. 1 2 3 "Biological Inventory of Saba" (PDF). sabapark.org. Carmabi Foundation.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 "Hiking". Saba Tourism. 2022-03-10. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  24. 1 2 3 "Saba's Sea Creatures: Best Dive Sites To Encounter Marine Life". Just Gotta Dive (JGD). Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  25. 1 2 3 "Saba Conservation Foundation: Diving in the Marine Park". www.sabapark.org. Saba Conservation Foundation. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  26. ↑ "Saba's Best Dive Sites: Torrens Point". Sea Saba Dive Center. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  27. ↑ "North Coast Trail". Saba Tourism. 2022-03-14. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  28. ↑ "The Ladder". Saba Tourism. 2022-03-11. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  29. ↑ "Middle Island Trail". Saba Tourism. 2022-03-14. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  30. ↑ "Diving on Saba: Saba Dive Site Map". Sea Saba Dive Center. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  31. ↑ "Saba's Best Boats". Sea Saba Dive Center. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.