Tobacco Bay

Tobacco Bay is a small cove on the northern shore near St George's, enclosed by weathered limestone formations that stand in and around the water, which shelter it and give the snorkelling something to look at close in. The beach is small and there is a bar and equipment hire on it. The name is usually traced to tobacco grown here by early settlers; the bay was also where gunpowder was smuggled out in 1775.

The main sights

• The limestone formations - weathered rock standing in and around the water.
• The sheltered snorkelling - the calm water and fish close to shore.
• The small beach - the sand between the rock formations.
• The gunpowder story - the 1775 smuggling that took place from this bay.

When to go

May to October is the swimming season. Cruise days fill the small beach completely. Hurricane season runs June to November.

Things to know

The beach is very small and gets extremely crowded on cruise days. Facilities are commercial and priced accordingly. Snorkelling is limited by the numbers in the water.

Nearby

Fort St Catherine is east, and St George's town is south.

Key facts