Anse Chastanet Reef

Anse Chastanet's dark volcanic sand shelves into the island's most accessible great snorkelling: a marine-reserve reef beginning within swimming-pool distance of the beach and dropping along a wall busy with parrotfish, trumpetfish, squid and turtles, with visibility that rewards even first-timers. The bay sits under the Pitons' shoulder north of Soufriere, reached by a famously rough road or - more pleasantly - by water taxi from town. The neighbouring resort operates the beach services, but the sand and sea below the high-water line remain public as everywhere on the island.

What you actually see

• The house reef - the wall and gardens starting metres off the sand.
• Turtles and squid - the reef's reliable charismatic residents.
• The Piton backdrop - the spires rising south of the bay.
• Anse Mamin next door - the quieter twin cove through the headland path.

When to go

December to May for the calmest, clearest water; mornings before boat traffic give the best visibility. Summer swells occasionally stir the bay. The reserve's rules - no touching, no anchoring, no take - hold year round.

Honest expectations

The access road is brutally potholed - the water taxi from Soufriere is the sane arrival. Beach chairs and shade belong to the resort with fees for non-guests; the public option is towels on dark sand that gets hot. Snorkellers should stay off the coral and inside the marked area; boat traffic passes the bay's mouth.

Nearby

Anse Mamin's plantation ruins, Soufriere town and the Pitons.