Salt River Bay

Salt River Bay is where a landing party from Columbus's second voyage came ashore in 1493, the only documented site in United States territory associated with that voyage, and it is preserved as a national historical park and ecological preserve for that and for what surrounds it: mangrove estuary, seagrass beds, a coral reef and a submarine canyon that drops away steeply just offshore, which makes the wall diving here excellent. The bay's mangroves shelter juvenile fish and birds, and the water holds dinoflagellates dense enough that night kayak tours through the mangrove channels light up blue with every paddle stroke, one of the more reliable bioluminescent bays in the Caribbean.

What you'll find

• The bioluminescent kayak tour - blue light with every paddle stroke at night.
• The mangrove estuary - channels, birds and juvenile fish nurseries.
• The 1493 landing site - the point associated with Columbus's second voyage.
• The submarine canyon - the wall dropping away just offshore, dived from the bay.

When to go

December to April is the driest. For bioluminescence, go on a moonless night, since a bright moon washes it out almost entirely; tours run regardless, so check the lunar calendar yourself before booking. Kayak trips need advance reservation as numbers are limited.

What to expect

The historical part of the site is low-key, essentially a point with interpretation rather than anything built, so visitors expecting a monument will be underwhelmed. Bioluminescence varies with the moon, rainfall and season and is never guaranteed. Facilities on the ground are minimal and the visitor centre has kept limited hours.

Nearby

Christiansted is twenty minutes east; the north shore dive sites are along the same coast.

Key facts