Sandy Point

Sandy Point runs for more than three kilometres along the southwest tip of St Croix, the longest beach in the territory and one of the emptiest, protected as a national wildlife refuge since 1984. It is the most important leatherback turtle nesting beach under the American flag: the females, which can weigh half a tonne, haul out between roughly March and July to dig and lay, and hatchlings emerge through the summer. Because of that the refuge is closed to visitors for the whole nesting season and opens only at weekends the rest of the year. When it is open you get a wide empty beach with no facilities at all, backed by salt ponds where flamingos sometimes appear.

The landscape

• The beach itself - three kilometres of empty sand with nothing built on it.
• Leatherback nesting - the reason for the closure, watched by permitted volunteers.
• The salt ponds - shorebirds and occasional flamingos behind the beach.
• The reef offshore - snorkelling from the shore when conditions are calm.

When to go

The refuge is generally open on Saturdays and Sundays only, from around September to the end of March, and closed entirely through the nesting season. Dates shift, so check with the refuge before going. Turtle watches, when they run, are organised by permit through local conservation groups.

Before you go

This beach is closed most of the year and open only at weekends when it is not, which catches out a great many visitors who drive down and find a locked gate. There are no facilities of any kind: no shade, no water, no lifeguard, no bins. Currents along the point can be strong. Turtle watching is not a walk-up activity and requires arranging through a permitted group.

Nearby

Frederiksted is fifteen minutes north; the rainforest road is beyond it.