Runaway Bay is a town in Saint Ann Parish on the northern coast of Jamaica and is considered one of the most naturally beautiful places on the island. It is a notable tourist destination located west of Ocho Rios, and slightly east of Discovery Bay, where Christopher Columbus landed in 1494. Ocean View Beach is a private beach situated at Runaway Bay. It consists of a series of hotel resort complexes and beaches. The name derives from its having been an escape route for runaway slaves. Arawaks were the first native settlers, but they were eventually overpowered by Spanish colonisers. The population according to the 2011 census was 8,640, roughly eight times the population of 1,116 determined in the 1970 census. Notable people born in the town include Canadian actress Samantha Kaine, who appeared in the 2002 film '' Confessions of a Dangerous Mind''. British composer and actor

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

lived in nearby Port Maria and is buried there.

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...

lived in nearby

Oracabessa Oracabessa is a small town in Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica east of Ocho Rios. Its population was 4,108 in 2009. Lit in the afternoons by an apricot light that may have inspired its Spanish name, ''Oracabeza'', or "Golden Head", Oracabessa's comme ...

.Paravisini-Gebert, Lizabeth (2008). ''Literature of the Caribbean''. ABC-CLIO. Page 45. . Not far inland, in the hills south of Runaway Bay, is the village of Nine Mile, which is where Bob Marley was born and spent his childhood. Reef areas such as the Canyon and Ricky’s Reef can be visited through organized dives offered at most hotels. Its fine offshore diving and snorkeling opportunities are said to be the best in Jamaica.Insight Guides (2016). ''Insight Guides Pocket Jamaica''. Insight Guides. Page 40. . Runaway Bay is a resort community with a good offshore reef, popular with snorkelers and divers. A couple of wrecked aircraft can also be seen in a dive site now known as Ganja Planes. Runaway Bay is home to an eighteen-hole golf course at Breezes Runaway Bay Resort & Golf Club which has hosted a variety of championship events.Roth, Carolyn and Douglas Stallings (2010). ''Jamaica''. Fodor’s. Page 72. .

Etymology

The town is named after the Indian slaves who fled from Jamaica to Cuba from Runaway Bay.Pariser, Harry S. (1990). ''Jamaica: A Visitor’s Guide''. Harry S. Pariser. Page 115. . Other sources claim the area is named so as it was where Spanish governor Ysasi fled to Cuba when the British invaders closed in.

History

Runaway Bay was the site of the first Spanish settlement on Jamaica and also the point of departure of the last Spanish troops after their 1670 defeat by the British. Runaway Bay was first developed for tourism in the 1960s with the opening of Cardiff Hall, which is now a housing estate. On Christmas Day, 1957, the town was the site of a deadly explosion of a tanker loaded with aviation fuel. The tanker had been bound for Sangster International Airport in St. James Parish. A man who had earlier been reprimanded for trying to light a

cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opp ...

by constable Joseph Pennant again did so, causing the explosion, which killed 23 people and left a further 70 in hospital in critical condition.

Geography

Between Falmouth and Ochos Rios are two small mini-resorts: Discovery Bay and Runaway Bay. Runaway Bay is dominated by all-inclusive resorts and the more developed of the two bays. Runaway Bay is the smallest of Jamaica’s resort areas. It is 12 miles west of Ochos Rios and 50 miles east of

Montego Bay Montego Bay is the capital of the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of Saint James Parish, Jamaica, St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth-largest urban area in the country by population, after Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Spanish Town, and Por ...

. The one-street village of Runaway Bay is lined with all-inclusive resorts and stretches along the A1 for 3 km, merging with the neighboring community of

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

in the east. The east end of Runaway Bay is referred to as Salem and there is no clear boundary between the villages of Runaway Bay and Salem.Thomas, Polly and Adam Vaitilingam (2003). ''The Rough Guide To Jamaica''. Rough Guides. Page 222. .

References

External links

* {{Settlements in Jamaica Populated places in Saint Ann Parish Resorts in Jamaica