Well's Bay (also Wells Bay, The Well's Bay; previously The Well Bay) is a coastal

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

on the island of

Saba Saba may refer to: Places * Saba (island), an island of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea * Sabá, a municipality in the department of Colón, Honduras * Șaba or Șaba-Târg, the Romanian name for Shabo, a village in Ukraine * Saba, ...

in the

Dutch Caribbean The Dutch Caribbean (historically known as the Dutch West Indies) are the New World territories, colonies, and countries (former and current) of the Dutch Empire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea, mainly the norther ...

. It is located on the northwestern coast of the island. The bay is one of a few places for swimming on Saba. Sometimes Well's Bay has a small beach, known locally as the “wandering beach” due to the

black sand Black sand is sand that is black in color. One type of black sand is a heavy, glossy, partly magnetic mixture of usually fine sands containing minerals such as magnetite, found as part of a placer deposit. Another type of black sand, found on ...

that appears and disappears seasonally and sporadically. The bay is part of

Saba National Marine Park The Saba National Marine Park encompasses the waters and sea bed encircling the Caribbean island of Saba, Caribbean Netherlands, from the high water mark to deep. In total, the marine park covers approximately . At the time of its creation in 1 ...

and is popular

snorkeling Snorkeling (American and British English spelling differences#Doubled in British English, British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of human swimming, swimming face down on or through a body of water while breathing ...

location due to the proximity to

coral reefs A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. ...

. At the northernmost end of Well's Bay, Torrens Point is a popular

dive site Recreational dive sites are specific places that recreational scuba divers go to enjoy the underwater environment or for training purposes. They include technical diving sites beyond the range generally accepted for recreational diving. In this c ...

for

scuba divers Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scuba'' is an acronym for ...

and snorkelers.

History

In the 17th century, Saba's first European settlements, Palmetto Point (Mary's Point) and Middle Island, were built on the cliffs overlooking Well's Bay. This location provided for easy defense, and the bay below provided an area for

anchoring An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a Watercraft, vessel to the Seabed, bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to Leeway, wind or Ocean current, current. The word derives from Latin ', which ...

boats as well as fishing. In the mid-17th century, these early settlers dug a freshwater

well A well is an excavation or structure created on the earth by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

at the bay below. This is the origin of the bay's current name, Well's Bay. The well at Well's Bay was used by residents into the mid-19th century. The well's water quality was low and variable, and depended on the weather; so inhabitants relied on rainwater caught in

cisterns A cistern (; , ; ) is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. To prevent leakage, the interior of the cistern is often lined with hydraulic plaster. Cisterns are disti ...

. The well at Well's Bay is one of four historic wells built on Saba, with the others located at Middle Island, Core Gut Bay, and

Cove Bay Cove Bay, known locally as Cove, is a suburb on the south-east edge of Aberdeen, Scotland. Today Cove is home to around 8,000 people. It is a popular residential location owing to its village-like status. It is a quiet suburb at the Southern e ...

. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Saba was internationally known for

illicit trade Illicit trade is the production or distribution of a good or service that is considered illegal by a legislature. It includes trade that is strictly illegal in different jurisdictions, as well as trade that is illegal in some jurisdictions but lega ...

and

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

. As Saba's western coast provided coverage from other islands, many ships were abandoned at Well's Bay as part of

privateering A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since Piracy, robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sover ...

schemes.

Boat building Boat building is the design and construction of boats (instead of the larger ships) — and their on-board systems. This includes at minimum the construction of a hull, with any necessary propulsion, mechanical, navigation, safety and other ser ...

is a part of Saba's history. Boats were built by hand at Well's Bay and Tent Bay, weighing as much as 60

gross tons Gross tonnage (GT, G.T. or gt) is a nonlinear measure of a ship's overall internal volume. Gross tonnage is different from gross register tonnage. Neither gross tonnage nor gross register tonnage should be confused with measures of mass or weig ...

. Before Saba had docking facilities, visitors were sometimes rowed in through Well's Bay.

The "wandering beach"

At times, Well's Bay has a small beach, known locally as the “wandering beach”.

Black sand Black sand is sand that is black in color. One type of black sand is a heavy, glossy, partly magnetic mixture of usually fine sands containing minerals such as magnetite, found as part of a placer deposit. Another type of black sand, found on ...

appears and disappears depending on northerly swells and seasonality. The beach usually appears March through October. Sometimes the beach disappears for multiple years. When the sand is absent, the Well's Bay beach is a

cobble beach Cobble may refer to: * Cobble (geology), a designation of particle size for sediment or clastic rock * Cobblestone, partially rounded rocks used for road paving * Hammerstone, a prehistoric stone tool * Tyringham Cobble, a nature reserve in Tyring ...

Wildlife

Many

seabirds Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same envi ...

can be seen at Well's Bay, including, the

Brown Booby The brown booby (''Sula leucogaster'') is a large seabird of the booby family Sulidae, of which it is perhaps the most common and widespread species. It has a pantropical range, which overlaps with that of other booby species. The gregarious bro ...

(''Sula leucogaster''), the

Frigatebird Frigatebirds are a Family (biology), family of seabirds called Fregatidae which are found across all tropical and subtropical oceans. The five extant species are classified in a single genus, ''Fregata''. All have predominantly black plumage, l ...

(''Fregata magnificens''), and the Pearly-eyed Thrasher Thrush (''Margarops fuscatus fuscatus''). The

Scaly-breasted Thrasher The scaly-breasted thrasher (''Allenia fusca'') is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It is found throughout much of the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean Sea. Taxonomy and systematics The scaly-breasted thrasher was originally placed ...

has been seen between Well's Bay and The Bottom. Reptiles at Well's Bay include the Saba anole (''Anolis sabanus'') and the

Green iguana The green iguana (''Iguana iguana''), also known as the American iguana or the common green iguana, is a large, arboreal, mostly Herbivory, herbivorous species of lizard of the genus ''Iguana''. Usually, this animal is simply called the iguana. ...

(''Iguana iguana''). In the past, Well's Bay has been a nesting site for

sea turtles Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerh ...

, specifically the

Green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exte ...

(''Chelonia midas''). Diverse

marine life Marine life, sea life or ocean life is the collective ecological communities that encompass all aquatic animals, aquatic plant, plants, algae, marine fungi, fungi, marine protists, protists, single-celled marine microorganisms, microorganisms ...

is found in the waters of Well's Bay and around Torrens Point and Diamond Rock. Specific examples include: Blue tang (''Acanthurus coeruleus),''

Goatfish The goatfishes are ray-finned fish of the family Mullidae, the only family in the suborder Mulloidei of the order Syngnathiformes. The family is also sometimes referred to as the red mullets, which also refers more narrowly to the genus '' Mul ...

(Mullidae family),

Parrotfish Parrotfish (named for their mouths, which resemble a parrot's beak) are a clade of fish placed in the tribe Scarini of the wrasse family (Labridae). Traditionally treated as their own family (Scaridae), genetic studies have found them to be dee ...

(Scaridae family), Great Barracudas (''Sphyraena barracuda''), Nurse sharks (''Ginglymostomatidae''), Caribbean reef sharks (''Carcharhinus perezi''), Morays eels (Muraenidae family).

Hiking

Multiple trailheads are located at Well's Bay and/or with views of Well's Bay: * Mary's Point Trail (1 hour one-way) can be accessed from the Well's Bay Road. This hike goes up the cliffs that overlook Well's Bay. It is a heritage trail that features the ruins of the 17th-century settlement of Mary's Point (Palmetto Point), Saba's first European settlement. * North Coast Trail (3.5 hours one-way)can be accessed from the Well's Bay Road (or Lower Hell's Gate). The trail is currently closed to regular hikers due to strenuousness and environmental dangers. * The Ladder trail (30 minutes one-way) begins between The Bottom and Well's Bay. The Ladder's 800 steps that were historically used to bring cargo ashore and up to The Bottom. * Middle Island Trail (40 minutes one-way) starts close to the Ladder trail. It is a heritage trail that includes ruins of an open cistern, stone walls of a farm, and a cavern. The trail has views of Well's Bay and Ladder Bay.

Access

Well's Bay is accessible by car via Well's Bay Road. This paved road leads down to the bay from

The Bottom The Bottom (formerly ''Botte'') is the capital and largest town of the island of Saba (island), Saba, the Caribbean Netherlands. It is the first stop on the way from Saba's Port in Fort Bay towards the rest of the island. In 2001, it had 462 in ...

, Saba's capital. The steep road is one of the branches of "

The Road ''The Road'' is a 2006 post-apocalyptic novel by American writer Cormac McCarthy. The book details the grueling journey of a father and his young son over several months across a landscape blasted by an unspecified cataclysm that has destroyed ...

", the island's primary road. Divers and snorkelers can also get to Well's Bay, Torrens Point, and Diamond Rock via boat. Well's Bay is not used as a harbour; Saba's harbour is located at

Fort Bay Fort Bay is the official and only port on the island of Saba, in the Caribbean Netherlands. It is located on the south side of the island, about by road from The Bottom. The port is very important for the island as most of its supplies arrive ...

Gallery

File:Well's Bay with Boat (6549978435).jpg, View of Well's Bay from boat File:Diamond Rock Saba.jpg, Diamond Rock, with Well's Bay behind it File:Rocks Off Saba (6549977127).jpg, Diamond Rock, just outside of Well's Bay File:4006 aquaimages.jpg, Underwater photo by Diamond Rock File:4001 aquaimages.jpg File:Great Barracuda off the Netherland Antilles.jpg, Great Barracuda (''Sphyraena barracuda'') and Jacks, off of Diamond Rock dive site File:3959 aquaimages.jpg, Sea turtle seen off the coast of Saba

References

{{Saba Landforms of Saba (island) Geography of Saba (island) Bays of the Caribbean