Well's Bay

This article is about a bay on the coast of Saba, Caribbean Netherlands. For the bay in Canada, see Well Bay (Newfoundland and Labrador). For the area of an oil platform, see Well bay.
Well's Bay
A dark blue bay beyond some bushes on a cloudy day. On the opposite side of the bay is a very large cliff, which curves downside to the left into some pointy rock formations.
Well's Bay, with Torrens Point in the distance
Map of Saba with Well's Bay labelled in the top left corner of the island.
Map of Saba with Well's Bay labelled in the top left corner of the island.
Well's Bay
Location on Saba
LocationSaba National Marine Park, Saba
Coordinates17°38′28″N 63°15′10″W / 17.64111°N 63.25278°W / 17.64111; -63.25278
TypeBay
Primary inflowsCaribbean Sea
Max. depth50 ft (15 m) [1]
SettlementsMary's Point (abandoned), Middle Island (abandoned), The Bottom

Well's Bay (also Wells Bay, The Well's Bay; previously The Well Bay)[2][3][4] is a coastal bay on the island of Saba in the Dutch Caribbean. It is located on the northwestern coast of the island. The bay is one of a few places for swimming on Saba.[2][5] Sometimes Well's Bay has a small beach, known locally as the “wandering beach”[6] due to the black sand that appears and disappears seasonally and sporadically.[2][7]

The bay is part of Saba National Marine Park[8] and is popular snorkeling location due to the proximity to coral reefs. At the northernmost end of Well's Bay, Torrens Point is a popular dive site for scuba divers and snorkelers.[9][10]

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.[11][12][13] This location provided for easy defense, and the bay below provided an area for anchoring boats as well as fishing.[13]

In the mid-17th century, these early settlers dug a freshwater well at the bay below.[14] 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.[15] The well's water quality was low and variable, and depended on the weather;[16] so inhabitants relied on rainwater caught in cisterns.[17] 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.[15]

During the 18th and 19th centuries, Saba was internationally known for illicit trade and piracy.[2][18][4][19] As Saba's western coast provided coverage from other islands,[2] many ships were abandoned at Well's Bay as part of privateering schemes.[2]

Boat building 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.[20] Before Saba had docking facilities, visitors were sometimes rowed in through Well's Bay.[12]

The "wandering beach"

Swimmers emerging from Well's Bay onto the cobble beach

At times, Well's Bay has a small beach, known locally as the “wandering beach”.[6][7] Black sand appears and disappears depending on northerly swells and seasonality.[21][2][6] The beach usually appears March through October.[6] Sometimes the beach disappears for multiple years.[6] When the sand is absent, the Well's Bay beach is a cobble beach.

Wildlife

Photo of a Brown Booby

Many seabirds can be seen at Well's Bay, including, the Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster), the Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens), and the Pearly-eyed Thrasher Thrush (Margarops fuscatus fuscatus).[22][23] The Scaly-breasted Thrasher has been seen between Well's Bay and The Bottom.[22]

Reptiles at Well's Bay include the Saba anole (Anolis sabanus) and the Green iguana (Iguana iguana). In the past, Well's Bay has been a nesting site for sea turtles, specifically the Green sea turtle (Chelonia midas).[22]

Diverse marine life is found in the waters of Well's Bay and around Torrens Point and Diamond Rock. Specific examples include: Blue tang (Acanthurus coeruleus),[24][25] Goatfish (Mullidae family),[24][25] Parrotfish (Scaridae family),[25] Great Barracudas (Sphyraena barracuda),[26] Nurse sharks (Ginglymostomatidae),[8] Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezi),[8] Morays eels (Muraenidae family).[24]

Hiking

Green and white wooden trailhead sign for Mary’s Point and North Coast Trail
Trailhead sign for Mary’s Point and North Coast Trail

Multiple trailheads are located at Well's Bay and/or with views of Well's Bay:

View of Well's Bay, Saba, from Mary’s Point Trail
  • Mary's Point Trail (1 hour one-way)[23] 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)[23]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.[27]
  • The Ladder trail (30 minutes one-way)[23] 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.[28]
  • Middle Island Trail (40 minutes one-way)[23] 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.[29]

Access

Well's Bay is accessible by car via Well's Bay Road. This paved road leads down to the bay from The Bottom, Saba's capital. The steep road is one of the branches of "The Road", the island's primary road. Divers and snorkelers can also get to Well's Bay, Torrens Point, and Diamond Rock via boat.[30][31] Well's Bay is not used as a harbour; Saba's harbour is located at Fort Bay.

  • View of Well's Bay from boat
    View of Well's Bay from boat
  • Diamond Rock, with Well's Bay behind it
    Diamond Rock, with Well's Bay behind it
  • Diamond Rock, just outside of Well's Bay
    Diamond Rock, just outside of Well's Bay
  • Underwater photo by Diamond Rock
    Underwater photo by Diamond Rock
  • Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) and Jacks, off of Diamond Rock dive site
    Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) and Jacks, off of Diamond Rock dive site
  • Sea turtle seen off the coast of Saba
    Sea turtle seen off the coast of Saba

References

  1. ^ "Dive Site 9. Torrens Point". Sea Saba.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Swimming on Saba". Saba Tourism. 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  3. ^ Crane, Julia G. (1987). Saba Silhouettes: Life Stories from a Caribbean Island. Vantage Press. ISBN 978-0-533-06831-9.
  4. ^ a b "Fort Bay Harbor: Maritime History". fort-bay-saba. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  5. ^ "Saba's beaches". Saba News. 2016-04-23. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  6. ^ a b c d e Allen, Casey D. (2017-07-19). Landscapes and Landforms of the Lesser Antilles. Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-55787-8.
  7. ^ a b Barone, Jeanine (2019-10-22). "A rare Caribbean island where beaches aren't the draw". CNN. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  8. ^ a b c "Saba Marine Park". Sea Saba Dive Center. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  9. ^ "Dive Sites & Dive Operators". Saba Conservation Foundation. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  10. ^ Allan, David G. (2007-06-28). "Snorkeling Options on Saba". In Transit Blog. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  11. ^ Hartog, Johannes (1975). History of Saba. Netherlands Antilles: Saba Artisan Foundation.
  12. ^ a b Crane, Julia G. (1971). Educated to Emigrate: The Social Organization of Saba. Round the World Publishing. ISBN 978-90-232-0702-3.
  13. ^ a b "A People At Risk of Losing Their Land". The Saba Islander. July 2021. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  14. ^ "Saba's Permanent need for the use of cisterns". The Saba Islander. 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  15. ^ a b Espersen, Ryan (2018-12-01). "From Hell's Gate to the Promised Land: Perspectives on Poverty in Saba, Dutch Caribbean, 1780 to the Mid-Twentieth Century". Historical Archaeology. 52 (4): 773–797. doi:10.1007/s41636-018-0147-2. ISSN 2328-1103. S2CID 257091358.
  16. ^ Espersen, Ryan (2013). "Water Use at Palmetto Point and Middle Island, Saba, Dutch Caribbean: A Modeled Approach for Settlement Viability". International Journal of Historical Archaeology. 17 (4): 806–827. doi:10.1007/s10761-013-0243-0. ISSN 1092-7697. JSTOR 24572700. S2CID 254546725.
  17. ^ Blunt, E. M. (1867). The American Coast Pilot; Containing the Courses and Distances between the Principal Harbours, Capes, and Headlands, on the Coast of North and South, E. and G. W. Blunt, New York. Cited in Espersen, Ryan (2013). "Water Use at Palmetto Point and Middle Island, Saba, Dutch Caribbean: A Modeled Approach for Settlement Viability". International Journal of Historical Archaeology. 17 (4): 806–827. ISSN 1092-7697.
  18. ^ "The Last Days of Piracy". The Saba Islander. 2013-03-21. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  19. ^ Hartog, Johannes (1975). History of Saba. Netherlands Antilles: Saba Artisan Foundation.
  20. ^ "History of Saba [brochure]" (PDF). sabapark.org. Saba Conservation Foundation.
  21. ^ "Saba's beaches". Saba News. 2016-04-23. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  22. ^ a b c "Biological Inventory of Saba" (PDF). sabapark.org. Carmabi Foundation.
  23. ^ a b c d e "Hiking". Saba Tourism. 2022-03-10. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  24. ^ a b c "Saba's Sea Creatures: Best Dive Sites To Encounter Marine Life". Just Gotta Dive (JGD). Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  25. ^ a b c "Saba Conservation Foundation: Diving in the Marine Park". www.sabapark.org. Saba Conservation Foundation. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  26. ^ "Saba's Best Dive Sites: Torrens Point". Sea Saba Dive Center. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  27. ^ "North Coast Trail". Saba Tourism. 2022-03-14. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  28. ^ "The Ladder". Saba Tourism. 2022-03-11. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  29. ^ "Middle Island Trail". Saba Tourism. 2022-03-14. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  30. ^ "Diving on Saba: Saba Dive Site Map". Sea Saba Dive Center. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  31. ^ "Saba's Best Boats". Sea Saba Dive Center. Retrieved 2024-01-20.