Beach· Tobago· Windward Islands
Great Courland Bay Beach (Turtle Beach)
11° 12.8′ N · 60° 46.7′ W · approximate
About a kilometre of coarse yellow sand flecked with volcanic grey, shelving steeply into big, exhilarating waves, with Fort James on the point and leatherbacks nesting March to August.
Practical
Position is a point on the OpenStreetMap coastline in front of the Turtle Beach hotel (approx). Rough Guides: several dirt tracks lead down from the road; the water shelves steeply and waves are large; a river at the western end can give a freshwater dip but is often dammed and stagnant in the dry season; the hotel's sunshades are for guests only. Discover T&T notes kayak and Hobie Cat rentals and advises staying near the hotel because the rest of the beach is very secluded. The April 2024 bull-shark attack happened just off this beach. During nesting season keep lights off and dinghies away from the shore at night.
Best for
A long, quiet beach and turtle-watching
Season
Nesting Mar-Aug; heavy surf in north swell
Nearby
- Turtle Beach Leatherback Nesting0.1 NM away
- Great Courland Bay Anchorage (Plymouth)0.2 NM away
- Fort James (Plymouth)0.4 NM away
- Fort Bennett (Black Rock)0.6 NM away
- Grafton Caledonia Bird Sanctuary0.6 NM away
- Seahorse Inn (Grafton Beach)0.8 NM away
- Waves Restaurant (Stonehaven Bay)0.8 NM away
- Adventure Farm and Nature Reserve (hummingbirds)0.9 NM away