Fort Bay, Saba: The Harbour and the Dive Boats
The island's only landing place, at the bottom of the road — and where the diving starts.
Why Go
Fort Bay is Saba's harbour, a small working pier on the south-west coast at the end of the island road, and it is the only place a boat can land. Before it was built in the 1970s everything arriving on Saba came ashore at Ladder Bay and was carried up eight hundred steps. Now the ferry comes in here, the fuel comes in here, and — the reason most visitors find themselves down at the water — the dive boats leave from here for the pinnacles that make Saba one of the best dive destinations in the Caribbean.
The Experience
The bay is functional rather than pretty: a concrete pier, a fuel installation, the marine park office, a couple of dive operations and a handful of places to eat, all packed into the small flat area where the road finally reaches sea level. The cliffs rise immediately behind. Boats come and go through the morning, and there is a rhythm to it — divers down early, ferry mid-morning, everything quiet by the afternoon. There is no beach and no swimming to speak of at the pier itself. What there is, a short boat ride offshore, is the reason the island's tourism exists at all: underwater pinnacles rising from deep water, protected as a marine park since the 1980s and in exceptional condition. The harbour is also the reason modern Saba is possible at all. Before it was cut into the rock the island could not receive a vehicle, a shipping container or anything else that would not fit on a person back, and everything about how the place developed follows from that single constraint being lifted in the 1970s.
What to Try
Dive. Sea Saba and Saba Deep Charters both operate from the harbour and both work the pinnacles — seamounts that rise to within thirty metres of the surface and attract pelagic life in a way inshore reefs do not. The Saba National Marine Park surrounds the whole island and its office is here; the fee every diver pays funds protection that has been in place for four decades and shows. If you are not diving, the harbour is still worth twenty minutes for the boats and the scale of the cliffs above. Eat at Pop's Place, Island Flavor, Lollipop's Restaurant or the Ocean Club, which between them are most of the eating at sea level. Saba C-Transport handles the freight side, which on an island like this is not a trivial business.
Insider Tip
Book your diving before you arrive, not after. Saba has a small number of boats, the pinnacles are the reason a good share of visitors come, and in a busy week the spaces genuinely fill. Also be realistic about the profile: the seamounts are deep, currents can run, and this is not the place for a first open-water dive — the island suits experienced divers and rewards them enormously. Buy the marine park tag at the office here; it is compulsory and it is what has kept the sites in the condition you came to see.
The Practical Stuff
Fort Bay is at the end of Saba's single road, about ten minutes below The Bottom and twenty from Windwardside and the airport. The ferry from St Maarten arrives here and is weather-dependent, as are the flights — leave a night's margin before any onward international connection. There is no beach and no swimming at the harbour itself. The marine park fee is compulsory for divers and funds the protection around the island. Saba is a special municipality of the Netherlands using the US dollar, with English the everyday language. Facilities at the bay are limited to the dive shops, a few restaurants and the port offices. The island is in the hurricane belt, roughly June to November.
Common Questions
Why is Saba's diving so good?
Underwater pinnacles rise from deep water close to the island and attract pelagic life that inshore reefs do not, and the surrounding marine park has been protected since the 1980s. The condition of the sites reflects that.
Is Saba suitable for beginner divers?
Less so than most Caribbean islands. The seamounts are deep and currents can run, which makes Saba a destination that rewards experienced divers rather than a place to learn.
Should you book diving in advance?
Yes. There are few boats, the pinnacles are why many people come, and spaces genuinely fill in a busy week. Booking before you fly is the sensible approach.
Where does the ferry from St Maarten arrive?
At Fort Bay, the island's only harbour. The crossing is weather-dependent, as are the flights, so leave a night's margin before any onward international connection.
Is there a beach at Fort Bay?
No. It is a working harbour with a concrete pier and a fuel installation. Saba has essentially no beach anywhere — Well's Bay develops sand seasonally and loses it again.
What is the marine park fee?
A compulsory charge for divers that funds the protection of the waters around the island. It is paid at the marine park office at the harbour and is the reason the sites are in the state they are.
Pair It With
- Sea Saba Guide — The seamounts, and the island's whole underwater case.
- Saba National Marine Park Guide — The protection that made them worth diving.
- Pop's Place Guide — Lunch at the harbour between tanks.
