Oualie Beach, Nevis: The Calm Side and the Crossing to St. Kitts
Sheltered water on Nevis's north-west shore, with the water taxi to the other island.
Why Go
Oualie Beach sits on the north-western corner of Nevis, looking across the two-mile channel called The Narrows to St. Kitts, and it is the island's most useful beach as well as one of its calmest. The water taxi to St. Kitts runs from here, cutting the journey to a few minutes rather than the ferry ride from Charlestown, and the bay itself is protected enough that the diving, sailing and paddling operations are all based on it. It is quieter and more local than Pinney's Beach round the coast.
The Experience
The beach is a modest curve of pale-grey sand with calm, shallow water and a view straight across to the green cone of St. Kitts, which changes character through the day and is the thing people photograph. Boats are moored just offshore, there is a small cluster of buildings behind, and beyond that the land climbs toward Nevis Peak, which is almost always wearing cloud. The atmosphere is unhurried in the way Nevis generally is — this is an island with no cruise pier and no strip, and it shows. The bay faces west, so the sunsets over St. Kitts are the reliable evening event, and the water stays sheltered when the Atlantic side of the island is rough. The Narrows are also the reason the two islands feel like one country and behave like two. Two miles of water is enough to have given Nevis its own pace, its own politics and its own tourism, and crossing it takes a few minutes — a combination that makes doing both islands in one trip unusually easy.
What to Try
Get on the water, because that is what this bay is for: Sand Dollar Divers works the reefs and the wrecks in The Narrows, the Nevis Aquatic and Sailing Center teaches sailing and paddling, and Islander Watersports, Mundo Water Sports and the St. Kitts Water Sports Center cover the rest. St. Kitts Nevis Charters runs the crossings and the day trips. Eat at the Yachtsman Grill or Spice Mill Restaurant for the serious meals, Chrishi Beach Club for the day-into-evening version, Indian Summer for something different and No Limit Beach Bar for the informal one. Take the water taxi across to St. Kitts at least once — it is quick, the view of both islands from mid-channel is the best either offers, and it makes a day in Basseterre or at Brimstone Hill easy. Great House and Mundo Water Sports round out what is available directly on and above the bay itself.
Insider Tip
Use the water taxi rather than the Charlestown ferry if you are day-tripping to St. Kitts. It leaves from this beach, crosses The Narrows in a fraction of the time, and lands you closer to the south-east peninsula and Frigate Bay — the ferry is cheaper and slower and goes to Basseterre. Check the last return before you settle in anywhere for the afternoon, because being stranded on the wrong island is an expensive mistake in a small boat economy.
The Practical Stuff
Oualie Beach is about ten minutes north of Charlestown and five from Vance W. Amory International on the island's northern side. St. Kitts is a short water-taxi crossing away across The Narrows; the vehicle and passenger ferry runs separately from Charlestown to Basseterre. Driving is on the LEFT and a temporary local permit is required, and you want a car — Nevis has no useful public transport and the island road takes about an hour to circle. Parking at the beach is free. The bay is sheltered and swims well year-round. St. Kitts and Nevis are in the hurricane belt, roughly June to November, with December to April the drier season.
Common Questions
How do you get from Nevis to St. Kitts?
By water taxi across The Narrows from Oualie Beach, which takes a few minutes, or by the slower and cheaper passenger ferry from Charlestown to Basseterre. Check the last return before committing to an afternoon.
Is Oualie Beach good for swimming?
Yes — it is sheltered, shallow and calm, and stays swimmable when the Atlantic side of the island is rough. It is a better swimming and watersports beach than a long sunbathing one.
What is there to do at Oualie Beach?
Diving, sailing, paddling and the crossing to St. Kitts, all based on the bay. It is the island's watersports centre, with restaurants behind the sand.
How far is Oualie Beach from Charlestown?
About ten minutes north, and five from Vance W. Amory International on the island's northern side.
Oualie Beach or Pinney's Beach?
Pinney's is longer, sandier and where the big hotels are. Oualie is calmer, more local and more useful — the watersports and the St. Kitts crossing are here.
Do you need a car on Nevis?
Yes. There is no useful public transport and the island road takes about an hour to circle, though the island is small enough that nothing is far.
Pair It With
- Sand Dollar Divers Guide — The reefs and wrecks in the channel.
- St.Kitts Nevis Charters Guide — The quick crossing to the other island.
- Yachtsman Grill Guide — Dinner with St. Kitts across the water.
