Sint Maarten · Sint Maarten · Reef
Frenchmen's Reef
Rocky rises in 4–8 m at the mouth of Simpson Bay, the discovery-dive site
Area photo: Gillfoto from Juneau, Alaska, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0
Frenchmen's Reef is a group of rocky rises on a sandy bank at the exit of Simpson Bay, in 4 m to 8 m of water. It is dived as a discovery site: shallow and simple, with stingrays, turtles, lobsters and Caribbean reef fish around the rocks.
Where it is and how deep
18.0178° N, 63.0950° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site is a set of rocky rises standing on a sandy bank at the exit of Simpson Bay, and the water over them is only 4 m to 8 m deep. You drop in beside one of the rises and settle on the sand at 8 m, then work around and over the rocks: each rise is a small reef in its own right, and the dive moves from one to the next across the sand between them. It is dived as a first dive, so the pace is slow and the depth barely changes.
The rocks hold Caribbean reef fish, with lobsters in the cracks, and the sand between the rises is where stingrays lie and where turtles come through. Because the maximum is 8 m there is no bottom-time pressure, and the dive ends simply by rising off the last rock to the surface beside the boat. Scubago rates it the best of the island's sites for a discovery dive.
Marine life and season
- Stingrays
- Sea turtles
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows Sint Maarten: Conditions vary little through the year; Jun–Nov is hurricane season and Dec–Apr plus Jul–Aug are the crowded months.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Frenchmen's Reef?+
The reef lies in 4 m to 8 m of water at the exit of Simpson Bay, which is why it is used for discovery dives.
Sources
- Frenchmen's Reef — Scubago
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