Level: Free shore access This spot have a free shore access: you can go snorkeling there freely and without having to book a tour or pay an entrance fee.
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Last updated on March 8, 2024
Sunken in Anse Turin, south of Saint-Pierre, the Amelie Wreck is a famous snorkeling and diving site in northern Martinique. Scattered in several pieces on the gray sand, it is teeming with marine life, reclaimed by the ocean as homes for coral, fish and critters. On the wreck and the surrounding seabed, you will spot a diversity of reef fish, and occasionally rays, turtles and snake eels.
The Amelie Wreck (Epave de l’Amélie) is shore-accessed from Anse Turin’s gray sand beach, located at the exit of Le Carbet when heading to Saint-Pierre, right before the tunnel. This beach is also called “Plage des Raisiniers” (Seagrape Beach) because of the many seagrape trees found along the shore. It is also possible to reach this spot during boat tours organized by the diving clubs that frequent the area.
Manman Dlo snorkeling spot, where you can snorkel above a monumental sculpture, is just a few minute’s drive north of the Amelie Wreck.
Water entrance is from the southern end of the beach.
The recommended snorkeling area corresponds to the space delimited by the 4 yellow buoys. This area is regulated and fishing and anchoring are prohibited.
Like a natural reef, the fragments of the Amelie Wreck, which sank in February 1902, provide a wide variety of hiding places and supports. At a depth of 15 to 25ft/5 to 8 m, you will observe an abundant underwater life.
Sponges, hard corals, gorgonians, worms, and anemones have settled there and provide homes for many species of reef fish, echinoderms, algae and critters.
Among the most common fish calling the wreck home are the sergeant major, the smooth trunkfish and the dusky squirrelfish, which enjoy the hiding places offered by the wreck. The luckiest snorkelers may also encounter a longlure frogfish.
Around the wreck, you can explore large areas of gray sand and seagrass beds. In the sand, look for the camouflage masters, such as the dollar urchins, the sea cucumbers, or the torpedo ray.
Seagrass beds are a refuge for juvenile fish, attracting predators looking for easy prey, such as the sharptail eel. Many herbivorous species, such as the queen conch or the white sea urchin, also feed in the meadows, occasionally visited by green sea turtles.
This spot is located in an area where the current can rise in the morning, stay alert and don’t overestimate your capacity. Depending on the direction of the wind, there may be waves. In this case, postpone your snorkeling as visibility will be poor due to the suspended sand.
On the beach, you can eat at l’Abri Côtier restaurant. There is a large choice of restaurants and accommodation in Le Carbet and its surroundings.
These spots are accessible to anyone with basic snorkeling skills, and feeling comfortable in the water and with his snorkeling gear. You will enter the water from the shore (beach, pontoon, ladder, rocks) or from a boat. The water height in the sea entrance area is reasonable, but you will not necessarily be within your depth. Moderate currents can occur in the area, even when the sea conditions are good. The distance to swim to reach the most interesting snorkeling areas of the spot does not exceed 200 meters. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
