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 July 1, 2024
Like many of the snorkeling spots on the west coast of Basse Terre, Petite Anse de Bouillante allows for discovering both reef areas full of fish and seagrass beds visited by sea turtles.
Plage de Petite Anse is located in Bouillante, 3 miles/5 kilometers south of the village, and just north of Anse à la Barque. There is a small parking lot on site, but it is often full.
This beach is sometimes confused with Plage de Petite Anse located in Deshaies (also a famous snorkeling location).
You can enter the water wherever you want from the sandy beach.
Plage de Petite Anse offers calm and sheltered waters, offering good snorkeling conditions most of the time.
Petite Anse has the same profile as many other coves on the west coast of Basse Terre.
To the right and left of the beach, you can snorkel along the shore to explore rocky reefs partly covered with corals, sponges and gorgonians (↕3-12 feet/1-4 meters).
Many reef species, including fish and invertebrates, live in this area. Angelfish, butterflyfish, parrotfish and different types of sea urchins are all easy to see here.
Occasionally, you can encounter octopus, squid, and less common fish such as flounders, spotted drum, or barracuda.
In the center of the cove, the deeper sand and seagrass areas (↕10-20 feet/3-6 meters) are visited by green turtles.
They are rather easy to see in Petite Anse, even if they are more numerous (and less shy) in Malendure, the best-known snorkeling spot in the region.
A restaurant, Chez Monette, is located on the beach. Public toilets are also available.
These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life. 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.
