Hidden Anchorages and Secret Spots in the Caribbean

Beyond the Guidebook Anchorages

The Caribbean's most popular anchorages are popular for good reason. The Bight at Norman Island, White Bay on Jost Van Dyke, and the mooring field at Great Harbour in the BVI are all beautiful, well-protected, and easy to access. But they are also crowded, especially during high season from December through April, when mooring balls fill up by early afternoon and rafting alongside strangers becomes the norm.

The reward for sailing a little farther, reading the charts more carefully, or asking the right people is discovering anchorages that feel like they belong to you alone. The Caribbean is full of these places: small bays with no mooring balls, shallow cuts between cays that only draw-conscious sailors attempt, and quiet harbors where the only other boats belong to local fishermen.

British Virgin Islands: Quiet Corners

Manchioneel Bay, Cooper Island

Most BVI itineraries include Cooper Island, but nearly everyone anchors at the beach club on the northwest side. Round the southern tip and you will find Manchioneel Bay, a protected anchorage with good holding in 10 to 15 feet of sand. The snorkeling along the rocky shoreline is excellent, and on most days you will share the bay with no more than two or three other boats. The approach is straightforward, with no hazards, but the bay is open to the south, so check the swell forecast before committing to a night.

Benures Bay, Norman Island

The Bight on Norman Island is a zoo during high season, with charter boats packed gunwale to gunwale. Benures Bay, on the north side of the island, is a 15-minute sail around the western point and a different world entirely. The anchorage is a narrow indent with room for four or five boats in 15 to 20 feet over sand. The shoreline is undeveloped, the water is clear, and the noise from the floating bars at The Bight does not carry this far. Approach from the west, keeping an eye on the rocky shoal extending from the eastern headland.

Savannah Bay, Virgin Gorda

While every charter boat heads for The Baths or the Spanish Town anchorage, Savannah Bay on the southeastern coast of Virgin Gorda offers a crescent of white sand with virtually no one on it. The anchorage is exposed to easterly swells, so this is a daytime stop rather than an overnight. Anchor in 12 to 18 feet on sand and swim ashore for a beach that rivals anything in the Caribbean. The road to town is a 20-minute walk if you want provisions.

Cam Bay, Great Camanoe

Great Camanoe, just northeast of Tortola, rarely appears on charter itineraries despite being easily accessible. Cam Bay on the western shore provides excellent protection from the prevailing easterlies, with good holding in 10 to 15 feet. The bay is bordered by low scrub and a rocky shoreline with surprisingly good snorkeling. The Lee Bay on the south side of the island is another option, though it is shallower and better suited to catamarans that can anchor in 6 to 8 feet.

Bahamas Exumas: Secluded Cays

Shroud Cays

The northern Exumas begin with the Shroud Cays, a labyrinth of tidal creeks, mangrove-lined channels, and shallow sandbanks that is part of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. This is some of the most pristine cruising water in the Caribbean. The main channel through the Shroud Cays requires careful navigation with a rising tide and a draft of less than 5 feet, but the reward is anchoring in a mangrove creek with nurse sharks gliding beneath the hull and no other boats in sight.

Enter from the western, bank side through the channel marked on Explorer Charts. Do not attempt this in a deep-draft monohull. Catamarans and shallow-keeled boats are the way to explore the Shroud Cays.

Little Bell Island

South of the Shroud Cays, Little Bell Island has a protected anchorage on its western side in 8 to 12 feet of water. The holding is sand over rock, so set your anchor firmly and test it with a reverse. The island itself is small and uninhabited, with a rocky shoreline that is home to iguanas, herons, and osprey. The snorkeling on the eastern reef is outstanding, with healthy coral formations and abundant fish life.

Hawksbill Cay

Hawksbill Cay sits within the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park and has a beautiful beach on its western shore. The anchorage is exposed to westerly winds, which are rare during the winter high season when easterly trades dominate. Anchor in 8 to 10 feet on sand and dinghy ashore. The ruins of a Loyalist-era plantation sit on the hill behind the beach, and hiking trails wind through the scrub. Fishing and spearfishing are prohibited within the park boundaries, but the snorkeling benefits from those protections.

Pipe Cay to Thomas Cay

This stretch of the central Exumas is less visited than Staniel Cay to the south. Pipe Cay has a narrow cut on its northern end that leads to a protected inner lagoon. Thomas Cay, a short distance south, offers a western anchorage in 7 to 10 feet that is well protected in prevailing conditions. Neither has any services or facilities, which is precisely the point.

Antigua: Quiet Harbors and Forgotten Bays

Nonsuch Bay

Nonsuch Bay on Antigua's eastern coast is protected by Green Island and a barrier reef that absorbs most of the Atlantic swell. The result is a large, calm body of water with multiple anchoring options and surprisingly few boats. The southwestern corner of the bay, near the reef passage, offers the best snorkeling. Green Island has two small beaches accessible by dinghy and no permanent inhabitants.

The approach from the south through the reef passage requires attention to the chart and favorable light for reading the water. Enter during mid-morning when the sun is high enough to illuminate the coral heads. The pass is well marked and straightforward in calm conditions.

Five Islands Harbour

On the northwestern coast, Five Islands Harbour sits just south of the better-known Deep Bay. The anchorage is protected by a cluster of small islands and offers good holding in 12 to 18 feet over sand. Ashore, the ruins of Fort Barrington sit on the headland between Five Islands Harbour and Deep Bay, offering panoramic views of the coastline and a reminder of Antigua's colonial military history. The walk up to the fort takes about 15 minutes from the dinghy landing.

Willoughby Bay

Willoughby Bay on the southeast coast is a large, shallow bay that rarely appears in cruising guides. The entrance is narrow and requires careful piloting around a coral bar, but inside you find a protected expanse with room to swing at anchor in splendid isolation. The eastern shore has a small fishing community and a beach bar that serves grilled fish and cold beer without any pretension. Depths range from 6 to 12 feet over sand and grass.

Tips for Finding Your Own Hidden Spots

Read the Charts, Not Just the Guides

Cruising guides point everyone to the same places. The charts show you everywhere else. Spend time studying the chartplotter or paper charts for indentations in the coastline, islands that block the prevailing swell, and depths that indicate sand over the bottom. A bay that is 10 feet deep with sand bottom and a headland blocking the easterly wind is a potential anchorage even if no guide mentions it.

Talk to Locals

Fishermen, dive operators, and marina staff know their waters better than any publication. A polite question about quiet anchorages or good snorkeling spots often yields information that would take years to discover on your own. Buy a drink, share a fish, and ask questions.

Arrive Early, Stay Late

The secret spots are secret partly because they are small. Arrive by early afternoon to claim the best position. And stay for a second night if the weather allows. The longer you sit in one place, the more you notice: the fish that gather under the hull at dusk, the turtle that surfaces at the same time each morning, the way the light changes on the headland as the sun moves. These are the details that make a sailing trip extraordinary.

Respect the Anchorage

Hidden spots remain hidden only if sailors treat them well. Do not discharge waste overboard. Do not anchor on coral. Take your trash with you. If you find a pristine bay with no one else around, leave it that way for the next crew to discover.