What to know about Horseshoe Bay Beach
Horseshoe Bay Beach is in Southampton Parish, and it has no entry fee to get in. There is plenty of parking, and you can get there easily by bus, taxi, or the local ride app Hitch, as well as with the scooters you can rent on the island. This isn’t a beach where you need to cart in everything you might need for the day if you don’t want to.
Rent towels, beach chairs, umbrellas, paddle boards, boogie boards, and snorkeling supplies for the day. You will also find vendors on the beach with snacks and drinks. Bars are close by, too, and an upscale Italian restaurant called Gulfstream is a 10-minute walk away. There are also public restrooms and a foot shower so you’ll only bring back pink sand in a jar, rather than on your toes. You can walk on the nearby limestone cliffs, though it’s recommended that you bring shoes for this. There are lifeguards on site from May through October for supervised swimming.
If you choose to snorkel here, you might see parrot fish, wrasse, snappers, angelfish, and even barracudas, moray eels, otters, dolphins, sharks, and turtles. Do note that Portuguese Man-O-Wars live in the area. They’ll remind you of jellyfish, but they’re really siphonophores. It doesn’t matter, because it works the same. Their tentacles can stretch out up to 164 feet, and their sting is very painful. Don’t touch them, even if you see one on the beach.
Things to do in the area
There are some fun things to do in the area when you’ve finished swimming. You can book the Horseshoe Bay Beach Nature Trail Tour, which takes you on varied trails and through several nearby beaches with a guide. You’ll learn all about the history and culture of the area, as well as the wildlife you might see. These go out in the morning and the afternoon, and snacks and soda are included.
If you’re feeling brave, another activity that is popular on the beach as well as other places on the island is cliff jumping. At Horseshoe Bay Beach, there is a spot called Crown that is just past the restrooms. It’s considered a “safe” place to cliff jump, but there is always going to be danger involved, so do this at your own risk.
One mile away from the beach is Turtle Hill Golf Club, with an 18-hole championship course. You can also take a short bus ride or a walk to Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. First lit in 1846, it’s one of the oldest cast iron lighthouses standing. This lighthouse is still functioning, and you can climb the 185 steps if you still have energy, post-swim.
