Beach Guide

St. Eustatius, more popularly known as “Statia,” is a little volcanic island measuring just eight square miles in the northeastern Caribbean. It is a municipality of Netherlands Antilles, and the official language is Dutch with most residents also speaking English. Most of the island’s beaches are relatively unremarkable, being small with narrow, black or gray stretches of sand. In addition, the best beaches face the volatile Atlantic Ocean rather than the calm waters of the Caribbean. Zeelandia Beach, one of the few beaches that Statia has to offer, is situated on the Atlantic side and is rated as the island’s second best beach after Oranje Beach. Located 3 kms northeast of Oranjestad, the beach derived its name from the island’s original Dutch settlers who hailed from Zeeland province in the Netherlands.

zeelandia-beach-st-eustatius.swf

The stretch of Zeelandia Beach features dark beige and volcanic black sand. Beachgoers can experience its thrilling Atlantic surf and brisk trade winds, but should be cautious of its rough surf and dangerous undertow. The unpredictable currents can be dangerous even to the most experience swimmers. And because it accumulates a fair amount of flotsam, the beach does not offer the best spot for swimming. Nonetheless, there is a small section of the beach especially allotted for safe swimming. The beach, in general, is ideal for such serene activities as wading, hiking, strolling and sunbathing. Beachcombers can easily discover secluded spots along the beach heading towards the cliffs. For a longer walk, beachgoers can take a 45-minute hike up the coast to the semi-secluded Venus Bay.

Four endangered species of sea turtles, namely the leatherback, green, hawksbill and loggerhead, have long favored Zeelandia Beach’s nearly two miles of deserted dark sand as their nesting place. Sand mining on the beach as well as joy riding in motorized vehicles has negatively impacted the sea turtles nesting at the beach. The St. Eustatius National Parks Foundation is working to protect the nesting sea turtles and put a stop to human activity that contributes to sand erosion.

In 2001, the foundation succeeded in obtaining a protected status for Zeelandia Beach from the St. Eustatius government. In addition, the foundation forged a partnership with the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network to carry out a sea turtle protection and monitoring program at Zeelandia Beach. Through its committed efforts, the foundation has achieved important milestones in its sea turtle protection program by encouraging locals, tourists, off-islanders and volunteers to get involved.