The Flat Point Tide Pools (or Saba Tide Pools) are located on the coast of

Saba Saba may refer to: Places * Saba (island), an island of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea * Sabá, a municipality in the department of Colón, Honduras * Șaba or Șaba-Târg, the Romanian name for Shabo, a village in Ukraine * Saba, ...

, in the

Dutch Caribbean The Dutch Caribbean (historically known as the Dutch West Indies) are the New World territories, colonies, and countries (former and current) of the Dutch Empire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea, mainly the norther ...

. They are located on the

Flat Point Flat Point (or Flat Point Peninsula) is an area on the northeastern coast of Saba (island), Saba, an island in the Dutch Caribbean. It is located in the lower part of the Zion's Hill, Hell's Gate village, known as Lower Hell's Gate. Flat Point is ...

peninsula Lower Hell's Gate. These

tide pools A tide pool or rock pool is a shallow pool of seawater that forms on the rocky intertidal shore. These pools typically range from a few inches to a few feet deep and a few feet across. Many of these pools exist as separate bodies of water only ...

feature large lava rock formations filled with colorful saltwater pools. The site was formed during volcanic activity about 5,000 years ago. A large

lava flow Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

went down the northeast side of the island into the ocean, forming the Flat Point

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

as it cooled. Today the Flat Point Tide Pools are home to diverse marine life, and are a popular hiking location. The site is accessible via the Flat Point Trail below Saba's

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

Hiking

The tide pools are a popular hiking location, and can be reached by the Flat Point Trail. The trail access is located on road going from Saba's airport to

Cove Bay Cove Bay, known locally as Cove, is a suburb on the south-east edge of Aberdeen, Scotland. Today Cove is home to around 8,000 people. It is a popular residential location owing to its village-like status. It is a quiet suburb at the Southern e ...

. The trail passes by the ruins of an

indigo InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...

boiling house, that was part of a 17th-18th century sugar and indigo plantation (referred to as "Flat Point Plantation" by archeologists). The hike is about 15-25 minutes each way.

Wildlife

The tide pools are home to including small fish,

sea urchins Sea urchins or urchins () are echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depth zones from the intertidal zone to deep seas of . They typically have a globular body covered by a spiny p ...

, crabs, and sea flora. Off the coast are protected

coral reefs A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. ...

that are part of the Saba National Marine Park. Birdwatchers can see numerous bird species in the Flat Point area, including the Common Ground Dove, the Brown Noddy, the

Least Sandpiper The least sandpiper (''Calidris minutilla'') is the smallest shorebird. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''kalidris'' or ''skalidris'', a term used by Aristotle for some grey-colored waterside birds. The specific ''minutilla'' is Medieval Lat ...

, and the

White-tailed Tropicbird The white-tailed tropicbird (''Phaethon lepturus'') or yellow-billed tropicbird is a tropicbird. It is the smallest of three closely related seabirds of the tropical oceans and smallest member of the order Phaethontiformes. It is found in the tro ...

Safety

Rip currents A rip current (or just rip) is a specific type of water current that can occur near beaches where waves break. A rip is a strong, localized, and narrow current of water that moves directly away from the shore by cutting through the lines of bre ...

can occur in the Flat Point tide pools, especially from November to April. The Saba Conservation Foundation advises hikers visiting the tide pools to be cautious and alert, and to stay safely distanced from the surf. Additionally, the volcanic rocks are jagged and can be sharp.

Gallery

File:Flat Point Tide Pools, Saba, with St. Eustatius in the distance.jpg, Flat Point Tide Pools, with St. Eustatius in the distance File:View of Old Booby Hill from Flat Point Tide Pools, Saba.jpg, Volcanic rocks of the tide pools, with Old Booby Hill beyond File:Tide pool and volcanic rock at Flat Point Tide Pools, Saba.jpg, Tide pool surrounded by volcanic rock formations

External links

Google maps photo of the tide pools

References

{{Saba Landforms of Saba (island) Geography of Saba (island) Caribbean Sea