Salterra Beach

Salterra Beach on South Caicos.

Salterra Beach is located on the southern coast of South Caicos. The beach is quiet and secluded, with white sand, turquoise water, and shallow ocean depth.

Salterra Resort & Spa, currently under development, is the only property on the beach, which consequently gives the coast a very peaceful atmosphere.

The area around Salterra Beach abounds with wildlife. Ospreys, brown pelicans, smaller seabirds, and even the occasional flamboyance of Caribbean flamingos can be seen. The coast to the east is undeveloped, and after a long stretch of white sand beach and small coves, becomes scenic limestone cliff coastline.

Inland, the area surrounding Salterra Beach is quite beautiful as well. The extensive salt salinas of South Caicos, from a bygone era, are adjacent to the beach and are home to flamingos, egrets, herons, and other wading birds. The salinas gradually become marine wetlands to the north and east, which then fade into the rolling hills and ridges of The Highlands and Valley Bay.

Above: The beach near Salterra Resort and Spa.   Top right:  Top left:  Kiteboarders in the shallow waters of the bay.   Bottom right:  Top right:  Sunrise over Fish Rock on the barrier reef off of Salterra Beach. The coast is an excellent location to watch the sunrise and sunset.  

Snorkeling

The snorkeling and underwater sights off of Salterra Beach can be excellent. In the lush seagrass beds near the beach are stingrays, eagle rays, red cushion starfish, and turtles. On the barrier reef and at some of the small interior patch reefs inside the bay are hard corals, yellow and purple sea fans, and colorful reef fish.

Kiteboarding

Salterra Beach is also an excellent location for kiteboarding and other wind sports due to the typical east-southeast wind direction. The barrier reef off the beach protects against the ocean swell, and the shallow ocean depths close to the beach also contribute to the conditions.

A range of surface conditions are found in the bay when the wind is blowing. On the eastern side are two small sheltered coves where there’s flat water, and out at the barrier reef are low waves that can be quite a bit of fun.

Fish Rock and the Barrier Reef

Salterra Beach is located on East Bay, which is a small, sheltered, and shallow bay that is protected by a barrier reef found about 2000 feet (610 m) off the beach. On this barrier reef is Fish Rock, which is a rugged limestone isle and shoal. Interesting snorkeling surrounds the rock and shoal, which is an easy paddle via kayak or paddleboard from the beach.