Catamaran trip to Tintamarre and Creole Rock

Three of the protected spots in the Saint Martin nature reserve in one day, by sailing catamaran from the marina at Anse Marcel (some boats also pick up off Grand Case beach). The usual pattern is a morning start and a return in the late afternoon, with an open bar, lunch, snorkel gear and paddleboards on board.

Tintamarre, also called Flat Island, lies about 3 km off the north-east coast and has no one living on it. Boats moor on the yellow reserve buoys off Baie Blanche, its long white beach, for snorkelling with turtles and rays. Ashore, paths lead inland through dry forest to the remains of a cotton and dairy farm run early last century by Diederik van Romondt, who lived out here alone, and the old airstrip that a small airline flew from between 1946 and 1950. Red-billed tropicbirds and brown noddies nest on the island. The natural mud bath that used to be part of the visit is now banned for health reasons.

Creole Rock, off Grand Case, is a snorkel stop only. Landing on the rock is forbidden, but the water around it is shallow and sheltered, a good first look at a reef. Some boats also stop at Pinel for lunch on the beach. Sunscreen in the reserve should be reef-safe.