The Queen's Baths, Eleuthera

Visiting safely

The baths are only safe at low tide and in calm seas. At high tide or in swell the pools are overrun by waves and the rocks become dangerous. Check tide times, go in the hour or two either side of low water, and keep an eye on the ocean while you swim. The rock is sharp; water shoes make the walk from the road much easier.

Finding them

There is no sign. South of the Glass Window Bridge on the Queen's Highway, a short track on the Atlantic side leads to the shore; the pools lie in the rock shelf below. Guided north Eleuthera drives stop here, which is the easiest way to be sure of the spot and the tide.

What the pools are like

The baths are shallow basins worn into the limestone shelf by the Atlantic, some the size of a bathtub and some large enough for several people, with sandy bottoms and walls smoothed by the sea. At low water they warm quickly in the sun and hold small fish, crabs and sea fans; the ocean breaks on the outer rim a few metres away. The rock between the pools is uneven and sharp in places, so move carefully and keep children within reach.

Most visitors combine the baths with the Glass Window Bridge to the north and Gregory Town to the south, either on a self-drive morning along the Queen's Highway or on a guided north Eleuthera drive. Harbour Island day-trippers can fit all three into a half day on the main island.