San Salvador is a small island on the eastern edge of The Bahamas where the sea floor drops into deep walls a short swim from shore. These ten things to do are ranked, from the dives it is known for to the monuments to a disputed landing in 1492.
Updated 22 October 2026 · By the BahamasBooking editorial team
Cockburn Town on the west coast is the settlement, the dive base and the start of most days. The island is small enough to drive around in a day, with the lighthouse in the northeast, the estate ruins and beaches in the south, and the lee-side dive sites along the west. A car and the island's dive operator cover most of this list.
Diving comes first because it is why most people come. The history items are honest about what is known: the exact landing place of Columbus is debated, and the memorial marks the traditional site. Several places need a keeper's or guide's permission, which each item notes.
Number 1. Scuba
Runway 10 is a wall dive off the island's lee side where the drop-off begins close to shore. It is San Salvador's signature dive; wildlife and the route depend on conditions.
Confirm access locally. Wildlife sightings and route depend on conditions.
Number 2. History
Landfall Park at Long Bay holds the memorial at the traditionally identified site of Columbus's first landing on 12 October 1492. The exact spot remains debated, and the park is a short, easy visit.
Confirm access locally. The exact 1492 landing location remains debated.
Number 3. History and scenery
Dixon Hill Lighthouse in the northeast is a historic, still-working light with views over the island. Access to the tower is with the keeper's permission.
By arrangement. Confirm tower access with the keeper.
Number 4. Beach
Bonefish Bay on the west coast is a secluded stretch of pale sand, the beach closest to Cockburn Town. Use confirmed public access outside the resort areas.
Confirm access locally. Use confirmed public access outside resort areas.
Number 5. Scuba
Devil's Claw and Vicky's Reef are among the lee-side reef dives chosen by the island's operator to suit the day. The exact site and the wildlife depend on conditions.
Confirm access locally. Exact site and wildlife depend on the day's conditions.
Number 6. History
Watling's Castle at Sandy Point is the ruin of a plantation estate on a hill in the southwest, with the estate landscape around it. Confirm the approach and avoid the unstable structures.
Confirm access locally. Confirm current approach and avoid unstable structures.
Number 7. Beach and boating
Snow Bay in the south has beaches and shallow-water scenery reached by car or boat with a local guide. Choose the approach for the wind that day.
Confirm access locally. Choose the approach for current wind conditions.
Number 8. Beach
Grotto Beach at Sandy Point is one of the quieter southern beaches, good after the estate ruins nearby. Ask about the state of the access road.
Confirm access locally. Ask about the current access road.
Number 9. Culture
Cockburn Town is the island's main settlement and waterfront, a two-hour walk including a meal arranged locally. It is where the dive day begins and ends.
Confirm access locally. Combine with a locally arranged meal.
Number 10. Nature
Great Lake, the protected inland lake, is surrounded by bird and mangrove habitat and visited with a local guide on approved routes. It needs permission rather than a turn off the road.
By arrangement. Sensitive wildlife areas require locally approved routes.
Divers build the week around morning boat dives from Cockburn Town, which leaves afternoons for Landfall Park, Bonefish Bay and the town. A full driving day takes in Dixon Hill Lighthouse, Watling's Castle, Grotto Beach and Snow Bay. Great Lake is arranged separately with a guide.
Tell us your dates and certification and we will suggest the operator and the order. The full list has the remaining entries.
Tell us when you are travelling, where you are staying and which of these matter most. We will suggest the order, the boats or drivers you need and what to confirm first.
See all 12 things to do in San Salvador, the San Salvador travel guide, or every island in the islands overview.
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