Written by Oswen Corbel

Saint Martin or Sint Maarten in the Caribbean showcases 34 beaches, mangrove, and waves.

Stand Up Paddle Boarder relaxes at Little Key in Pinel Island. Photo Courtesy: Oswen Corbel.

SAINT MARTIN, Caribbean – Located in the Caribbean, St Martin/St Maarten is a great place for stand up paddle boarding (sup). With just a four-hour flight from New York, you can experience an island divided in half between the French and the Dutch, full of cultural nuances on display. St Martin/St Maarten showcases 34 beaches, mangrove, waves and flatwater destinations. The best standup paddle places are in the Marine Park, which sits on the North East of the French side.

Seasons

Hot Spots

Pinel Island

Pinel Island, a well-known destination in St Martin. It's a flatwater place, with a sandbar where you can paddle as a family and observe pelicans, stingrays and turtles – one of the best places of St Martin. If you decide to go to Pinel Island, you'll find 3 restaurants, 3 beaches and a panoramic view. This island takes place in the Marine Park and it's a protected area. 

Galion Bay

Go to the Galion bay and surf year-round! It’s not really a sup wave, but it works very consistently. Be careful because with the reef bar and other surfers. This break is a little busy!! But Galion is also a flatwater destination and you can paddle on flat, calm waters. Want to see iguanas? Paddle to the right, and enter the mangrove close to the Fish Pond. If you look carefully, you will quite a few inhabitants of this magical place. Green, orange, grey, search for them into the trees! (Join the Saint Martin/Sint Maarten Group on Supconnect.)

Wilderness

Wilderness is the most radical surf spot on the island where you can surf in the heart of the marine park. In this high-protected place, you surf with raw nature. It's a short and fast wave. No houses and a little beach called Petite Caye. As the surfers go by the path along the coastline, you can reach this place while paddling downwind. Not easy, but amazing!!

Caye Verte

Caye Verte is also in the Marine Park, in front of Orient Bay, where the waves are small and easy. It takes you only 10 minutes to cross the bay and reach the beach on the wild side. Don't forget your snorkeling gear to explore one of the best fish-sighting places of St Martin, at the very end of the island, on the left. On the other side, sit peacefully on the sand and enjoy the view of Tintamarre Island and St Barthelemy. (Join the Destination Group on Supconnect.)

Red Bay

Follow the cliffs at Red Bay and sup under the natural arches and paddle over the barracudas, the official owners of the place. Stop on the beach, drink a rum at Raymond's place, with a perfect view on Anguilla, the St Martin's sister island. After the cliffs, find David's hole and go further to the salt pond to enter the Nettlé Bay and cruise this beautiful area, first step to Marigot, the capitol.

Plum Bay

Plum Bay, last beach before the frontier with St Maarten, kingdom of duty-free shops, cruise ships dock and you can find an easy right-hand, longboard wave in front of beautiful multi-million dollar houses. It works with the North swell and it’s often empty. But when it really works, it's the perfect stand up paddle surfing wave! Fifty meters far from the beach, there are no rocks, no reef and no other surfers, a very rare sight these days! (Become friends with Oswen Corbel on Supconnect.)

Other Paddlers

Contact Oswen Corbel at Caribbean Paddling to explore St. Martin's beautiful coastline and get to enjoy stand up paddling not only in warm, crystal clear water, but also with a friendly group of stand up paddlers who share your paddling vantage point and enthusiasm for the sport. With the myriad places to tour on the island, Corbel's know-how of the place can help you to reach some of the best and most awe-inspiring sight-seeing that St. Martin has to offer. Don't worry about the headaches and hassle of hauling your stand up paddle gear to your vaccation spot. Caribbean Paddling has all the boards and paddles you need to discover the wonders of this unique Caribbean island.  (Join the Saint Martin/Sint Maarten Group on Supconnect.)

About Oswen Corbel

Oswen Corbel is a owner of Caribbean Paddling, located at Cul de Sac, the starting place to go to Pinel Island. As a sea lover, he windsurfs, kayaks and stand up paddles, all of which brought him to the island of St Martin 3 years ago. After a season in Orient Bay also known as the "St Tropez of the Caraibes," he decided to create his own company. His goal is to provide gear to explore the best places with an ecological conscience. Become friends with Oswen Corbel on Supconnect.

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