The Saint Barthelemy Marine Park covers 5 distinct zones:
This spatial fragmentation enables us to cover diverse environments and alternate zones with different protection regimes. The Marine Park protects underwater ecosystems as beautiful as they are fragile, such as seagrass beds and coral reefs. These are the habitats of numerous species, particularly endangered species.
These areas are precisely delineated in the Marine Park brochure. Pleasure boating activities are regulated. Commercial activities in the reserve are subject to prior authorization.
This zone includes the bays of Colombier and Fourchue, as well as the islets of Gros Ilets, Pain de Sucre, Toc Vers and Frégate, which are popular with pleasure boaters. To preserve the beauty and ecological richness of these sites, certain practices are prohibited by law:
On beaches and coasts. The Marine Nature Reserve regulations extend to the highest waters, i.e. to the beaches and coastline bordering the areas concerned. Collecting coral, plants, shellfish and crustaceans is prohibited. As the dumping of garbage, the feeding of animals, the presence of dogs on the beach and noise pollution.
In the water, collecting coral, plants and crustaceans with gloves is also forbidden, as is the presence of dogs, the dumping of garbage and the feeding of animals. It is forbidden to touch any protected marine species (sea turtle, coral, sea urchin, starfish, shark, ray, etc.) On-board fishing is subject to possession of a fishing permit, while underwater hunting and shellfish gathering are not permitted.
On the water, to preserve marine species, a maximum speed of 5 knots must be respected. In addition, the use of jet skis, seabobs, electric surfboards or any other thermal or electrically-powered device is prohibited, as is the practice of towed sports, noise pollution, underwater lighting or the use of any other type of equipment.
In the Fourchue and Colombier bays, vessels over 25 meters in length are not authorized, and any vessel anchoring in these bays must have insurance that includes a “removal and destruction” clause.
The use of ecological mooring buoys is strongly recommended, but the vessel must comply with the following conditions: it must weigh no more than 20 tonnes and 25 metres, and may not be stationed for more than 96 hours at a time. In the areas where anchoring is authorized - specified in the Nature Reserve brochure - the vessel must respect the same size and time limits.
For any stay within the Nature Reserve, the vessel must leave the area at the end of the 96-hour period and may only return to the Reserve after a minimum stay of 96 hours outside the Reserve.
Within the lagoon, specific regulations apply to this area, which is frequented by bathers, boats, fishermen and sailors (kitesurfers/windsurfers), posted at the Grand Cul-de-sac bay
The reinforced protection zone includes the same prohibitions as the simple protection zone, with the addition of a total ban on fishing, anchoring and scuba diving.
Diving sites in the Nature Reserve
There are 23 dive sites in the Marine Park, indicated by the red square pictogram with a diagonal white stripe. Ecological anchorages are available for divers to discover the reefs and wrecks around the island while preserving the seabed. Only boats of up to 10 tons and 15 meters are allowed to anchor here. A buoy is for 1 boat only. The maximum time spent on a diving buoy is 2h30. Anchoring and mooring by sailboats is strictly forbidden. On board, only diving equipment is allowed, no gloves (forbidden in the Nature Reserve to prevent underwater collecting) and no fishing gear. All this information is detailed in the Marine Park brochure.
Located in a simple protection zone, behavior in and on the water around dive sites is explained above.
