Caribbean

Anguilla

A quiet island where turtle numbers are small and the hunt closed in 1995.

Green turtle, found in the waters of the wider region · Photo: James Thornton on Unsplash

Story only

Story only, for now. We love learning about this place and its ocean, so we share its story here and do not sell trips yet. Checked by Ocean Calling on 6 Oct 2026. Sources: Anguilla, WIDECAST sea turtle conservation network; Anguilla: Status of marine turtles (Dow et al. 2007), WIDECAST; Anguilla travel advice, UK FCDO (gov.uk).

Why: Anguilla has had a ban on taking turtles since 1995, and under the Fisheries Protection Regulations it is an offence to take, buy, sell or hold turtle meat, with fines up to $250,000. Green, hawksbill and leatherback turtles nest on the northern beaches and cays from April to November, and loggerheads, greens and hawksbills feed in the bays. The Anguilla National Trust and the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources watch over them, and we share the story and watch from a respectful distance, never touching or swimming with turtles.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 30 Sep 2026. The UK FCDO travel advice for Anguilla was last updated on 15 May 2025 and is shown as still current. It covers safety, insurance and entry requirements. Sources: UK FCDO travel advice, Anguilla Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

Turtles

Why Anguilla

People come for quiet beaches, villas and Shoal Bay, with a snorkel cove as the wildlife side. Green and hawksbill turtles feed here, but nesting is low: between 2015 and 2018, at most 41 hawksbill and 15 green females nested in a year. A turtle hunting ban has stood since 1995, and we still need to confirm the current law. It is not a whale week. Story only for now.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

When to go

Timing changes a lot from place to place. See each place below.

We share this place as a story so you can learn. There is no Ocean Calling trip.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Story only

We tell the story. We do not sell a trip here.

Checked 6 Oct 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check

The story

Where in Anguilla

We share these places as stories and research notes. We do not offer or sell trips here.

Little Bay and Shoal Bay

Story only

Small bays with calm water where turtles feed.

Also seen: Sea turtles feeding, no touching

Animals

Animals recorded in Anguilla

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Land animals

Green turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detail

Green turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Hawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered

Leatherback hatchling crossing the sand toward the sea

Leatherback turtleDermochelys coriaceaSeen in 76 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Huge spotted whale shark gliding through open blue water

Whale sharkRhincodon typusSeen in 54 countries in the AtlasEndangered

Humpback whale swimming close with long pectoral fin

Humpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeSeen in 87 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Minke whale surfacing and exhaling, seen from above

Common minke whale (North Atlantic)Balaenoptera acutorostrataSeen in 30 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Great barracuda cruising in open blue water, showing jagged teeth

Great barracudaSphyraena barracudaSeen in 84 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Male magnificent frigatebird perched on a mangrove branch

Magnificent frigatebirdFregata magnificensSeen in 52 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern Dwarf minke whaleBalaenoptera acutorostrata (dwarf form)Seen in 30 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Southern stingray resting on white sand, St John, US Virgin Islands

Southern stingrayHypanus americanusSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened

Masked boobySula dactylatraSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Adult brown booby standing on a rock with its bill open against blue sky, Principe

Brown boobySula leucogasterSeen in 104 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Crowd of brown pelicans packed together on a coastal roost, one adult with a pale head and coloured bill facing the camera

Brown pelicanPelecanus occidentalisSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

American flamingo wading in shallow water with its head lowered toward the surface, Yucatán, Mexico

American flamingoPhoenicopterus ruberSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasLives on landLeast Concern

Caribbean spiny lobster at the edge of a reef overhang with long antennae trailing across sand

Caribbean spiny lobsterPanulirus argusSeen in 30 countries in the AtlasData Deficient

Curious?

Why this is a story, not a trip

Read our ethics check above. If you would like to talk about it, Rocío is happy to explain.

Ask Rocío Back to the Ocean Atlas

For partners

Based in Anguilla?

We are always happy to hear from exceptional local operators, accommodation, conservation organisations and destination experts in Anguilla. If your work fits responsible, small-group ocean travel, we would love to learn more.

Partner with Ocean Calling

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