Caribbean

Sint Maarten

The Dutch half of a shared island, with a marine park where turtles feed and nest.

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: Whale and Dolphin Watching - Saint Martin Tourist Office; Sint Maarten - WIDECAST; Speeding boats have increased fatal strikes to protected Sea Turtles - The Daily Herald.

Why: Man of War Shoal National Marine Park, created in 2010, protects about 3,100 hectares of reef, seagrass and open water south of the island, and four turtle species (green, hawksbill, leatherback and loggerhead) live here. Humpback whales pass through between December and April, and the island's Nature Conservation Ordinance protects turtles from being harmed or disturbed. We give them space: watch from a respectful distance, never swim with whales, and never touch or chase a turtle, and we ask boats to slow down and watch for turtles.

TurtlesCoral reefs

Why Sint Maarten

People come for beaches, duty free shopping and cruise stops. The Man of War Shoal Marine Park protects reef, wrecks and turtles, and green and hawksbill turtles nest on the island. Whale and dolphin records exist for the wider Dutch Caribbean, but that is science, not a trip list. We do not use one side of the island to get closer to animals than the other side allows. For now it is a story only page.

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 Sint Maarten

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

Man of War Shoal Marine Park

Story only

A protected reef and wreck area of 3,100 hectares where turtles are seen.

Also seen: Sea turtles, no touching, Whales and dolphins are sometimes recorded, with no promise

Animals

Animals recorded in Sint Maarten

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

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

Humpback whale swimming close with long pectoral fin

Humpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeSeen in 87 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

Nurse shark swimming over a reef at Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

Atlantic nurse sharkGinglymostoma cirratumSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Whitespotted eagle ray gliding over reef and sand in Belize

Whitespotted eagle rayAetobatus narinariSeen in 58 countries in the AtlasEndangered

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

Southern stingrayHypanus americanusSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened

Red lionfish with spread fins over sand in Dauin, Philippines

Lionfish (red and common lionfish)Pterois volitans and Pterois milesSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Caribbean reef shark swimming close over a reef in the Bahamas

Caribbean reef sharkCarcharhinus pereziSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasEndangered

Nassau grouperEpinephelus striatusSeen in 20 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered

Masked boobySula dactylatraSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Queen conch with a reddish spiny shell resting on seagrass over sandy seabed

Queen conchAliger gigasSeen in 32 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened

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

Close view of a red-footed booby head with blue, pink and red bill and throat skin among green leaves

Red-footed boobySula sulaSeen in 91 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Tarpon swimming in open blue water with a dense school of small fish behind it, off St John in the US Virgin Islands

Atlantic tarponMegalops atlanticusSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

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

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

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