Lifestyle
Orient Bay (Baie Orientale): a guide to the French side's long east-coast beach
Where Orient Bay is, what it's like, the ARS 6 August 2026 water-quality result, sargassum advice and nearby reserve rules.
By SXM Daily ·
Orient Bay (Baie Orientale) is the long, open bay on the east coast of the French side of St. Martin, with views out to the islets offshore. It is one of the beaches where the French State's health agency, the ARS, regularly tests bathing water.
Photo: alljengi / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (October 2014)
Where it is
Orient Bay runs along the east coast of the Collectivité de Saint-Martin. The ARS monitors two points on it, "Baie Orientale – point nord" and "Baie Orientale – point sud". South of the bay are the Baie de l'Embouchure and Galion, which are part of the Réserve Naturelle Nationale de Saint-Martin.
What it's like
Orient Bay is a long, wide, sandy beach facing the Atlantic side of the island, with the offshore islets on the horizon. Like other east-facing beaches, it can get sargassum seaweed on the sand.
Water quality
In the health agency's 6 August 2026 check, reported by Soualiga Post, both Orient Bay points had water rated 'de bonne qualité' (good) for swimming.
Point nord had E. coli and intestinal enterococci below 15 per 100 ml. Point sud recorded 30 E. coli per 100 ml, which the report said was still consistent with good-quality water.
Results are a snapshot of the day the samples were taken. Check the ARS Guadeloupe bathing-water page for the latest.
Sargassum
Sargassum can wash up on this side of the island. If you see heavy seaweed on the beach or in the water, check the ARS Guadeloupe bathing-water page for current advice before you swim.
Reserve rules nearby
Under prefectural decree 2020-142, all kinds of fishing are banned in the waters between Galion Bay and the Étang des Poissons. Mooring, kite-surfing and motorised water sports are also banned in that area of the reserve.
French-side rules apply
Orient Bay is on the French side, so French rules and the ARS apply. Prices are in euros (EUR).
Sources
- https://www.guadeloupe.ars.sante.fr/qualite-des-eaux-de-baignade-1
- https://www.soualigapost.com/fr/actualite/52842/environnement/eaux-de-baignade-une-bonne-qualit%C3%A9-relev%C3%A9e-sur-les-six-sites-contr%C3%B4l%C3%A9s
- https://reservenaturelle-saint-martin.com/sites/default/files/telechargements/arrete_prefectoral_anglais_2020_a_0.pdf
Source: https://www.guadeloupe.ars.sante.fr/qualite-des-eaux-de-baignade-1