Classroom lesson · Pinney's Beach · 🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis

Pinney's Beach

A long stretch of golden sand and palm trees on the calm Caribbean side of Nevis

Palm trees leaning over a calm golden beach with turquoise water at Pinney's Beach, Nevis

Photo · Wikimedia Commons

What is it?

Pinney's Beach is one of the most famous beaches in the Caribbean, stretching for almost 5 kilometres along the western coast of Nevis. The sand is golden, the sea is calm and warm, and tall coconut palm trees lean over the water's edge, dropping their shade onto the beach. It is the kind of beach that looks like a painting.

Tell me more

The water on this side of Nevis is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean, so it is usually very calm and clear - just gentle ripples lapping the sand. That makes it perfect for swimming, snorkelling, and watching fish dart around in the shallows. Because the water is so clear, you can sometimes see your feet on the sandy bottom even when you are standing waist-deep.

Pinney's Beach is also a nesting ground for sea turtles. Green sea turtles and hawksbill turtles sometimes haul themselves up the sand at night to lay their eggs. Conservation groups in Nevis work hard to protect the turtle nests, making sure the babies - called hatchlings - can safely find their way to the sea when they emerge.

The beach is lined with local beach bars and restaurants where you can eat freshly grilled fish, drink cold sorrel juice, and watch pelicans dive into the sea for their own lunch. Brown pelicans are expert fishermen - they fly high, spot a fish below, then fold their wings and plunge straight down like an arrow.

In the evening, Pinney's Beach turns golden-pink as the sun sets over the Caribbean Sea. Locals and visitors sit together on the sand watching the colours change, listening to the palm fronds rustling in the warm breeze. It is one of those simple, perfect moments that people remember long after they have gone home.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

  1. 01Why do you think sea turtles choose to lay their eggs on a beach at night rather than during the day?
  2. 02How does a pelican know where to dive? What must it be looking for?
  3. 03Pinney's Beach is 5 kilometres long. If you walked it from end to end, how long do you think that would take?
  4. 04What would you do first if you arrived at a perfect tropical beach with warm, clear water?
Try this

Classroom activity

Create a beach scene in art. Draw the palm trees, the sea, a pelican diving, and a sea turtle. Then add five things you might find if you snorkelled just offshore - fish, coral, sea grass, a turtle, and something you invent yourself. Label each one.