Sargassum at Cinnamon Bay (St John): this morning's picture
Clear
All good
Cinnamon Bay lays out one of the longest runs of sand on St John, on the island's north shore and squarely inside the national park. Watersports fans and campers alike come for the sheer space and the shaded ground behind the beach.
FanGass re-assesses the sargassum picture every morning: here you find the day's grade between 0 and 5, the beach's place on the sector map and an easy way to compare with the neighbouring coves before choosing your patch of sand.
Cinnamon Bay on the sargassum map
What to know about this beach
Like its neighbours Trunk Bay and Maho Bay, the beach faces north-west and shelters in the lee of St John's ridges when the east wind blows: mats crossing the archipelago work the island's eastern face first, while this north shore is usually spared direct landings.
Its length is what sets it apart within the sector: when a trail of weed does slip in, it thins out over a long distance instead of saturating a small cove. One stretch can be marked while most of the shoreline stays clean, which is where the map helps you pick the right access point.
Frequently asked questions
Is the whole beach affected at once?
Rarely. On such a drawn-out band of sand, a deposit usually concentrates on one stretch and leaves the rest open: a few minutes' walk is often enough to find a clean waterline.
Cinnamon Bay or Trunk Bay for the day?
The two coves sit on the same protected coast and often post similar scores. Compare them on the morning map: the longer of the pair gives you more fallback options if one stretch is marked.
Can I take a board or kayak out on a mid-range score?
Offshore, paddling is usually fine: mats can be steered around. Launching is the messy part if weed lines the shore, so pick the cleanest stretch for getting in and out.
When do arrivals concentrate around St John?
As elsewhere in the archipelago, mostly between spring and late summer. The north shore sees only a fraction of it, but that is the window when this page is worth a regular look.