Sargassum at James Bond Beach, Oracabessa: today's report
First bulletin for this beach lands with tomorrow morning’s update.
James Bond Beach sits at Oracabessa, in Saint Mary, on a small peninsula pushing out into the bay. The name comes from Ian Fleming, who wrote his novels a short distance away along this same piece of coast at Oracabessa Bay.
This page reports how James Bond Beach stands on sargassum right now: a score from 0 to 5, a map of Oracabessa Bay and the beaches around it, and a bulletin rebuilt each morning. This is the eastern end of our Ocho Rios coverage, where the coast road runs on through Saint Mary.
James Bond Beach on the sargassum map
What to know about this beach
The peninsula splits the shoreline into several small coves pointing in different directions. The one holding the beach faces northwest, tucked behind the neck of land, so the easterly flow that governs how rafts move through the Caribbean does not hit it square on and has to round the point first.
Zoom out and a second factor appears. Oracabessa is the easternmost part of this zone, which puts it first in line for anything travelling west along the north coast, ahead of Tower Isle and then Ocho Rios. A regional episode often shows here earlier. The two effects partly cancel out, which is why coves a few hundred metres apart on the same peninsula can look different on the same morning.
Frequently asked questions
How exposed is James Bond Beach?
Its main cove faces northwest and shelters behind the peninsula, away from the easterly flow. Offsetting that, Oracabessa is the easternmost part of this zone and so the first stretch reached when weed moves west.
How do I check before driving to Oracabessa?
Load the FanGass page for James Bond Beach before setting out that morning. Its rating from 0 to 5 and its map are rebuilt every morning, which beats a review written weeks ago.
Do the peninsula's coves all look the same?
Not necessarily. They open in different directions, so one can collect what the wind pushes in while another stays clear. The score published here refers to the main beach at the entrance.
Where else can I go along this coast?
Reggae Beach, back at Tower Isle, and the beaches inside Ocho Rios Bay lie further west on this shoreline, and their morning readings frequently differ from what is logged at Oracabessa.