What you can see on the Simpson Bay cams
Both cameras belong to a resort on the beach. Both turn between several views: from higher up, the thatched umbrellas, the palms and the curve of the bay; lower down, the loungers, a small pier into the calm, shallow water and the resort's pool. Together they show how busy the beach is and what the sea is doing.
Simpson Bay from the resort
From high on a resort at Simpson Bay, this camera moves between views of the beach and the bay. Rows of thatched umbrellas and tall palms stand on the sand, a beach bar with a tiled roof sits by the water, and a rock breakwater curves out into a sea that runs from pale turquoise near the shore to deep blue.
It is the wide view of the bay, good for the colour of the water and the weather. SHOWME Caribbean streams it on YouTube for the Simpson Bay Resort.
Loungers, a small pier and the resort pool
This second camera at the Simpson Bay Resort turns between the beach and the resort itself. One view looks over white loungers on the sand to a small pier reaching into the calm, shallow bay; another looks down on the hotel's pool, its parasols and the rock breakwater beside it.
It shows the place at human scale: how many people are out and how inviting the water looks. Like the camera above it, it is run by SHOWME Caribbean.
A lagoon shared by two countries
Simpson Bay Lagoon is one of the largest inland lagoons in the West Indies, and the border between the Dutch and French sides of the island runs across the middle of it. A drawbridge at Simpson Bay lets yachts in and out of the lagoon, whose marinas hold some of the largest yachts in the Caribbean during the winter season.
When to watch Simpson Bay
The beach faces south, so the morning is usually the calmest time for the water; the planes taking off from Princess Juliana climb out over the western end of the bay.
Nearby
Maho Beach and the airport are a few minutes west. Kim Sha Beach, at the eastern end of the bay, has beach bars and water sports, and Philipsburg is about 15 minutes away by car.
Getting there
The beach is public, with resorts along much of its length. The lagoon side of the village has restaurants and bars along the water, and water taxis link several points around the lagoon.
