Secret Beach is no secret at all, but is so named because land access to it is effectively cut off by cliffs that run into the Caribbean Sea at both ends of the beach. You can attempt to reach Secret Beach by descending a very perilous “path†down the cliff, but take it from me, it’s a gamble. I tried it once and I fell the last 15 feet, fortunately not hurting myself except for a nasty bruise.
The way to get there is to go in comfort with a guide. You can do that by calling the Picard Beach Hotel, located immediately south of the Ross Medical School campus in Picard, near Portsmouth.
You’ll be taken by boat, along with your gear and your picnic, if you’ve packed one. The price is reasonable and usually somewhat negotiable.
Besides natural beauty, Secret Beach offers a beautiful sandy beach and bottom for swimming, seclusion, and some remarkable snorkeling. Heading out from the beach, swim to the right and you’ll encounter coral and fish immediately, and you can swim through a natural arch.
Also, the right cliff has a cave mouth facing the Caribbean that you can easily swim into, and the water depth in the cave is suitable for wading as you watch the fruit bats flit about. Peer into a hole at the back of the cave and you’ll see that around a bend about an arm’s length in there is a tunnel to light on the beach side of the cliff.
You can float through the tunnel to the other end. As long as the water is high, you can maintain your head out of water, without the need to snorkel or hold your breath. Your guide will advise you about the conditions.
Snorkel out to the left from the beach and you’ll encounter an incredible undersea field of myriad sea fans and associated reef life in shallow water. Secret Beach is one of those gems of Dominica that you must experience.
