MARACAS BAY,
8/11/2013- 8 out of 10
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Size of beach
o
Length of shoreline
§
2 miles
o
Distance from water to sand
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Easily 50 meters
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Sand type
o
Brown
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Water Appearance
o
Green
o
Transparent to how many feet
§
Not truly transparent
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Cleanliness
o
Is there trash in the water
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Sometimes
o
Is there trash on the land
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Sometimes
o
Are trash cans available
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Yes
o
Are trash cans emptied regularly
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Yes
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Water Temperature
o
Ideal
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Shade availability
o
Seating
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Yes
o
Resting
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Yes
o
Coconut trees/ are they full of coconuts that
can fall on people’s heads
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Yes
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Safety
o
There are some dangerous currents and riptides
denoted usually by a red flag
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Available Activities
o
Swimming
o
Scuba
o
Partying/ beautiful women congregating
o
Food and drink/ disposal
o
Sports
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Level of Calm
o
Powerful waves and powerful tides but the
frolicking in waves is a possibility
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Animals
o
Are there fishing birds
§
Yes- pelicans
o
Are fish visible
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No- starfish and sand dollars are common
o
Jellyfish
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No
o
Sea eggs
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No
o
Crabs
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Yes
o
Horseshoe crabs
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No
o
Turtles
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No
o
Sea ants- other biting animals
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Once a year
o
Barracuda
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No
o
Sharks
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Yes. But in Trinidad people eat sharks, sharks
do not eat people
o
Coral- sharp or otherwise
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No
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Plant Life/ Other
o
Seaweed/kelp
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No
o
Sharp stones
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No
o
Sharp shells
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No
o
Coconut trees/ providing shade but also crabs
§
Yes
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Access
o
Is it public/private
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Yes
o
Is it free if public access is available
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Yes
o
Can you drive there
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Yes
o
Do you have to take a boat there
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No
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Price
o
Free
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Land Pests
o
Sandflies
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No
o
Ants
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No
o
Mosquitoes
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No
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Overall Beach Vibe
o
Maracas is Trinidad’s flagship beach and enjoys
an excellent balance between partying and enjoying a beautiful beach.
o
Each weekend, thousands of people drive or hike
through the mountains of the North Coast and visit Maracas.
o
When I visited, I saw literally hundreds of
beautiful women. The beach is not my primary hunting grounds as I am not cut
but I wish it were. I have not been to Ipanema or Barra but I cannot imagine
that there are more beauties there than were visiting Maracas on Saturday the
11th.
o
Parking is readily available an easy 400 meters
from the beach and it is a short walk from the parking lot to the sands. From
the parking lot where huts selling bake and shark and some tourist items abound
to the sands where people play soccer is a beautiful view.
o
It is relatively clean for a beach of its size
but because it is a party beach where people do get drunk, there is a risk of
trash. However this beach is the perfect blend of capitalism and easy beach
availability. The bake and shark salesmen make enough money that both they and
the government employ people to keep the beach clean.
o
Although this beach lacks the pure aquamarine
transparency of Tobago’s intimate beaches and it is not an aesthetic paradise,
it is the most beautiful party beach I have yet encountered. There are numerous
free activities and food and trash cans are readily available. Also, this place
will inspire you to be in ideal shape quickly because it is full of beauties.
o
PROS
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Relatively clean, transparent water
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Fun waves enabling body surfing and boogie
boarding
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Easy sports availability with an area for soccer
that does not actually encroach on the beach’s sand
§
My god, the beauty of the women will astound you
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A great place for family
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Kept clean by business owners and the government
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Lifeguards are on jetskis and the shore
regularly patrolling the beach
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Alcohol available
o
CONS
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Because there are thousands of people partying and
getting drunk, trash that has yet to be cleaned can be strewn throughout the
beach.
§
The area in front of Maracas hotel where the
beach meets Maracas River is nasty.
There can be
dangerous riptides, denoted by red flags. If you go deep, know how to swim and
if you get caught in a current, swim parallel to shore until you reach a place where the current changes or run into one of the many jet skiing lifeguards.Final Thoughts on Maracas:
I grew up visiting Maracas each weekend and it has a special place in my heart. However from an objective standpoint, it is great a party beach not a place for you and your lover to enjoy an intimate experience.
As a party beach- 8 out of 10
This is the most beautiful party beach I have ever visited. Beautiful women and people drinking abound. However there are many children on the beach and there are not the attractive sideshows of Venice beach or the Third Street Promenade. But you cannot even drink alcohol on those beaches. While drinking in moderation on a beach should be obvious to everyone- driver or no. There are no laws currently on the books about carrying open beer bottles on the beach. Just don't get drunk and get into the water.
As a beach in general- 7 out of 10
It is not as beautiful as the Tobagonian beaches but it does have waves, which they do not.
