Ladder Bay (Saba)

Before European colonization, the area above Ladder Bay may have been occupied by Amerindians during the Ceramic Era.^[9] Archeologists have not yet found evidence of an Amerindian settlement above Ladder Bay, but they have found ceramic artifacts in the area.^[9]

Saba was settled by Europeans in the mid-17th century.^[10] There is long-standing documentation of early European settlements near Tent Bay, Fort Bay, and above Well's Bay.^[10][11] But more recently, archeologists have found 17th-century ceramics above Ladder Bay, suggesting the area may have been occupied during early years of European settlement.^[9]

From the 1650s until the 1970s, the two primary ports of entry for Saba were at Ladder Bay and Fort Bay.^[12] Boats could offload cargo at Ladder Bay, which would then be transported up "The Ladder", a series of steps carved into the ridge above Ladder Bay.^[3][10] The cargo would then be transported to Saba's capital, The Bottom, via a footpath through an area known as The Gap.^[3]

Both cargo and people were brought onto Saba via The Ladder.^[3][10][11] Even large items were transported up The Ladder, one of the most famous being a piano.^[3][13][14]

In the 1930s, The Ladder in its current form, as well as the Customs House, were constructed.^[3][10] The steps of The Ladder were made of poured concrete, and the staircase walls from a mixture of concrete and rock.^[3]

In the 1970s, the Capt. Chance Leo Pier was constructed at Fort Bay. With a harbor at Fort Bay, the use of Ladder Bay as a port fell out of use.^[15] In 2017, the bottom 2 meters (6.5 ft) of The Ladder were severely damaged by Hurricane Maria.

Today, "The Ladder" is an iconic Saban monument^[3][16] and popular hiking location,^[17][18] and Ladder Bay is an official mooring area^[19] and the site of multiple popular dive sites.^[20]

The Ladder (Trail): The trailhead is located between The Bottom and Well's Bay.^[18] The trail goes past the old customs house, and descends all 800 steps of The Ladder, before coming back up. The strenuous hike takes about 1 hour round trip.^[18][21] The dry forest^[22] portion of the trail includes diverse trees, including mahogany trees (e.g. Swietenia mahagoni) and cinnamon trees (Pimenta racemosa).^[23]

Middle Island Trail: The trail begins close to The Ladder trail, and has views of Well's Bay and Ladder Bay.^[24] It is a heritage trail that includes ruins of an open cistern, stone walls of a farm, and a cavern. The hike takes about 40 minutes one-way.^[25]

Ladder Bay is the location of multiple dive sites for scuba divers.^[20]

• Porites Point, named for the quantity of Porites coral at the locating, including Mustardhill Coral (Porites astreoides) and Branching Finger Coral (Porites furcata).^[26]
• Babylon, a site with dramatic overhangs (possibly reminiscent of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon)^[27] home to sea fans, as well as a site for seeing sharks, turtles, eels, and fish.^[27]
• Ladder Labyrinth, named for the labyrinth of tall, 10-foot coral and rock ridges that are for shrimp, crabs, and lobsters.^[28][29]
• 50/50, named for divers' choice of multiple areas to explore, including underwater lava formations, a shallow reef area, and a rubble field.^[30]

At Babylon, Ladder Labyrinth, and 50/50, divers can place their hands on hot, sulfur-colored sand, resulting from the active status of Saba's volcano.^{[31][27][28][30]}

The bay is home to a variety of fish, including Burrfish, Chromis, Filefish, Glassy Sweepers, Horse-eye Jacks, Lancer Dragonets, Lizardfish, Peacock Flounders, Pikeblennies, Schoolmasters, Spotted Drums, Tarpons, Yellowfin Groupers, and Yellowhead Jawfish, as well as Nurse Sharks and Reef sharks.^{[26][27][28][30]}

Other marine life in Ladder Bay includes Channel Clinging Crabs, Green Turtles, Hawksbill Turtles, Spotted Moray Eels, Squat Lobster, and Tigertail Sea Cucumber.^{[26][27][28][30]}

Ladder Bay's reefs include a variety of coral. The most common are Star coral (Astreopora), Brain coral, and Gorgonian (Alcyonacea) coral,^[26] as well as Porites coral at the Porites Point dive site.^[26] The bay is also home to sea fans such as Deepwater Seafans.^[27]

Saba has two designated anchorage zones within the Saba National Marine Park: one between Ladder Bay and Wells Bay (west coast),^[19] and one in front of Fort Bay (southern coast).^[19] Between Ladder Bay and Wells Bay, the Saba National Marine Park manages about half a dozen moorings^[32] that are in about 60 feet (18 m) of water. The use of mooring buoys can help eliminator anchor damage to coral reefs.^[19][33][34]

Passengers of moored boats are advised to enter the island via through Fort Bay Harbor for safety reasons.^[19][35] Additionally, passengers from arriving yachts are required to go to Fort Bay to clear Customs and Immigration, as well as to check in and out with the Saba's Harbor Master.^[35]

In March 2017, a French-owned boat broke free of its mooring, and became stranded on the rocks in Ladder Bay. No one was aboard, and the boat was successfully salvaged a few days later.^[36][37] That same year another vessel ran aground at Ladder Bay; all passengers were unharmed.^[38]

• Fort Bay
• The Bottom