ST MARTIN’S ISLAND

ST MARTIN’S ISLAND
Some 10km south of the Teknaf peninsula tip, St Martin’s is the country’s only coral island, and one of its highlights. Between 1890 and 1900, about 60 people settled on the island, which has now grown to a population of around 8000. The majority of the island’s inhabitants is Islamic, and live primarily off fishing.
Named after a British provincial governor and called Narikel Jinjira (Coconut Island) by the locals, the dumbbell-shaped island has an area of about 8 sq km, which reduces to about 5 sq km during high tide. The main island to the north, Uttar Para, gradually narrows several kilometers southward, to a point where it’s roughly 100m wide. Three smaller islands, Zinjira, Galachira and Ciradia, are located just south of the main island. At low tide they’re essentially one body of land, connected to the main island by a narrow strip of land.



St Martin’s Island is a special place. There is no question of its enormous potential as a tourist destination, but far less certain is how it will establish a sustainable tourist infrastructure without compromising the things that attract tourists in the first place, such as unspoilt beaches, amiable islanders and the absence of soulless concrete buildings. The occasional boisterousness of young holiday-makers that already disrupts the serenity may prove to be something of a prophecy. Entrepreneurs are increasingly becoming aware of the island’s economic potential and environmental and cultural vulnerability, but only time will tell whether their eco-promises are kept.
ACTIVITY
Locals assert that St Martin’s is a better place to dive and snorkel than Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. This might not be the case, but there is certainly the option of doing both. A new diving business, Oceanic has recently opened. To find if, take a left at the small road at the end of the restaurant strip on the beach, it’s a couple of hundred metres along on the right. Prices are yet to be fixed and are therefore still negotiable. Its proprietor is an ex-navy diver (with a great yarn about a Bengal tiger). Make sure you pick your time for optimal visibility-not too soon after rain.