Rocks divide the bay in two. Off the hotel section the water is calm. In front of the Mount Irvine Beach Facility waves break from December to March, and that is when the surfers turn up. Mount Irvine has calm water for swimming and winter waves for surfing in one and the same bay.
- Surf season
- December to March
- Beach sections
- 2
- Blue Flag pilot status
- 2020
- Coast
- Caribbean side
The village is home to the Mount Irvine Bay Golf Course, the first golf course on Tobago according to Rough Guides. Luxury villas surround it. Mount Irvine has no population figure of its own, because the 2011 census counts it together with Black Rock: the Mt. Irvine/Black Rock community had 565 residents.
The bay is also called Little Courland Bay. For snorkelling, discovertnt praised the corals, sponges and reef fish in 2018, with gear for hire. But the reef has suffered here too. In 2024 TTT and Cari-Bois reported more than 80 per cent of corals bleached at Mount Irvine, as at Buccoo and Castara. Since October 2020 the bay has held Blue Flag pilot status, and the tourism agency is still working towards the full award (as of 2023/24).
Getting there, sleeping, eating
- Getting there
- Via Shirvan Road (Rough Guides). The hotel beach is open to the public (discovertnt).
- Sleeping
- Luxury villas around the golf course (Rough Guides). Which places our booking partner lists here is on the accommodation page.
- Eating
- A bar on the beach (Wikivoyage, tourism agency 2022). A fish market used to run at the Beach Facility on weekday late afternoons (discovertnt, as of 2018).
- Swimming
- Both sections have toilets, a bar and loungers, with changing rooms at the Beach Facility, renovated in February 2019. Lifeguards according to discovertnt. Keep out from under the manchineel trees.
- Nearby
- Back Bay, a secluded beach reached by a cliff path, with no facilities and best visited in a group. Sources place it differently: discovertnt puts it near Plymouth, SOS Tobago calls it "Mt. Irvine Back Bay".
Our tipMany sailing trips start from Mount Irvine Bay, according to the tourism agency. Ask on the beach which boats are going out that day.
Mount Irvine: frequently asked questions
Can you surf in Mount Irvine?
Yes, from December to March surf breaks in front of the Mount Irvine Beach Facility, according to the tourism agency. The hotel section of the bay usually stays calm.
Is the beach in Mount Irvine public?
Yes. Even the hotel section of Mount Irvine Bay is open to the public, discovertnt writes, and the Beach Facility has toilets and changing rooms.
Does Mount Irvine Bay have a Blue Flag?
Mount Irvine Bay has held Blue Flag pilot status since October 2020. Tobago's tourism agency is still working towards the full award (as of 2023/24).
Where is Back Bay near Mount Irvine?
Sources differ: SOS Tobago calls it Mt. Irvine Back Bay, while discovertnt places it near Plymouth. It can only be reached by a cliff path, has no facilities and is best visited in a group.