WATER & COAST
Bathtub Reef Beach
Martin County · Atlantic Coast
The beach at 1585 Southeast MacArthur Boulevard on Hutchinson Island, sheltered by a reef built by worms.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
Sabellariid worms cement grains of sand together to make their tubes, and enough of them working together over enough time have built a reef running parallel to the shore a short way out. More than five hundred marine species live in and around it, sea turtles among them. In spring and summer, when the sea is calm, the reef breaks the waves before they reach the sand and leaves shallow still water behind it, which is where the name comes from and why families with small children come here rather than to an open beach. Snorkeling over the reef is the other reason. In fall and winter the arrangement reverses: nor'easters and hurricanes send waves over the reef, and those waves erode the beach badly enough to threaten the sidewalk, the parking and the utilities along the road. The county has renourished the beach repeatedly since 1999, most recently in 2024. Ocean rescue staff cover it daily from ten until 4:45
Not identified in this guide as an officially clothing-optional beach. This is a visit category, not a safety rating—check surf, lifeguards, water quality and posted rules.
BEACH CONDITIONS
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