A large south-coast town set about one kilometer off the highway on a wide peninsula 10 kilometers east of Coxen Hole, French Harbour is home to one of the island’s two major fishing fleets (the other is based in Oak Ridge). This is a working town, and while watching the activity on the docks is interesting, French Harbour is not particularly visually attractive.

Nevertheless, the town has a cheerful character that Coxen Hole lacks. There isn’t much of a beach or dive-worthy reef around French Harbour—it’s better to go farther east or west up the coast.

French Harbour is thought to be named for a Frenchman who had one of the first homesteads in the area during the British military occupation in the 1740s.

Getting to French Harbour

The Coxen Hole–Oak Ridge buses, which run until late afternoon, pull all the way into town, so there’s no need to slog out to the highway. The fare to Coxen Hole is US$0.80. A collective taxi to Coxen Hole costs US$1.50.