Saona Natural Pool

About a kilometre off Isla Saona the seafloor rises to a vast, waist-deep sandbar where you stand in the open Caribbean surrounded by nothing but glassy turquoise — the legendary Piscina Natural, the highlight of every Saona day trip. Catamarans and speedboats anchor here mid-route so guests can wade across the warm shallows, find the resident starfish resting on the white sand, and toast with a drink in hand. It's the most photographed stop on the whole excursion, and the trickiest to capture yourself: there's nowhere dry to set a phone and the light off the water is dazzling. Our photographers wade in beside you to frame that surreal 'standing on the sea' moment, the starfish close-ups and the catamaran riding at anchor behind you. Boats reach the pool late morning year-round, and the turquoise is at its most luminous on calm, sunny days from December through April.