Here’s a video of when I was at Maho Beach in St. Martin (on the island of Sint Maarten in the Caribbean). This beach, just off Simpson Bay, is strangely positioned right in front of Princess Juliana International Airport which means it gets airplanes coming in and out all day long that fly right over where people are swimming.
These aren’t just little puddle-jumper prop planes, either. Check out this enormous commercial plane (I’m not sure which kind) that took off right behind us. Hopefully you can see through the shaky video just how insane the air coming from the jet engines is. The sand was whipping at us so hard that it was blinding, which is why my friend (holding the video camera) can be seen trying to shield the lens. (Warning: this video is very loud!)
I’ve never seen anything like it, but the people who run the bar on the beach sure have, as they watch each load of tourists come in and learn their lesson the first time (and hopefully not a second time). I’m sure they laugh all the way to the bank. The planes sure draw people to come visit. Below is a map below, in case you’re wondering where it is, exactly.
If you ever go there, be sure to take some photos and videos, and make sure you don’t get sandblasted by the jet engines as the planes take off. (It hurts!)
Also, when I went, it was many years ago—I don’t know how it fared when Hurricane Irma hit in 2017. If you have an update on the damage or rebuilding, let me know!
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