St. Andrews Beach lies just west of the island’s southern tip, at the point where the Atlantic Ocean meets St. Andrews Sound.

Loved by locals for its natural beauty and relative solitude, it is also my favorite place on the island. A sorry episode in Georgia’s history, the landing of the illegal slave ship the Wanderer, took place here in 1858; it will be addressed in another post.

It’s more a ‘nature’ beach than a ‘swimming’ beach. The waters off St. Andrews are a good spot for observing dolphins. Sharks are quite common, too. Posted warnings note that there is bacteria in the water and this keeps most visitors out of the water. Strong currents are also a factor. Seining (net fishing) is a common activity, though.

St. Andrews often has more shells than any other beach on Jekyll Island.

Walk left from the entrance area and you’ll notice lots of deadfall.

There’s a similarity to Driftwood Beach, but St. Andrews Beach is much smaller.

St. Andrews has some of the best sunsets on the island. I’ve been at sunrise and sunset and encountered the fewest people in the mornings. Whatever time you go, try to visit at low tide as there’s very little shoreline at high tide.