River Water: Negril’s Dirty Little Secret

In the center of the town of Negril there is a wide river. I imagine once upon a time, long ago, it must have been lovely to swim in the place where the cool river meets the warm sea. Today, however, there is nothing lovely about the Negril River. It is covered with grease and when it pours into the ocean, turns the clear sea waters brown and green. (The river is naturally dark in color due to it passing through peat bogs upstream, yet the motorboats have rendered the waters less pleasant.)

Sometimes the river water stays put and barely affects even the closest beaches. However, after a good rain upstream, the river water pours out into the sea and ruins the water for a few hours. During my month in Negril, I have noticed a few patterns with regard to the river, and I will point those out here.

The river sits at the westernmost tip of Seven Mile Beach. Thus, when it rains even a little bit, it tends to muddy the waters at the public beach just to the north of the river. When it has not rained at all, the public beach is one of the coolest places to hang out in Negril – as it has a laid-back, inexpensive, open-air restaurant with good local food and cold beers, and is where locals are most likely to go for a swim. When the river water stays put, this beach boasts transparent, warm waters. However, when the rain comes, this water takes on a greenish color, and sometimes a smell, making the whole experience quite a bit less pleasant.

The river water rarely makes it down to One Mile Beach, and even less frequently to the north end of Seven Mile Beach where Margaritaville, Sandals, and Coco La Palm are. Because many tourists never leave the pristine beaches of their all-inclusive resorts, many are likely unaware that there even is a river in Negril. It is only when it rains a tremendous amount up in the mountains and in Negril that the river would make it this far. Thus far, I have not seen it happen.

The river does not only flow north, of course. It also makes its way up to the West End of Negril. Close to where we are staying – Silver Star - there is a lovely beach where Canoe Bar sits. One of my favorite things about this beach is that, when you swim out about a hundred meters, you can see the foothills to a mountain range in the distance. The problem, however, is that, during the rainy season, the waters of this beach are often less than pleasant. Whenever it rains, the river water comes to this beach, muddying the waters and bringing lots of floating seaweed with it. Before swimming in these waters, I always check to make sure the river water has not made it down.

Farther up West End Road (or One Love Drive), you come to Xtabi Cliffs. The river water rarely makes it this far. Every so often, in the evenings, the waters at Xtabi get a bit greenish, or the sea brings lots of sea grass. Those times, it is best not to get in the water, as the sea grass brings sea lice, which make you itch. Nevertheless, Xtabi is nearly always nice and the waters there are a clear, turquoise blue.

Rick’s Café sits near the end of West End Road, and thus the river water nearly never makes it this far. So, the waters at Rick’s are always a deep blue color. When the weather is a bit rough, however, the waters at Ricks do get rougher than in other parts, making it a bit difficult to swim.

Negril is renowned for its laid-back atmosphere and clear, transparent waters. At present, those waters are more often transparent than not. However, something really must be done about the Negril River or Negril will lose a whole lot of its charm.

I am no environmental expert, but I am aware of other cases of rivers and other bodies of waters being cleaned, so I am sure it is possible. And, I hope it happens sooner rather than too late. Please note: The state of the South Negril River has been an issue at least since the 1990s, according to this website.