Maho Beach

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American 757 on final approach over Maho Beach

Maho Beach is a beach situated in St Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles, on the Dutch south side of the island. The local Princess Juliana International Airport is situated adjacent to the beach. Due to the fact that aircraft (including large passenger airliners such as Boeing 747s) fly very close over the beach it is very popular with plane spotters. When an airplane takes off from the runway, tourists on the beach will be blown into the water. The beach experiences semi-large waves which makes it also popular with windsurfers. The local government warns that approaching too near of departing and arriving aircraft can "result in serious injury and/or death." It is one of the only places in the world as of 2007 where one can view aircraft in their flightpath virtually just outside the end of the runway.

Aircraft have to touch down as close to the end of the runway as possible due to the short runway length of 2,180 metres/7,152 ft,^[1], resulting in very low altitudes when aircraft take their final approach over the beach. The beach itself is white sand and has little vegetation because of the low flightpath. There are resorts and a bar nearby.