James Bond’s Beaches | James Bond 007

The beach has played a visually stunning backdrop to some iconic 007 moments…

Dr. No (1962)

The Beach: Laughing Waters, Ocho Rios, Jamaica

The Action: On the trail of the sinister Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman) at Crab Key Island, Bond watches on as shell diver Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) emerges from the sea singing calypso ‘Standing Underneath The Mango Tree’. Bond joins in, startling Honey who pulls out a knife.

“What are you doing here? Looking for shells?” she asks. “No, I’m just looking,” he replies.

Fact: Andress’ introduction emerging from the sea was interrupted by four men wandering into shot. The group, included playwright Noel Coward and poet Stephen Spender, alongside Bond creator Ian Fleming who lived just down the beach – it was the first time the author visited the 007 set.

Thunderball (1965)

The Beach: Love Beach, Nassau, the Bahamas

The Action: After aiding Domino (Claudine Auger) out of the water and sucking the sea urchin poison out of her foot, Bond (Sean Connery) breaks the sad news that her brother Francois has been killed on the orders of SPECTRE’s Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi). Persuading her to help in his mission to stop Largo, Bond kills Largo’s henchman using a harpoon, quipping, “I think he got the point”.

Fact: Claudine Auger’s bikini is black and white reflecting her character’s name, Domino.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

The Beach: Guincho Beach, Portugal

The Action: The opening scene of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service sees Bond (George Lazenby) saving Countess Tracy di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg) from suicide before battling with men sent by her father Draco (Gabriele Ferzetti), improvising weapons from oars and anchors.

Fact: George Lazenby’s line, “This never happened to the other fellow” came from an in-joke from the set that made it into the final film. He said, “when I’d have to work at the weekends, the stuntmen would tell me, ‘Connery never did weekends’. I’d say, ‘That never happened to the other fellow, eh?’”

The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)

The Beach: Khao Phing Kan Island, Thailand

The action: Bond (Roger Moore) and high-class professional assassin Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee) duel on the beach of Scaramanga’s secluded island in Chinese waters.

Fact: Since filming, Khao Phing Kan, along with another island, Ko Tapu, used as a location, have been dubbed James Bond Island.

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

The Beach: Spiaggia Capriccioli, Sardinia, Italy

The Action: Evading the henchmen of marine megalomaniac Karl Stromberg (Curt Jürgens), Bond (Roger Moore) and Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) drive a submersible Lotus Esprit into the sun-kissed sea. Following an underwater battle with divers, the Lotus emerges onto the sands of Spiaggia Capriccioli at Costa Smeralda – to the amazement of bathers.

Fact: Assistant Director Victor Tourjansky played a drunk on the beach. He played similar cameos in Moonraker and For Your Eyes Only.

For Your Eyes Only (1981)

The Beach: Agios Georgios, Corfu, Greece

The Action: Bond (Roger Moore) and Countess Lisl von Schlaf (Cassandra Harris) take a walk along the beach at dawn, only to be ambushed by Locque (Michael Gothard), who knocks the Countess down on a beach buggy.

Fact: Cassandra Harris was at the time married to future Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, who first met Cubby Broccoli during the film’s production, 13 years before he was cast as Bond in 1994.

GoldenEye (1995)

The Beach: Playa Ojo de Agua, Puerto Rico

The Action: A brooding Bond contemplates killing his former friend Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean). Natalya Simonova (Izabella Scorupco) challenges his life of violence, questioning his coldness. “It’s what keeps me alive,” he replies. “No,” she counters, “it’s what keeps you alone”.

Fact: The production built a façade of a beach house for the sequence. The crew joked they could sell it in The New York Times’ overseas property pages for $300,000.

Die Another Day (2002)

The Beach: La Caleta, Cadiz, Spain

The Action: In Cuba to investigate Isla de Los Organos, Bond (Pierce Brosnan) poses as an ornithologist and studies the island from the beach. This surveillance is interrupted by the sight of CIA agent Jinx (Halle Berry) emerging from the sea.

Fact: Released on the 20th anniversary of Dr. No, Die Another Day features references to the series’ history with this moment a call-back to Ursula Andress’ iconic entrance in Dr. No as Honey Ryder.

Casino Royale (2006)

The Beach: New Providence, Nassau, The Bahamas

The Action: Using intel pulled from the phone of bomb maker Mollaka (Sébastien Foucan), 007 (Daniel Craig) heads to the Bahamas on the trail of corrupt Greek official Alex Dimitrios (Simon Abkarian). Emerging dramatically from the sea, Bond catches the eye of Dimitrios’ wife Solange (Caterina Murino), as well as Dimitrios himself.

Fact: The romantic idyll between Bond and Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) was also shot on a beach in Nassau.

Skyfall (2012)

The Beach: Koca Calls Beach, Fethiye, Turkey

The Action: Missing, presumed dead by his former employers, Bond (Daniel Craig) is on a path to self-destruction (albeit in paradise) drowning his sorrows in a beach bar by day, playing scorpion themed drinking games at night.

Fact: Scenes of Severine (Bérénice Marlohe) on Silva (Javier Bardem)’s yacht were also captured at Fethiye.

No Time To Die (2021)

The Beach: San San Bay, Port Antonio, Jamaica

The Action: Bond (Daniel Craig) has retired from the British Secret Service and is laying low in Jamaica, sailing on his yacht the Happenstance and catching huge fish for supper.

Fact: Bond’s abode was created by the crew on a private beach near Port Antonio. Ian Fleming wrote twelve 007 novels and two short story collections in Jamaica. Both interior and exterior scenes were shot there.