[1] The bay contains the Saltwick Nab alum quarries, listed under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

The SS Rohilla hospital ship sank in the bay in 1914, and the fishing trawler Admiral Van Tromp was shipwrecked there in 1976.

[5][7][8][9] Fossils commonly found at Saltwick Bay include the Dactylioceras and Hildoceras, as well as fossilised plant remains.

[11]: 408  Other skeleta found at Saltwick Bay have included an ichthyosaur and a plesiosaur,[11]: 411–413  (Sthenarosaurus) In 1914, the hospital ship SS Rohilla sank near Saltwick Nab in the bay; 146 of the 229 on board, including Captain Neilson and all the nurses, as well as Titanic survivor Mary Kezia Roberts, survived.

[12][13][14][15] In 1917, the SS Brentwood, which was owned by William Cory and Son Ltd, was sunk in Saltwick Bay by German mines.