Snorkel

house reefs to hammerheads

Snorkel Spots

Destinations

%

Firsthand

Every snorkeling site here was swum by us, rated out of five, and photographed underwater. Some blew our minds. Some were a long walk for three fish, and we’ll say so.

Use the ratings to pick your day.

Use the guides to make it easy.

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Best Snorkeling in the Galapagos:

10 Sites Rated

Best Snorkeling in St. John:

11 Sites Rated

Where to Snorkel

Grouped by destination. Each links to its full guide with site-by-site ratings.

Overall Snorkel Rating

🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿   =   World-class snorkeling and worth traveling for the snorkeling alone!

🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿   =   Incredible snorkeling and should be on your list of top things to do!

🤿 🤿 🤿   =   Decent snorkeling and worth the effort!

🤿 🤿   =   Worth consideration if you are running out of things to do!

🤿   =   Not worth it!

snorkel
CARIBBEAN

Close up of sea turtle at Maho Bay in St. John USVI

St. John

Waterlemon Cay    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

Haulover Bay North    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

Little Lameshur Bay    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

Francis Bay    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

Grootpan Bay    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

Maho Bay    🤿 🤿 🤿

Salt Pond Bay    🤿 🤿 🤿

Cinnamon Bay    🤿 🤿 🤿

Hansen Bay    🤿 🤿 🤿

Trunk Bay    🤿 🤿

Blue Cobblestone    🤿

Snorkeling with a school of blue tang at Karpata Bonaire

Bonaire

Red Beryl    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

Tori’s Reef    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

Salt Pier    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

Angel City    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

Klein Bonaire    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

Karpata    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

Boca Slagbaai    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

1000 Steps    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

Wayaka 2    🤿 🤿 🤿

Bari Reef    🤿 🤿 🤿

Lac Bay    🤿 🤿 🤿

18 Palms    🤿 🤿 🤿

Andrea 2    🤿 🤿 🤿

Playa Funchi    🤿 🤿

Snorkeling with turtles at Tres Trapi in Aruba

Aruba

Mangel Halto    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

Tres Trapi    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

Boca Catalina    🤿 🤿 

Arashi Beach    🤿 🤿 

Snorkeling with sergeant majors under Frederiksted Pier in St. Croix

St. Croix

Frederiksted Pier    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

Cane Bay    🤿 🤿 🤿

Buck Island    🤿 🤿 🤿

Dorsch Beach    🤿 🤿 🤿

Isaac Bay    🤿 🤿

Snorkeling with a school of blue tang at Pinel Island in Saint Martin

St. Martin

Pinel Island    🤿 🤿 🤿

Divi Little Bay    🤿 🤿 🤿

Petite Clef    🤿 🤿

Snorkeling with nurse sharks at Shark Ray Alley in Belize

Belize

    START HERE:

    Shark Ray Alley    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

    Swimming with a Whale Shark on the Outrigger Maafushivaru Excursion in the Maldives

    Mexico

      START HERE:

      Whale Sharks Snorkeling    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

      snorkel
      GALAPAGOS

      Baby sea lion saying hello at Muelle Tijeretas in San Cristobal Galapagos

      San Cristobal

      Kicker Rock 360 Tour    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

      Muelle Tijeretas    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

      La Loberia    🤿 🤿 

      Gorgeous parrotfish at Concha de Perla on Isabela Island

      Isabela

      Concha de Perla    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

      Playa Isabela    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

      Los Tuneles    🤿 🤿 🤿

      Los Tintoreras    🤿 🤿

      Snorkeling with yellowtail surgeonfish at Chinese Hat in Galapagos

      Santa Cruz

      Bartolome Island    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

      Chinese Hat    🤿 🤿 🤿

      * Sites accessed by Day Tour from Santa Cruz or Cruise

      Hammerheads sharks at Devil's Crown in the Galapagos

      Floreana

      Devil’s Crown    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

      * Site accessed by cruise only (Endemic Cruise Review)

      snorkel
      FRENCH POLYNESIA

      Blacktip shark at the Sharks and Rays Sandbar in Moorea

      Moorea

      Alex Lagoon Tour    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

      Moorea Water Game Tour    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

      Sharks & Rays    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

      Sofitel Coral Garden    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

      Coral Garden Tiahura    🤿 🤿 🤿

      Jardin de Corail    🤿 🤿 🤿

      Hilton    🤿 🤿

      Snorkeling with a school of humpback red snapper at the Aquarium in Rangiroa

      Rangiroa

      Tiputa Pass    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 

      Aquarium    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 

      Blue Lagoon    🤿 🤿 🤿

      snorkel
      INDIAN OCEAN

      Octopus changing colors at Le Meridien Maldives

      Maldives

      Outrigger Maafushivaru    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

      Le Meridien    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

      Reethi Faru    🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿

      Best Snorkeling with Whale Sharks   

      Snorkeling with a cute turtle at Anse Lazio in the Seychelles

      Seychelles

      Anse Georgette    🤿 🤿 🤿

      Anse Lazio    🤿 🤿 🤿 

      Sister Islands    🤿 🤿 🤿

      Felicite Island    🤿 🤿 🤿

      Petite Anse Kerlan    🤿 🤿 

      snorkel
      SOUTHEAST ASIA

      Snorkel Packing List

      Tested on the sites above, not pulled from spec sheets. We travel with our own gear every trip, because rental masks leak and rental fins never fit.

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      Best Snorkeling Gear

      13 Item Checklist

      My 5 Best Snorkel Masks

      In the Water

      The 3 things worth owning

      Wearing a pink Coolibar rash guard at Angel City Bonaire (1)

      Sun Protection

      The best sunscreen is a shirt

      GoPro Hero Camera for Snorkeling

      Nice to Have

      Not essential, but we pack them

      Snorkel Skills

      The stuff nobody teaches you before they hand you a mask on the boat.

      How to Snorkel · Start here if you’ve never done it
      How to Fix a Foggy Mask · The one problem that ruins most first snorkels
      Fish Identification · Know what you’re looking at