Snorkeling the Caribbean Islands | The best snorkeling spots

From Bonaire to Guadeloupe, and from the Cayman Islands to Cuba, the West Indies is renowned for its stunning coral reefs, considered some of the most beautiful in the world. On each of the Caribbean islands, you will find unique snorkeling sessions in calm, crystal-clear waters.

Snorkelers can immerse themselves in vibrant underwater gardens adorned with a kaleidoscope of coral formations, including brain corals, sea fans and colorful soft corals.

The Caribbean region is relatively isolated from the other tropical seas on the planet; most of the species living there can be found nowhere else. Here around the coral reefs, snorkelers can encounter an abundance of tropical fish, including parrotfish, angelfish and butterfly fish.

There’s also a chance to spot larger creatures such as sea turtles, stingrays and nurse sharks.

Snorkeling in the Caribbean islands offer a remarkable blend of natural beauty and diverse marine life that promise an unforgettable snorkeling adventure.

Snorkeling destinations in the Caribbean Islands

Anguilla

(1 spot online)

A small island in northern Lesser Antilles, Anguilla has good snorkeling both on its main islands and its offshore cays and reefs. Corals, colorful reef fish, as well as occasional rays, nurse sharks and sea turtles can be observed in the shallows. (...)

Grenada

(3 spots online)

Grenada, also known as the Spice Island, is the southernmost island in the Antilles archipelago. Bordering the eastern Caribbean Sea and the western Atlantic Ocean, it features a diversity of marine environments including coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves. On most snorkeling spots, particular (...)

Bahamas

(6 spots online)

With 700 islands and thousands of cays, the Bahamas are a unique playground for snorkeling enthusiasts. The largest archipelago in the Caribbean, a step away from Miami, and hosts a wide array of snorkeling spots including coral-covered wrecks, colorful reefs, sandbars teeming with nurse sharks and (...)

Saint Martin/Sint Maarten

(2 spots online)

Saint-Martin is a small picturesque island in the north of the Caribbean, divided into a French part in the north and a Dutch part in the south. Its 67km of coastline and 35 beaches make it a popular destination for beach holidays. Saint-Martin offers snorkelers great opportunities to explore the un (...)

Turks and Caicos Islands

(1 spot online)

The Turks and Caicos Islands, less known than some other Caribbean destinations, are a veritable Eden bordered by white sands, coconut palms and a crystal sea. Luxury hotels and villas line the peaceful coasts of this archipelago of 40 islands stretching south of the Bahamas. If you like snorkeling, (...)

US Virgin Islands

(2 spots online)

The US Virgin Islands are located in the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean, to the east of Porto Rico. They comprise approximately 50 islands but the three main islands are St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John, around which the most accessible snorkeling can be found. In particular, much of the coast (...)

Dominican Republic

(2 spots online)

For many people, a trip to the Dominican Republic is one thing above all else: a relaxing all-inclusive vacation on a beautiful white-sanded beach. But if you love snorkeling, leave your beach towel for a while and go exploring the island’s underwater world. Even if snorkeling in Dominican Republic (...)

Saint Barthélemy

(2 spots online)

St Barthélemy, often nicknamed St Barts by English speakers, is by no means a top snorkeling destination in the Caribbean, but if you spend some days on the island, you’ll have fun discovering its underwater world. A dozen of decent to good snorkeling spots are found off the beaches of the islands, (...)

Saint Lucia

(2 spots online)

Saint Lucia is a pristine Caribbean island located a few dozen kilometers south of the French island of Martinique. If it is reputed for its spectacular mountainous landscapes, its underwater wonders are not amongst the most famous in the Caribbean. Still, the island’s preserved marine environment a (...)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

(4 spots online)

With pristine coral cays, protected bays and shallow reefs, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is one of the Caribbean’s snorkeling hot spots. The Tobago Cays, a group of 5 small coral islands circled by a horseshoe-shaped coral reef, is by far the best snorkeling spots in the country, but there are d (...)

Martinique

(10 spots online)

Made up of a main island and fifty uninhabited islets, Martinique is the southernmost region of the French West Indies. Martinique is famous for snorkeling with green sea turtles, especially in the shallow coves of the southwestern part of the island. But you will find all along its coastline dozens (...)

Guadeloupe

(16 spots online)

Hosting the largest coral reef in the Lesser Antilles, the islands of Guadeloupe boasts some of the Caribbean's most abundant marine life. This French archipelago comprises seven islands, each with great snorkeling spots, in particular in the tiny Îles des Saintes and the Pigeon Island, that captiva (...)

Antigua and Barbuda

(2 spots online)

Made up of two main islands and many small islets and reefs, Antigua and Barbuda has one of the richest marine ecosystems in the Lesser Antilles. The country provide dozens of good snorkeling spots, from coral reefs to shipwrecks, mangroves and sandbanks where stingray abound. In nearshore shallow w (...)

Cuba

(9 spots online)

Cuba, the largest island in the Caribbean, is renowned for its spectacular beaches, which are kissed by the Atlantic Ocean on the north and the Caribbean Sea on the south. The country offers dozens of snorkeling spots spread out along its expansive coastline, with a wide range of marine environments (...)

Cayman Islands

(5 spots online)

Beautiful coral reefs and pristine waters have made the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman a favorite destination in the Caribbean. For snorkelers, the Cayman islands are, before everything else, home of the most popular and visited snorkeling spots of the region. Located h (...)

Bonaire

(6 spots online)

Located East to Aruba and Curacao, Bonaire is the second-largest island in the Dutch Caribbean. While the fringing coral reefs all around Bonaire have suffered in recent decades from storms and bleaching events, Bonaire’s coral reefs remain among the healthiest and the most spectacular in the Caribb (...)

Curacao

(4 spots online)

Curacao is a hilly desert island situated in the southwestern arc of the Lesser Antilles, only 37 miles north to South America. If Curacao is more renowned for its clear emerald water and its gorgeous beaches than for its underwater life, it remains a good snorkeling destination. Curacao southwester (...)

Aruba

(5 spots online)

Aruba is a small Dutch Caribbean island located some 30 miles off the coast of Venezuela. Together with Bonaire and Curaçao, it forms a group referred to as the “ABC islands”. Aruba hosts wonderful beaches and a dozen of nice snorkeling spots, especially on its northwestern coast, all of them being (...)