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Last updated on April 12, 2021
With its two untouched islets linked by a white sand bridge, Cayo de Agua is Los Roques archipelago’s secret treasure. On both sides of the sandbank, you’ll find reefs that will delight snorkeling addicts. In this protected area, moray eels, angelfish, butterflyfish and many other marine species are easily spotted.
Cayo de Agua is a coral cay located at the western tip of Los Roques archipelago, some 150 km north of Caracas. The easiest way to get there is to take a flight to Gran Roque (the only airport in the archipelago), then book a day tour to Cayo de Agua (a 45 minutes to 1 hour trip).
It is also possible to visit the Los Roques archipelago by boat.
Enter the water from the beach, on the side you want to explore.
There are two recommended snorkeling areas in Cayo de Agua:
1 / The fringing reef extending just south of the sand bridge (zone 1 on the map). It boasts the most vibrant sea life, but some areas are deep and the sea is not sheltered here. The reef is covered with gorgonians, sponges and corals, and falls on large sandy flats (↕2-4m).
Several species of moray eels (green moray, spotted moray), queen angelfish, wrasses and butterflyfish are found here. In deep sandy areas (↕4-6m), you can also see small groupers, porgies and cero.
2 / The coral areas found north of the sandbank (zone 2 on the map). Here, the sea is generally very calm and shallow.
However, the seabed is pretty poor. There are few corals, but the diversity of reef fish (wrasse, butterflyfish, tangs…) makes exploring this area rather pleasant.
There are dozens of posadas in Gran Roque. Some tours to Cayo de Agua include lunch; inquire when booking.
These spots are accessible to anyone with basic snorkeling skills, and feeling comfortable in the water and with his snorkeling gear. You will enter the water from the shore (beach, pontoon, ladder, rocks) or from a boat. The water height in the sea entrance area is reasonable, but you will not necessarily be within your depth. Moderate currents can occur in the area, even when the sea conditions are good. The distance to swim to reach the most interesting snorkeling areas of the spot does not exceed 200 meters. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
