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Last updated on May 12, 2022
Located just a stone’s throw from the very popular Thunderball Grotto, Not The Grotto is not a typically snorkeled spot, but it offers good snorkeling. Only accessible by boat, it remains preserved and uncrowded. Not The Grotto’s reef hosts a large diversity of reef fish, and is occasionally visited by sharks and sea turtles.
This site is only accessible by boat. You can anchor in the sand just off the islet. Charters are available from Staniel Cay and the surrounding islands. This is not a spot typically snorkeled, but it offers good snorkeling.
This site can be snorkeled before or after snorkeling the nearby “Thunderball Grotto”, which must be snorkeled at low tide.
Water entrance is from a boat.
This site should only be snorkeled at slack tide as there can be a swift current. If you snorkel on the ebb or flow, you will need to stay away from the ends of the islet where the current flows.
At slack tide, you can snorkel around the entire islet, but the southwest side does not offer as much to see. Depths are 4m to 2.5m.
There are a few good coral heads to explore, and all are home to many fish. Along the edge of the islet, schools of fish congregate. There are multiple species of snapper including large Cubera snapper. There are also schools of bar jacks, and various wrasses.
There are also numerous Queen angelfish, squirrelfish, schoolmaster snapper, multiple types of parrotfish, trumpetfish, and grunt. Less common are barracuda, nurse sharks, and sea turtles which are seen about 50% of the time. A more uncommon sighting is the shy porcupinefish.
Staniel Cay, a 100m boat ride from the islet, has a wide choice of resorts, cottages and restaurants.
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.
