Best Snorkeling In The Caribbean

What are the best snorkeling destinations in the Caribbean region? If you are one of the many lucky souls headed south to the islands soon (or thinking of doing so), this is likely a priority "need to know" question.

Our website is designed to provide straightforward information regarding the best snorkeling vacation destinations of the greater Caribbean region.

Here, you will find useful overviews of each of our "best snorkeling" destination picks that will give you the best opportunity to explore coral reefs and marine life of the region.

As a professional marine biologist and educator who has spent the better part of a lifetime exploring Caribbean coral reefs, I have come to know quite a bit about where (and where not ) to go to find the best reef snorkeling opportunities. Here, I share what I have learned in this regard.

The Caribbean Snorkeling Environment: An Overview

Most Caribbean snorkeling (by far) takes place within coral reef environments, and with good reason.

Coral reefs are by far the most interesting and colorful underwater environments for snorkelers to explore and observe a great variety of marine life "up close and personal".

Less experienced snorkelers often prefer (and should begin) their reef explorations on shallow reefs (pictured left) found within the lagoon (back reef zone). As snorkelers gain experience and confidence they may wish to move further offshore to the shallower portion of the upper reef face.

This is the portion of the coral reef biome where the greatest variety of corals and reef fishes may be observed in waters less than 30 ft. in depth. With practice, free diving 20-30 ft. is well within the abilities of most snorkelers.

Best Snorkeling In The Caribbean: Our Choices

Based upon five main factors (criteria) described briefly below, our destination picks for the vacation destinations that provide the "Best Snorkeling in the Caribbean" include the following:

Caribbean snorkeling at its best. © Istockphoto.com

• Aruba

• Antigua

• Belize

• Bonaire

• Cayman Islands

• The Bahamas (Selected Islands)

• Turks and Caicos

We have devoted a separate page (or in some cases several pages) of our website to each of these destinations. Use the links provided in above or in our Navigation Bar (left column) to quickly access and browse these pages.

Selecting the very best snorkeling in the Caribbean is not such an easy task, for the Caribbean Sea spans thousands of square miles of ocean and contains many beautiful islands ringed by coral reefs.

Our selections for the best places to visit in order to explore the region's coral reefs were made using the following main criteria, all of which must be "good to outstanding" for a destination to be included in our "best snorkeling in the Caribbean" list:

• Quality and accessibility of coral reef snorkeling sites: The condition (i.e., "health") of the coral reefs, average underwater visibility, water quality, and diversity of shallow sites readily accessible from shore or by a short boat trip.

• Diversity of reef life: The number of fish, coral, and other invertebrate species you are likely to see while snorkeling at this destination.

• Active coral reef ecosystem management: The referred destination has designated reasonably sized portions of its coral reef ecosystem(s) and adjacent waters as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and requires / enforces environmentally responsible snorkeling and diving practices

• Ready accessibility by international visitors: Access available from most major airports with no more than 2 changeover flights

• Acceptable accommodations and local transportation available at reasonable cost: Variety of accommodation / local transportation options available at equivalent rates to other towns/cities in the general area

Additionally, we consider the quality and "crowdedness" (for want of a better term) of the beaches and other tourism amenities at our chosen destinations at which to find the best snorkeling in the Caribbean.

Why? Because most people going on a Caribbean snorkeling holiday are not going only to snorkel; they also want to experience the other many charms of island life - long stretches of deserted beaches, hospitality, vibrant night life, and other such pleasures.

To help you get the most from your travel budget and allow you to spend more time and money doing the things you really enjoy on your Caribbean snorkeling adventure, you might want to might want to consider booking an "all inclusive vacation" at a Caribbean resort destination.

What And Where Is "The Caribbean"?

The term "Caribbean" is commonly used rather loosely, and is often used to refer to the entire tropical Western Atlantic region (or "Greater Caribbean"), or alternatively to the Caribbean Sea proper.

Map of the Greater Caribbean region

This Greater Caribbean region spans the Caribbean Sea proper along with The Bahamas, Bermuda, Turks and Caicos, and south Florida to the north, and the northeastern coast of South America to the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers south of the Caribbean Sea.

The Caribbean Sea proper is the central portion of the biogeographic region of coral reef development known as the Greater Caribbean. It is blessed with the warmest average water temperature and greatest coral reef biodiversity of the entire Tropical Western Atlantic region. The Caribbean Sea is bounded to the north by The Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispanola, and Puerto Rico), and so does not include the waters and reefs of South Florida, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, or Bermuda.

Our website (unless otherwise noted) uses the term "Caribbean" in the sense of the "Greater Caribbean" as described above.