Shutterstock.com/Stock Footage SolutionsKauai, Hawaii, is home to some of the best snorkeling featuring an abundance of active shallow-water marine life.
Hawaii
In the Aloha State, Kauai earns top marks when it comes to snorkeling, thanks to an abundance of marine life that favors the shallows. A bonus of the Garden Isle is that many of its beachside parks offer facilities (restrooms, showers and picnic areas), making for more enjoyable outings.
The hands-down most memorable spot is Poipu Beach Park, best visited just before sunset. “Every night, a phenomenon happens,” says Marvin Otsuji, owner of Seasport Divers, located in Poipu on the southern coast of Kauai.
As the sun nears the horizon, anywhere from a dozen to 50 sea turtles amble ashore to sleep in the sand at this lagoon on the island’s southern coast.
“I’m not sure this happens anywhere else in the world,” says Otsuji.
Snorkelers can enter the water and swim a short distance to watch the turtles glide toward shore.
A site known for a mix of life is Koloa Landing, near the resort of the same name. The entry point is a former boat ramp, surrounded by rock-pile walls.
“You have this whole ecosystem, from schools of mackerel scad to tuna and kawakawa [mackerel tuna],” says Otsuji.
A freshwater stream empties into the area, leaving stirred-up water on the surface. Snorkelers confident enough to kick down a few feet are rewarded with an abundance of action.
Need to Know Snorkeling Kauai
When to Go Every winter, Hawaii is affected by the Northwest Swell—to the delight of surfers. As a result, this shore is closed to snorkelers from October to May. If visiting in winter, plan to explore the south.
Water Temps Kauai’s waters range from 74 to 78 degrees.
Bonus Site If you visit outside of the winter months, try the North Shore’s Anini Beach. Waves break on the outer reef, leaving the inner reef calm and making for easy viewing of coral heads, turtles and more.
Contact Seasport Divers (seasportdivers.com)
Shutterstock/ John PiekosSeven-foot-long tarpon provide a thrill at Islamorada’s Hens and Chickens Reef.
Florida Keys
The boat ride to either of Islamorada’s best snorkeling sites—Cheeca Rocks, and Hens and Chickens—is less than 20 minutes, putting snorkelers face-to-face with big wows that visitors might not expect so close to shore.
The trip can start with Islamorada Dive Center, near mile marker 84 on the Overseas Highway. This center runs a dedicated snorkel boat daily when there is demand.
Cheeca Rocks offers shallow patch reef, with the sand bottom at 8 to 20 feet. Divers tend to need more space in the water column to move up and down; otherwise, they would also want to drop in and swim between the massive brain corals, some as big as armchairs. Thickets of staghorn and elkhorn coral provide cover to passing marine life, from hogfish to midnight parrotfish.
But the bigger thrill might be Hens and Chickens Reef. “You’ll see all the usual suspects,” says Eric Billips, owner of Islamorada Dive Center. Snorkelers can also expect to meet 7-foot tarpon. “Suddenly, you’re staring at this massive silver fish—it’s startling,” he says.
But never scary.
“Really, it’s just a big dumb-dumb that’s floating.”
The tarpon are just the beginning. Islamorada is known for attracting larger marine life due to its expansive, shallow bottom that plummets in some places to 2,000 feet. These drop-offs serve as convergence zones where currents carry plankton and smaller fish to mix with predatory fish.
It’s a draw that encourages Caribbean reef sharks to pass by and eagle rays to stick around.
“We see eagle rays, guaranteed—I can’t say that about any other spot,” says Billips.
Related Reading: Best Destinations for Wreck Diving
Need to Know Snorkeling Florida Keys
When to Go As they say, the pool is open year-round in the Florida Keys. April and May consistently offer flat seas and better visibility.
Water Temps 86 degrees in the summer, down to a 72-degree winter average.
Bonus Site Another top spot is Alligator Reef, known for clear visibility and encounters with barracuda and other big life—despite the name, you won’t find any gators.
Contact Islamorada Dive Center (islamoradadivecenter.com)
Shutterstock/ Arturo VigilA school of yellowtail snapper swims along the reef in Bonaire.
Bonaire
Any Bonaire guidebook will steer visitors to explore the Salt Pier, famous for its pilings wrapped in sponge growth that obscures seahorses and frogfish. The site and its menagerie are a must-see, best accessed when cars don’t crowd the parking area.
A less-crowded pitch is Margate Bay, number 55 on the map of all the Bonaire dive and snorkel sites. It’s a favorite of Martin Cicilia, dive operations manager at Buddy Dive, one of the biggest scuba operators on the island.
“Throughout the whole area, you’ll see green and hawksbill turtles cruising around,” he says.
Stingrays commonly burrow under the white sand, and baitballs flow between coral heads, forming curious shapes as they pass by.
“The baitballs are there year-round and give more of a ‘wow’ to the experience,” he says.
His short list of snorkel spots also includes Jeff Davis Memorial Reef, number 18, on the west coast of Bonaire. This site, named to honor a physician who was a pioneer in hyperbaric medicine, is where Reef Renewal, a nonprofit dedicated to saving corals, has placed more than 3,000 outplantings. The result: fields of staghorn corals that one would never guess had help finding their new homes.
There are nearly 100 dive sites on the Bonaire map, but snorkelers may not even need the guide to have engaging encounters.
“Get in the water anywhere, and if you go slow, you’ll find stuff,” says Cicilia.
Greener snorkelers and divers often think that the more ground covered, the more one will see. Not so.
“If a big fish moves in the water, all the fish move,” warns Cicilia.
Instead, pick one spot and just study. The eye is naturally drawn to what stands out. That could be the frill of a lettuce sea slug or the pattern of circles of a tentacle. Blennies, nudibranchs, frogfish and seahorses all become easier to pick out among the sponges with time.
“Stay still, float and just look around— you’ll see so much more,” says Cicilia.
Need to Know Snorkeling Bonaire
When to Go Bonaire is a year-round destination. January, February and early March bring strong winds, which can make entry and exit more challenging.
Water Temps August and September bring highs of 86 degrees; by December and January, it “cools” to 80 degrees.
Bonus Site Explore the mangroves with the Mangrove Information Center out on Lac Bay, on the southeastern part of the island. Mangroves serve as nurseries to all life on the reef, so it’s not unusual to see mini versions of familiar favorites. His first trip out, Cicilia spied a barracuda just a couple of inches long. “I had to take a good look to be sure—I had never seen that before.”
Contact Buddy Dive (buddydive.com)
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