By Lisa Schuler
My husband and I just returned from an eight day trip snorkeling Curacao in January 2026. One of the reasons we picked the island was because of its excellent snorkeling reputation. I must say, this little gem of an island did NOT disappoint!
I had purchased Galen and Nicole’s Curacao e-book prior to our trip, which was extremely useful in our planning.
We stayed for five nights at a small but well-equipped VRBO in the Westpunt area (northwest). The VRBO was a five minute walk from Playa Forti, a small beach with fantastic snorkeling especially on the left side of the cove. I was so overwhelmed by the amount of healthy tropical fish that I nearly cried. We enjoyed it so much that we returned several times.
The other beach with fantastic snorkeling was Klein Knip. Due to its beauty and popularity, we arrived at 9AM. Once again, the snorkeling was terrific, with lots of colorful fish and healthy fan corals. There is no better snorkeling experience than to directly walk into the warm, turquoise shallow water and immediately be surrounded by beautiful tropical fish! Parrotfish, large green moray eels, pufferfish and colorful surgeonfish abound along the island. The best snorkeling was along the north and south edges of the beach.
We wanted to snorkel other beaches but time did not permit us to do so; however, we are going to return next winter to continue our snorkeling journey on this lovely island.