We are also looking for the exact same, but two weeks in September, October or November. I snorkel for hours at a time. Husband enjoys swimming in pool and wading in water. Non-hurricane affected islands. We have been to Curacao, looking maybe Aruba? We looked at the Aruba info on this site, so I am not sure what to do. We are Canadian so direct flights from Toronto. Any help is appreciated, thanks.

– Anse Chastanet in St.Lucia (have been there three times, with the last visit in 2022). Nice variety of snorkeling here with grass beds right off the main resort beach (saw turtles there everyday and Flying Gurnards are not uncommon) and hard and soft coral outcroppings on the right side of the beach (good variety of fish, squid and octopus in this area). It’s also a terrific resort with multiple restaurants and two separate beaches. Only downsides: beach/water is busier now than it used to be with cruise ship visitors on day passes and many rooms/restaurants are on the hillside which can be challenging for anyone with limited mobility (views of the Pitons are great though!).

– Off The Wall Resort in Belize. Very different ‘resort’ (Two hours offshore in Glover’s Atoll) with very rustic accommodations, no WIFI, community dining and minimal land amenities. But the snorkeling around the island is varied and fun with multiple boat trips per day take you out to explore more distant coral outcroppings and drop-offs in the atoll.

– As mentioned by others, Smith’s Reef off of Providenciales in Turks and Caicos is nice. A bit harder to get to off the beach (decent walk from most of the beach resorts and a bit further of a swim to get out to the reef) but the snorkeling is fun and varied with a mix of grass beds and coral outcroppings.

– Klein Bonaire has nice snorkeling all around the island but you now have to take a water taxi or excursion to get there from the mainland. You used to be able to kayak over from Harbour Village Resort in Bonaire and moor your kayak off the island but unfortunately they no longer allow you to do this (safety reasons). We last stayed at Harbour Village in 2024 (very nice resort) and they arrange two snorkeling/diving trips per day to various points in the vicinity which provides a nice variety of options. There are also a few rock outcroppings right off the beach at this resort; they are pretty boring during the day (topography and fish variety are underwhelming unless you are a beginner) but it’s a fun, safe spot to night snorkel (lots of moray eels, tarpon, and rays that you don’t see during the day).

We were in Curacao November 2024. I know that it was the rainy season but we were very disappointed with the reefs. We went on a buggy tour that took us to four different beaches. Didn’t have much time to snorkel but wish that we had done this at the beginning of our stay. Definitely check out Yabbi van den Kieboom of Snorkeling Tours Curacao. We found him to be a very pleasant person to snorkel with.

Very disappointed with the snorkeling at Klein Curacao.

We went to Curacao in May 2025 and stayed at Avila Beach Resort. The snorkeling right outside the break wall was decent. We’re strong swimmers, and the current doesn’t bother us. We went to the places detailed in the Curacao Snorkeling Guide – been meaning to post a report about it – and we were pleasantly surprised. We didn’t see any bleaching, and for the Caribbean, the reefs were pretty healthy.

We have been to Anguilla many times, and the reef at Shoal Bay used to be spectacular, but we were very sad the last few times, with all the elk horn bleached. We also used to go to Turtle Cove in Turks and Caicos. We haven’t been in years, but the decline was evident and I expect it’s even worse now. (We’ve also been to Roatan, Virgin Gorda, St John.) We’ve also been to Raja Ampat, and Curacao is nothing like that, but it’s really decent for the Caribbean.

While we liked the Sunset House about four years ago, we did not find the house reef could compare with Roatan. We’ve been to Grand Cayman twice, with two years between the two trips. The second time we found the waters so crowded with boats we have no desire to go back.

Julie, does this resort get large influx of sargassum? That is what has kept us from going back to Belize. The reports are horrendous.

Thanks!

A lot of times we go to Cozumel and stay about a mile north of town at apartments on the ocean. There is no reef but there is the wall that forms the island that has colorful coral and multiple creatures. I’ve seen almost everything from rays to turtles to squid. It is very convenient as you just step off your dock and there you are. Also, Cozumel itself is great.

We are going to give Bonaire a try and see if it’s recovered at all.

I love to stay at Coral View Resort in Utila and snorkel the reef off of their beach bar. You can see Queen Angelfish, eagle rays, and lots of tropical fish. The coral was healthier six years ago, but if you go right you can still see purple sea fans and brightly colored coral.

My son and I went to Curacao in January 2024 and were very disappointed. The water is still clear and there are lots of fish, but the northwestern reefs are greatly decreased. We did not get to the reefs on the southeastern part of the island, where we had much better snorkeling several years ago – weather and health did not cooperate. Maybe there are still good reefs there. It is an easy flight for us, but we won’t be going back.

Has anyone been to Curacao recently? I have Galen and Nicole’s book and plan to follow many of their recommendations. We are staying at Coral Estates and have a rental car. I am hoping the snorkeling is still good at Karacter Beach. I have only been reading positive comments about the reefs, very few mention bleaching so I hope this is what we find this fall. Any recommendations are appreciated. Any good snorkel tours you can recommend?

My husband and I just returned from Ft Young in Dominica. The reefs have been severely damaged. The snorkeling is very easy off their dock. There is also a dock where the cruise ships come in that has interesting sponges and some good fish. Eels, sponges, lots of fish, but no really great coral. They have dive boats also. The hotel has been remodeled since the hurricane in 2017.

You might want to try Sunset House in Grand Cayman. Their house reef was great but I was there quite a while ago.

It is an absolutely gigantic area to snorkel right off the beach, and could keep you busy for days. It has both shallow reef areas and deeper areas for larger stuff. To date it still holds the record for the biggest spotted eagle rays I’ve ever seen, and had turtles on almost every trip out. The only downside is there’s no resorts or hotels on it. It’s all rental condos/VRBOs/Airbnbs (which is most of Turks and Caicos, to be honest).

The other spot is Coral Gardens, also near Providenciales in an area called Bight Settlement. This too is right off the beach. It is a smaller spot, and very popular and good for beginners. There are a few of hotels right on the beach here on or next to Coral Gardens and another spot just up the beach that doesn’t yet have a name (but enough people have Google pinned it for it to be a snorkel spot). The hotels on the map closest to Coral Gardens are Windsong Resort, The Seagate, and Grace Haven Villas. Beaches Turks and Caicos is also a short walk down the beach.

Turks and Caicos is generally very good for snorkel spots you don’t need a boat to get to. Smith’s Reef, Coral Gardens, Babalua Beach, and Malcolm’s Beach are all solid and right off the beach. As I’ve looked at Google Maps, it looks like more people are pinning other random areas saying it’s good snorkeling, so staying anywhere in Bight Settlement up through the area where Smith’s Reef is, would grant you the ability to walk to a wide area of good snorkeling. When I visited we also took a charter and saw great stuff located on reefs farther out.

My two caveats are that I haven’t been back to Turks and Caicos in over seven years, so can’t comment on current coral health. I also did the VRBO thing and drove to spots so can’t comment on the quality or vibe of the resorts or hotels.

In February 2025 we bought Galen and Nicole’s terrifically informative Curacao ebook and headed there for two weeks. Many days the winds were well over 12 mph and squashed some plans, however, when we stayed at Blue Bay Resort the weather improved and allowed for four days of most successful snorkeling!

As described by G and N, the snorkeling around the point and to the right was very satisfactory with soft corals, sponges, large hard corals and an abundant variety of fish.

One does not need to be staying in the resort to access their beach. A day pass can be purchased.

Just got back from week in Bermuda. Stayed at The Reefs and blessed with a north wind for our snorkel day. We found their house reef to be in excellent shape with lots of fish. Full list posted here. Water was in the mid 70s°F, but we all had thermal rash guards on, so it was fine. We snorkeled for most of the day and covered less than half of the reef system. Can’t wait to go back.

As we were on the boat, we stayed anchored there for a few days. Kathy was coming back from about a two hour snorkel when out of the corner of her eye she had a large spotted eagle ray come out of the depths towards her and turn from her about four meters (14 feet) away. Pretty sweet.

If taking a boat out, going to the Indians is pretty sweet snorkeling.

At Curacao in 2021, we stayed at the Sunscape. They have a nice break wall from the ever rolling water coming towards the island. You can go in by the dock that services the dive boats and let the current take you down to the other end (about one hour if you stop and look around). Rock fish, sand divers, lots of schools of fish as well. The area was good and they are really pushing using proper reef friendly sunscreen. No sea horses, but they are out a little ways if you decide to take a boat.

We rented a car and drove to the northwest end of the island, lots of bays where you can snorkel from the shore and see lots… probably 25 to 30 feet of water and no problem seeing the eels, sea snakes, high hats, cow fish and many more. Enjoy.