By Tom Turner – (Jamestown, PA)
We had one day of snorkeling in Nassau, Bahamas as we were visiting on a cruise. A few months ago, we posted a question asking about where we should go snorkeling there. We really did not get any good answers or leads as to finding decent snorkeling, and it is probably because it really does not exist.
We are really avid shore snorkelers, but decided that our best bet was to book a snorkel boat online and have them take us out to the “good” snorkeling. It was a small boat, six snorkelers, and very friendly people, but the snorkeling was pretty basic. I expect that it is the best that can be had in a three hour trip from Nassau, but we probably would have been better off to find a nice place on shore to get a drink and enjoy the views.
The pictures are the best that we could find, and there really were no good shots of any coral.
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Bill – Mar 6, 2015 – Snorkeling the Bahamas on a Cruise
Thanks for your post. We will do our snorkeling at other ports and do things on land on our next cruise that goes to the Bahamas.
MaryLou – Mar 7, 2015 – Snorkeling the Bahamas
Thanks for the information about snorkeling in Nassau. I, also, am going on a one day cruise and was hoping to find the snorkeling good at the end of April. Do you think that it might have been the time of year that you went?
I was going to go to a place called Paradise Cove Resort, 15 minutes from town. To which beach did you go?
Thanks.
Tom Turner – Mar 7, 2015 – Paradise Cove
We took a snorkel boat to an offshore reef, if you could call it a reef. We did hear that Paradise Cove is one of the better shore snorkeling spots, but we also heard that the boat snorkel was real good, and it was barely adequate. Going to Paradise Cove is probably as good as you can do from shore. Be aware, the water will probably still be quite cold in April. Let us know how it is when you return.
Brian – Jun 2, 2016 – Paradise Cove and Sandy Toes
We were in Nassau in May of 2015. My wife’s first snorkeling swim was in Paradise Cove. We both really enjoyed it. There is plenty of sea grass and wildlife to see. In a short time we saw many colorful fish and many of them came to us and followed us. They’ve definitely been fed before. We also saw many rays and a turtle.
We went back the next day but didn’t see much at all. There was a tangible stress to the water. The few fish I saw ran away to hide. Even the barracuda was hiding in the shallows behind a rock. I figured there was a predator nearby and went back to the water park.
We also booked a trip to Sandy Toes. They are on Rose Island with access to both sides of the island. The south side was shallow and calm with plenty of reef to explore. We also swam the northern side. The reef is a bit deeper, maybe 10-15 feet, unless you go farther out to even deeper waters. We saw nice colorful fish on both sides, but they were somewhat scarce. Nevertheless, we had a great time escaping the main island for a day.
Laura from Colorado – Jun 2, 2016 – Snorkeling Nassau and Paradise Island.
We also went to Sandy Toes out of Paradise Island. I would recommend it for the ‘whole thing’ but not just for the snorkeling. I very much enjoyed the excursion. The north side beach and views, water color, swimming and ambiance was fabulous. South side snorkel with the group was pleasant but nothing notable. We saw some fish, not very much coral at all, on either side (north or south).
I took a tour the day before with Blue Hole (left from British Colonial dock). Very small outfitter, just seven of us on the boat. Very nice captain. First reef had what I think was called Elkhorn Coral. We have elk in Colorado so I said hello to the underwater version. I saw some good fish too. The second stop unfortunately brought a weather change, wind and a rain squall. It was an effort to stay in one area and not be swept far from the boat. I’d try them again though, if I was there.