by Kent – (Minnesota)
In late April of 2018 we traveled to Nassau, Bahamas for snorkeling Paradise Island. My wife loves water parks and I prefer to snorkel so we hoped to find the best of both worlds. We stayed at (and recommend) the Comfort Suites, a non-Atlantis resort hotel that also offered Atlantis Water Park passes.
The good news is that I found interesting snorkeling right from the beach within the water park. It worked out well so while my wife floated the Lazy River or sunned, I was able to snorkel from Cove Beach where I found a surprising number of fish in rocky formations near the buoys (about the second or third from the left side of the Cove). Visibility was a bit limited (as you can see in the photo) but it was fairly shallow (about 8-12 feet) and by freediving I could get closer and clearly see the various varieties of fish.
I also snorkeled nearby Paradise Beach and saw a number of interesting fish there, but fewer and not as consistently as Cove Beach. Both of these beaches are within the water park and require a pass. The park provides chairs and umbrellas which was handy for gear and such. I did not have time to try the Atlantis Beach West or Atlantic Beach so cannot comment on those.
By far, our best snorkeling experience was an afternoon excursion by boat with Bahama Divers. We were amazed at the clarity of the water, the number and variety of fish, as well as the colorful corals. We were the only snorkelers with four scuba divers on the trip. They were led by a guide, who soon took them to deeper water and we were free to explore the LTC Wreck (a troop transport) near where our boat tied up.
The wreck was home to lots of fish and we spent a very enjoyable hour exploring it and the surrounding corals. We found the water visibility and number of fish comparable to sites at St. John and even Cozumel. We left a review and additional photos on TripAdvisor if you want to see more.
I enjoy this site and it helped me select my underwater camera (Nikon D300), which has added a new, fun dimension to my snorkeling, so wanted to contribute to the community.
Comments Moved From Previous System
Nicole & Galen – Feb 12, 2019 – Thank You!
Hi Kent, thanks so much for taking the time to share your story and pictures about snorkeling the beaches in the water park in Nassau, Bahamas and by boat trip, too. We think our readers will find this information helpful! There is another trip report about snorkeling in Nassau.