If you and your family love snorkeling, there are plenty of good spots in the Caribbean that you can visit to enjoy a relaxing holiday and good snorkeling! Below you will find a list of our favorite Caribbean family-friendly snorkel vacations.
Aruba
Aruba island is a water sports paradise, that offers great snorkeling and scuba diving but also kayaking, paddle boarding and more.
Catalina Cove is a popular spot for beginners as it has calm and clear waters. Arashi Beach is another popular spot that can easily be done from shore and that has abundant marine life.
If you are happy to book a tour, another good snorkeling spot in Aruba is the SS Antilla wreck that lies close enough to the surface so that snorkelers can also enjoy it. When looking for resorts in Aruba, be sure to find ones that offer easy access to the island's top snorkeling spots such as Catalina Cove and Arashi Beach.
Turks & Caicos
This archipelago offers 40 islands, including the main island Providenciales, known as Provo. North of Provo lies a long reef barrier that offers plenty of spots for snorkeling. Some of the most popular spots including West Caicos Marine National Park, French Cay, Smith’s Reef and Bight Reef.
Grand Turk island’s reefs are further out and deeper, so it might not be the best for snorkeling but is recommended for scuba divers.
The smaller Salt Cay island has snorkeling spots easily accessible from shore, such as Balfour Town or North Bay Beach.
Cayman Islands
The three Cayman Islands offer plenty of great snorkeling spots that are easy to enjoy for the entire family. The famous Stingray City on Grand Cayman is one of the most popular spots: accessible by boat, this shallow sand bar is home to plenty of stingrays and you will be able to snorkel and swim with them.
Another great spot is Bloody Bay Marine Park on Little Cayman: this is a very popular dive site, but it also offers plenty of healthy reefs and great marine life to snorkelers.
For those who enjoy shipwrecks, on Cayman Brac the popular Wreck of Captain Keith Tibbetts is also accessible to snorkelers thanks to the good visibility.
St Vincent and The Grenadines
South of the main island of St Vincent, the Grenadines islands are a tropical dream: clear waters and sunny skies, with plenty of great spots to explore.
The Tobago Cays Marine Park is one of the best spots in the area, home to healthy reefs and vibrant marine life. You will likely encounter green sea turtles and plenty of different species of fish. Mayreau islands is one of the most popular spots within the Marine Park for both snorkelers and divers.
Another interesting place to snorkel is Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park, built in 2006. It features sculpture from various artists that have now been populated by fishes and corals, and makes for a very special snorkeling trip.
St Thomas, US Virgin Islands
The small island of St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands is a snorkeling paradise. The island offers plenty of calm and shallow bays with easy shore entries. Some of the popular locations include Sapphire Bat, Brewer’s Bay or Coki Beach. On most spots you will find plenty of tropical fishes, and often sea turtles. The island also has other great spots to visit with family such as mangroves that you can tour in kayaks. You can also hike to several viewpoints or explore the Botanical Garden.
Dominica
The small island nation of Dominica is a paradise for nature lovers. Hiking and water sports are the most popular activities. Because of its volcanic nature it has some pretty special snorkeling spots. One of them is Champagne Reef, where you can observe volcanic gases coming to the surface and creating hot water bubbles underwater! Soufrière Bay is another popular snorkeling site, which is inside an extinct volcano crater.
Other popular spots include Secret Beach and Salisbury Beach. The island's healthy reefs are rich with marine life and you might spot lobsters, stingrays, various tropical fish species and more!
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Tucked away south of the bustling Cancun, Playa del Carmen is located right opposite the island of Cozumel, which is well-known for snorkeling and diving. Playa del Carmen offers hotels and resorts for all budgets and easy snorkeling from shore. From there it is easy to book a snorkel trip around Cozumel as well.
Further along the coast, plenty of other spots are good for snorkeling in between Playa del Carmen and Tulum, such as Akumal. This area also offers plenty of places to visit such as archaeological sites and the famous cenotes.
Let's hope these ideas give you some help to plan your next family snorkel trip! If you are planning on investing in our own snorkelling gear, you can check out our tips to choose your mask!
