The most spectacular views on this earth don’t necessarily happen above the great blue ocean. Under the sea lies a colourful, tranquil world full of wonder, and before I start reciting the lyrics to the Little Mermaid’s Under The Sea, I’m going to tell you about some of the most spectacular snorkelling spots in the world.
Before I do that though I’m going to do my responsible tourism spiel about how we can ensure that these places remain beautiful for a long time coming.
The answer is YOU!
Before you jump on to skyscanner to find the next flight to Hawaii just plant this lovely thought in your mind. We only have one planet and it is bloody beautiful, let’s do what we can to look after it – keep our oceans free from harmful trash, plastics, chemicals and other human poisons. The ocean is not our garbage bin. Be a responsible traveller and put the environment first.
Now that we’ve discussed that very important point, here is a list of 7 of the most beautiful snorkelling spots around the world brought to you by global travel bloggers. I hope you all get to experience at least one in your lifetime to see how beautiful it really is under the sea.
Related Article : Plastic Pollution : How To Keep Our Oceans Clean
Mamanuca Islands, Fiji
I have snorkelled all around the Caribbean and on the Great Barrier Reef, but Fiji takes the cake on the best snorkelling spot for me! I went out on a sailing tour around the Mamanuca Islands and fell in love. The water is the most beautiful colour of blue and so clear. I couldn’t believe the amount of fish that were just casually swimming around us — this picture doesn’t even capture a fraction of them. The guides were so knowledgeable and knew just how to bring all the fish around: Feed them Wonder Bread. Who knew?!
Chelsea from One Chel Of An Adventure
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El Nido, Philippines
My husband and I have been chasing summer, traveling the world since 2013, and are often found sporting a mask & snorkel. We are beach lovers but half the time we are off in the ocean snorkelling. The best snorkelling spot we’ve ever been is El Nido. El Nido is in the Palawan Islands of the Philippines and should be on everyone’s bucket list! During the day jump on a boat and head off into the ocean to some of the most amazing islands. The water colour is out of this world and you’ll be amazed at how many fish you can see just from the boat. Always have your snorkel ready in El Nido. There is even great snorkelling right from the shore. If you want to go a little deeper there are some World War 2 shipwrecks you can dive through. You won’t be disappointed with the snorkelling in El Nido, just remember your GoPro to capture it!
Hannah from GettingStamped
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The Maldives
If you go to the Maldives and do not get to experience its underwater playground you are missing out on best feature of the Maldives. While I was there I was able to snorkel the beautiful reefs with manta-rays, turtles, tropical fish and, of course, the beautiful whale shark.
Whale sharks are attracted to the rich plankton filled waters of the Maldives. They do not feed the whale sharks here to attract them, an ethical practice that means you are not guaranteed to see them, but that makes it a lot less touristy as well. I was lucky enough to swim with four different whale sharks while I was there and what struck me most about them is how elegant and graceful they are, along with being fast swimmers. They make it difficult for you to keep up with them! It was a long day swimming but definitely worth it to see them in their natural habitat.
Nicole from Travelgal Nicole
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The Gili Islands, Indonesia
The Gili Islands in Indonesia are a group of 3 islands called Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air. For only US $100 you can be treated like a celebrity for a day, with your very own private glass bottom boat picking you up to go snorkelling and island hopping for the entire day. You can save money by sharing a boat with other snorkelers but for us, having the boat to ourselves for once was absolutely worth the money!
It’s a short, scenic boat ride to the first of 3 (or more) snorkelling spots where there’s plenty of fish and other sea life of all shapes and sizes to see in the clear, gorgeous blue water. When you take a break from snorkelling it’s quick to go to any of the shores of the 3 little islands which all have white sandy beaches and unique, romantic seating areas to enjoy a cocktail or a lunch. To us, the best snorkelling spots are the ones where everything above the water is just as breathtaking as below the water!
Michelle from Romantic Explorers
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Maui, Hawaii
Hawaii is well known for its incredible snorkelling sites, with its warm waters, great visibility, and abundant marine life. When I visited Maui, going snorkelling was naturally high up on my list. I went on a kayak and snorkel tour to Makena turtle town, which is made up of underwater lava formations from submarine volcanic eruptions. The reefs there are now home to dozens of tropical fish species, and of course, the Hawaiian green sea turtle. The tour guarantees turtle sightings as there are many turtles that live there. Sure enough, I spotted many of them (more than 10)! The waters were crystal clear and I was able to follow the turtles as they swam around below feeding, or as they swam gracefully past me and emerged from the surface to take a breath. While these turtles are endangered and it is against the law to touch them, the turtles are very comfortable around humans and would sometimes swim pretty close by! Occasionally, there will be dolphin sightings at this snorkel site, thought I wasn’t fortunate enough to witness it.
Kristin from SG Dive Girl
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Whitsunday Islands, Australia
Snorkelling in Australia was only my second snorkelling experience ever. I was a bit nervous about interacting with the marine life in the ocean, but I forced myself to go for a swim as I knew it would be the best and most rewarding way to experience Australia and the Whitsunday Islands. While swimming, I encountered turtles, stingrays, zebra fish, rainbow fish, and a GIANT potato cod.
The colours of the fish and coral were truly amazing. This is by far the best snorkelling experience I have ever had, and it was the trip that forced me to get over my fears and enjoy swimming with the fish. I scheduled a two night sailing excursion, so I had the opportunity to snorkel in a few different spots, visit beaches, and swim with turtles. We even saw one devour a jellyfish! Various day trip and overnight sailing excursions are available. Look for eco tourism certified and advanced eco tourism certified companies to help protect this beautiful area.
Stephanie from Ginger On The Go
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Nassau, The Bahamas
Last year as I researched for my trip to the Bahamas, I kept coming across this picture of a giant underwater statue, but could never seem to find out exactly where it was. I had to do some digging and eventually found it was in Clifton Heritage Park outside Nassau. I decided I had to go! The largest underwater statue in the world, a statue of a girl “carrying the ocean on her shoulders.” I had found the right place!
The creator, deCaires-Taylor who is an avid diver himself, used damaged corals to create texture on the sculptures and other pH balanced material so he could place his work right back into the ocean where they could again serve as coral reefs for fish. It’s a fairly long swim out to the largest statue, but the smaller mounds and other statutes serve as a map and are filled with fish, each bustling with life in their own way.
I’d swim down to the bottom and look inside each small circular statue and see the unique neighbourhood that seemed to form in each. When I finally got to the statue, I was alone in 30 foot deep water with colourful fish, watching as they swam around this large statue they called home. It was amazing to look up at the statue and see the fish and sky seem to shine back at me.
Meghan from Meghan the Travelling Teacher
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