Best shore snorkeling in world ???

[OneFastEuro]

Place of Refuge on the big island is the one I have enjoyed the most so far.
The day I was hanging out with the spinner dolphins and listening to them is stuck in my memories.

 

[PeacockMantis]

Hi Guys,

As I was looking for my next trip and places with good snorkelling from the shore I came upon this thread. It indeed seems difficult to find the right spots. Plenty of information on diving (which I like but not so much as snorkelling) and snorkelling boat trips.

I did not add places where I took a boattrip to a reef (meaning leaving out Egypt, great barrier reef and Bali (Menjagan island, Nusa lembogan) & Flores, Rincah & komodo).

So, here's my subjective list:

Top:
Maldives Vilamendhoo
Australia: Coral bay & cape range NP

Good:
Maldives Kuredu
Malaysia Pulau Redang
Thailand, Perhentian
Malaysia Tioman
Malaysia Pulau Perhentian besar
Malaysia Pulau Perhentian Kecil
Thailand Ko Tao
Malaysia Pulau Kapas
Dominican Republic Sosua

Ok:
Costa Rica
Bali Ahmed
Bali Permuteran
Thailand Ko Chang

So-so:
Croatia
Spain
France


Cheers

Jan

 

[Dave C]

Jan,
Thanks for your rankings. Very useful information, and I am very impressed by all your travels. Coral Bay, Western Australia has been on my radar for quite a while and for you to rate it so highly is encouraging. I would llike to go there sometime. The only drawback I've seen, besides distance of travel and expense, is that uw photos sometimes show it can be a little murky with about 30 ft (10 m) visibility. That's acceptable to me but not great. As I have said several times on ScubaBoard (probably earlier in this very thread), I find it nearly impossible to rank snorkeling locations because there are advantages and disadvantages to them all. It would be nice if you could add some short information on why you liked (or disliked) all your locations, but I realize it would take quite a bit of time and effort to do this. Many times I have neglected to write trip reports about my snorkeling vacations because I know it takes some time to compose a good, well-written report.

 

[Rogersea]

I have been diving and snorkeling all over the world, and I believe that my current location (Philippines) has some of the very best snorkeling opportunities I have ever seen. You can glide over reefs in 2 to 8 feet of water and see so many different types of corals and fishes that it boggles your mind. There are so many good locations in the Philippines to choose from that you never ever get bored of the changing views....

Most people come to the Philippines to SCUBA and have a tendency to miss the beautiful snorkeling available...

My Second favorite was Guam USA..

Cheers,
Roger

 

[DennisS]

"The pits" off of Kwajalein
The reef off of Ofu, american somoa
Vaoto Lodge

 

[vladimir]

I have been diving and snorkeling all over the world, and I believe that my current location (Philippines) has some of the very best snorkeling opportunities I have ever seen. You can glide over reefs in 2 to 8 feet of water and see so many different types of corals and fishes that it boggles your mind. There are so many good locations in the Philippines to choose from that you never ever get bored of the changing views....

Where in the Philippines? A nice shallow reef would make the vacation for my fiancee.

 

[elmoody]

I really love the Red Sea. There is so much variety!
Bermuda was nice too, there's a short video here (1.5min or so) of what you'll see in both places:
Bermuda vs Red Sea

 

[agilis]

The best snorkeling? What's the best work of art, or the best music.? Totally subjective, as so many replies here make clear. In any case, there is no single 'best'. Magnificent coral structures and a wide variety of sea life in shallow clear water are obvious attractions for most people, but there are so many other possibilities. I've spent many hours floating over shallow gardens of turtle grass and seen things that took my breath away. In the natural world if you move very slowly and really look, wonders reveal themselves. A single old dock piling heavily encrusted with marine life can be as enchanting as an entire reef system. A single tree can be as rich and consuming an experience as an entire forest. Even more so, I think. The deeper into things you look, the greater the rewards.

 

[Snorkron]

One place not yet mentioned is Mahaual which has a new name of Costa Maya for the cruise ships. I stayed at Cabanas del Doctor, $20 a night on the beach. Walkred 20m to shore. Easy swim to reef. Lots of sea life. 100 foot wall with gigantic sea life. No night life.

Equal shore snorkeling at West End, Roatan with much better night life.

 

[Rogersea]

Where in the Philippines? A nice shallow reef would make the vacation for my fiancee.

In my travels three reefs stand out.... There is an exceptional reef on Acreffi Island in Palawan, and believe it or not there is an exceptional shallow reef right in Moalboal starting at Tongo point and going North for approximately two kilometers then there is a really great reef for snorkeling in APO Island....

I would be happy to give you specific info via PM/// btw sorry for late reply...

Cheers,
Roger