Best shore snorkeling & good diving?

[pword]

Just returned from my first snorkeling trip ever at St Croix and loved it. STX had very easy entry from mainly sandy beaches, no strong currents and great stuff to see fairly close to shore -- sting ray, barracudas, puffers, tons of fish. Also really enjoyed Buck Island snorkel trail.

We are looking for other islands with much of the same. Husband dives also but we both enjoy snorkeling together. Would love place to combine both.

What are your suggestions for other great snorkeling islands and good diving for him, in the Caribbean? Thanks.

 

[Doc]

Other Islands? Bonaire. Lots of shore diving, away from Resorts.

Other Resort? CoCoView, Roatan. Easily done with Snorkelers and Divers together, notably "The Front Yard".

 

[sasscuba]

Bonaire by far for great snorkeling and diving close to shore.

 

[trigfunctions]

St. Lucia has some incredible snorkeling, great diving, and plenty of nature activities topside as well.

 

[dlndavid]

Bonaire by far for great snorkeling and diving close to shore.

I'm stocking you just to look at your Avs

 

[BurBunny]

In addition to the above, I'd also recommend Curacao for the same reasons as Bonaire. Lots of close-in reefs for shore dives or snorkeling, excellent resorts.

 

[pigletfish]

OK, only one of these is in the Caribbean, but the two best snorkel spots I've come across are Waterlemon Cay on St. John and the Captain Cook Monument on the Big Island of Hawaii. Both require some effort to get to -- for Waterlemon, we had to park our car at the ruins of a sugar plantation and then walk down the beach for a few minutes to get to the islet. To get to Captain Cook, you have to kayak across Kealakekua Bay. (Boat tours, hiking, and horseback riding are also options). But both of these spots have tons of fish in shallow water -- a few inches to a few feet -- so you can get right in close. The water is clear and there is little current. Waterlemon has loads of baby fish in the shallowest places around the islet, and we also saw a big permit there, the only one I've ever seen. In addition to the tropical fish, at Waterlemon we saw stingrays and turtles, and at Captain Cook we've seen turtles and eels -- and dolphins while kayaking across the bay.

 

[H2Andy]

i'll triple second mention Bonaire ... nice snorkeling and great diving close to shore, 24/7

 

[scubaotter]

For me you can't beat Bonaire. Come and go as you please. A ton of sites (ok closer to 70 but who is counting) to visit and see a variety of different animals close to shore. It is supposed to be one of the best places to snorkel and I know it is one of the better places to dive.

 

[ronrosa]

In addition to the above, I'd also recommend Curacao for the same reasons as Bonaire. Lots of close-in reefs for shore dives or snorkeling, excellent resorts.

And Curacao has awesome beaches, better topside and more frequent flights.

Someone also mentioned the Big Island in Hawaii. Incredible topside, reefs are not colorful like the Caribbean, but there is plenty of fish/animal life and a dive that everyone should do before they die, the manta ray night dive.