The best shore snorkelling spots for me are never remote tropical resorts whose only reason for existence is snorkelling or diving. Over the decades, I've particularly enjoyed snorkelling in the Mediterranean, La Jolla Cove near San Diego in Southern California and a swimming lake in what was then the capital of the German Democratic Republic. What all these venues had in common was that the local people, not just tourists, were enjoying snorkelling too.
These days, now I'm in my sixties, the best shore snorkelling destination in the world for me is just eight miles from where I live in the North East of England. The water is cold (a simple drysuit keeps me warm), the aquatic flora and fauna are conspicuous by their absence and my only company are people walking their dogs. The rising sun is spectacular, however, and the sea is blissful when the waves are calm. The snorkelling experience there relaxes me, provides me with some gentle exercise and is the ideal start for my day. I feel terrific after my morning dip. I'm not a bit envious of my compatriots who regularly leave our island with its myriad sandy beaches, surrounded by sea, for resorts in Egypt, the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean. Why would I want to travel to a crowded airport, find my plane is delayed or cancelled, pay extra because my snorkelling fins exceed my baggage allowance, endure airline food and a cramped seat for hours, stay in resort hotels which the local people can't afford, far from cities of cultural and historical interest? For me, now I'm retired, snorkelling is all about spontaneity, the ability to look out of my bedroom window at home in the hope that the weather favours snorkelling. If the signs are good, I pack my snorkelling gear in my car and head off for an hour's snorkelling at the coast. On the way, I see swans, ducks and occasionally a fox. When I reach the seaside, I may see a fishing boat bobbing in the bay, seagulls overhead, sometimes a seal. It's a picture postcard scene. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and we don't have to travel far to find it.
You don't have to come to the North East of England to share my enjoyment of the simple pleasure of snorkelling. Rediscover the places where you first snorkelled and try to recapture the joy you experienced when you first tried out our great pastime. Here's a photograph from a British book about snorkelling and diving from the 1950s:
The caption reads: "If underwater swimming is not fun, it's not anything". I suspect the family was snorkelling somewhere in the United Kingdom, not some tropical paradise.
The early skin divers of the Mediterranean and Southern California were all local people who didn't see the point of travelling great distances to enjoy the experience. If you're always trying to outdo last year's snorkelling vacation by seeking out more and more distant and exclusive destinations, you may run out of places to go and your constantly rising expectations will never be satisfied.