Items17The creator’s order
  1. 1Hanauma BayHanauma BayA sheltered crater bay on Oahu's southeast shore where the reef sits close to the beach, so first-timers can float over fish within minutes of getting wet. That ease comes with rules: the preserve is open Wednesday through Sunday only, nonresidents pay $25 plus an online fee and should book two…0
  2. 2Kahaluʻu BayKahaluʻu BayKahaluʻu Beach Park, Kona coast The Big Island's easy first snorkel: a calm bay partly sheltered by a barrier of rocks, with green sea turtles that frequent the shore and plenty of reef fish in water gentle enough for beginners to settle quickly. The Kahaluʻu Bay Education Center on the beach…0
  3. 3Hōnaunau-Nāpōʻopoʻo, HawaiiHōnaunau-Nāpōʻopoʻo, HawaiiTwo Step, Hōnaunau Bay There is no sand at this Big Island favorite: you step off natural lava ledges into clear water just outside Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park. Near shore it is about 6 to 10 feet deep, dropping to around 25 feet farther out, and turtles are almost always…0
  4. 4Honolua, HawaiiHonolua, HawaiiHonolua Bay, West Maui A rocky, reef-lined bay inside the Honolua-Mokulēʻia Marine Life Conservation District, where taking or harming any marine life is banned and the fish show the benefit. This is a summer snorkel: large winter surf often makes the bay dangerous, and the state recommends…0
  5. 5Trunk BayTrunk BayA white-sand beach on St. John in Virgin Islands National Park with an underwater trail: signs placed along about 400 feet of water explain the animals that depend on the coral beneath you, which makes it a good first reef for children and nervous swimmers. Entry costs $5 for visitors 16 and over,…0
  6. 6Bonaire National Marine ParkBonaire National Marine Park1000 Steps and the other shore sites, Bonaire Bonaire is the place to snorkel by car. Yellow stones along the coastal road name each site and mark the easiest place to get in, so you can park, gear up and swim out to the reef on your own. 1000 Steps is the best known, a staircase down the low…0
  7. 7AkumalAkumalAkumal Bay, Riviera Maya Green sea turtles graze on seagrass here a short swim from the beach, which is why Mexico declared the bay a refuge for marine species in 2016. Rules came with that: anyone can swim outside the buoys, but the buoyed turtle circuits need an authorized guide, a life jacket…0
  8. 8La Jolla CoveLa Jolla CoveLa Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores, San Diego Cold-water snorkeling that rewards a wetsuit. The cove opens into kelp inside the Matlahuayl State Marine Reserve, which runs from Scripps Pier south to the cove, and bright orange garibaldi patrol the rocks. A walk north, the sandy shallows off the…0
  9. 9DahabDahabLighthouse Reef and Eel Garden, Dahab Dahab's town reefs sit right off the shore. At Lighthouse Reef you simply walk in over a gently sloping bottom and find a wide variety of corals and fish, with turtles and blue-spotted rays as a bonus. Nearby, Eel Garden holds the town's largest colony of…0
  10. 10Marsa AlamMarsa AlamAbu Dabbab Bay, near Marsa Alam A sandy Red Sea bay where green turtles feed on seagrass meadows in the middle and hawksbills keep to the reefs at the edges. You walk in from the beach and swim whichever way you like; the north reef, about 2 to 8 meters deep, is the gentlest start. The bay is…0