The best snorkelling in the world: 16 places to see a coral reef without diving
You don’t need to dive to see a great coral reef. The 16 best places in the world to snorkel, from Raja Ampat to the Red Sea, with when to go and what to see.
Diving gets the glory, but the shallowest part of a coral reef is often the most colourful. Sunlight is strongest in the top few metres, corals grow fastest there, and the fish are everywhere. With a mask, a snorkel and a pair of fins you can see reefs as good as any diver, and swim with turtles, rays and even whale sharks. These are the 16 places we think offer the best snorkelling in the world, with what you’ll see and when to go. Most link to our full guide to the reef.
The 16 best places to snorkel
1. Raja Ampat, Indonesia
The richest reefs on Earth, with more species of coral and fish than anywhere else. You don’t even need a boat: the jetties at villages such as Arborek are surrounded by schools of fish, and the shallow reefs between the islands are carpeted with coral. Go: October to April. Read our Raja Ampat guide.
2. The Great Barrier Reef, Australia
The world’s largest reef system. From Cairns and Port Douglas, day boats run to outer-reef pontoons and coral cays such as Michaelmas Cay and the Low Isles; further south, Lady Elliot Island is known for manta rays and turtles straight off the beach. Go: June to October for calm, clear water; wear a stinger suit from November to May. Read our Great Barrier Reef guide.
3. The Maldives
Many resorts sit on their own “house reef”, a few steps from your room. Beyond them, Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll draws hundreds of manta rays to feed from June to November, and South Ari Atoll is one of the few places where whale sharks are seen all year. Go: December to April for calm seas; May to November for mantas. Read our Maldives guide.
4. Bonaire, Caribbean
The whole coast of this Dutch Caribbean island is a marine park, and the reef starts a few metres from the shore. Hire a car, follow the yellow-painted stones that mark the sites, and wade in. Klein Bonaire, the uninhabited island offshore, has some of the best shallow coral in the Caribbean. Go: all year; it’s outside the main hurricane belt. Read our Bonaire guide.
5. Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley, Belize
A short boat ride from Ambergris Caye, the Hol Chan Marine Reserve protects a channel through the Belize Barrier Reef full of fish, turtles and eagle rays. Next door, at Shark Ray Alley, gentle nurse sharks and southern stingrays gather around the boats. Go: February to May for the calmest, clearest water. Read our Belize Barrier Reef guide.
6. The Red Sea, Egypt
The easiest great reefs to reach from Europe, and warm enough to snorkel all year. Ras Mohammed National Park, near Sharm el-Sheikh, has reef walls that drop from the surface into the blue; near Marsa Alam, Abu Dabbab bay is famous for green turtles grazing on the seagrass, and occasionally a dugong. From Hurghada, boats run to Giftun Island. Go: April to June and September to November. Read our Red Sea guide.
7. Palau
The Rock Islands of Palau are covered in jungle and ringed with coral, and the lagoon between them is perfect for snorkelling. Palau’s famous Jellyfish Lake, where you can swim among millions of stingless golden jellyfish, reopened in 2019 after the population recovered from a drought. Go: November to April. Read our Palau guide.
8. Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia
Australia’s other great reef is a fringing reef, so in places the coral starts right off the beach. At Turquoise Bay you can float on the current along the reef; at Coral Bay the lagoon is shallow and calm. Ningaloo is also one of the world’s best places to swim with whale sharks, roughly from March to July, and with humpback whales later in the year. Go: March to October.
9. Hanauma Bay, Hawaii
A sheltered bay inside a volcanic crater on Oahu, with a nature preserve protecting its reef. It’s one of the best places in the US to see turtles, parrotfish and butterflyfish in shallow water. Numbers are limited: you need to reserve a timed entry in advance, it isn’t open every day, and there’s a short conservation video before you go in. Go: all year; mornings are calmest.
10. Cozumel, Mexico
The island off the Yucatán coast has some of the clearest water in the Caribbean. Snorkel tours visit the shallow parts of Palancar Reef and El Cielo, a sandbar famous for its starfish (look but don’t touch). Go: December to April. Read our Palancar Reef guide.
11. Lord Howe Island, Australia
The world’s southernmost coral reef surrounds a tiny, visitor-capped island in the Tasman Sea. At Ned’s Beach, fish swarm around you in knee-deep water; in the lagoon, glass-bottomed boats take you to coral gardens. Go: December to April for the warmest water. Read our Lord Howe guide.
12. Fiji
Fiji is famous for soft corals in every colour. The Rainbow Reef, between Taveuni and Vanua Levu, is one of the world’s great soft-coral sites, and in the Yasawa Islands you can snorkel with manta rays in season. Go: May to October for drier weather. Read our Fiji reef guide.
13. French Polynesia
The lagoons of Moorea and Bora Bora are calm and impossibly blue, with blacktip reef sharks and stingrays in the shallows. On Rangiroa, the “Aquarium”, a coral garden just inside Tiputa Pass, is one of the best snorkel spots in the South Pacific. Go: May to October. Read our Rangiroa guide.
14. Apo Island, Philippines
Not to be confused with Apo Reef further north, this small island off Negros is one of the world’s most successful community marine reserves. Green turtles feed in the shallows off the beach, and the coral is in remarkable condition. Go: December to May.
15. Komodo National Park, Indonesia
Best known for its dragons, Komodo also has some of Asia’s richest reefs. Snorkel trips visit Manta Point, where manta rays cruise over a shallow reef, and the coral gardens off Pink Beach. Currents can be strong, so go with a good operator. Go: April to November.
16. The Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Not a coral reef destination, but unforgettable: you can snorkel with playful sea lions, Galápagos penguins, marine iguanas, turtles and hammerhead sharks. Devil’s Crown, a sunken volcanic cone off Floreana, is a classic. Go: December to May for warmer water; June to November for more marine life.
For easy spots where you can wade straight in from the sand, see our guide to the best places to snorkel from the beach.
Where to snorkel, month by month
| Months | Where’s best |
|---|---|
| December to February | Maldives Red Sea (cooler) Cozumel Lord Howe |
| March to May | Ningaloo (whale sharks) Belize Apo Island Raja Ampat |
| June to August | Great Barrier Reef Fiji French Polynesia Maldives (mantas) |
| September to November | Red Sea Great Barrier Reef Komodo Raja Ampat |
How we chose
We picked places where the best of the reef is genuinely within reach of a snorkeller, either from the shore or on a short boat trip, rather than deep dive sites. We weighed the health and variety of the coral, the chance of seeing big animals, water clarity and calm, and how easy and safe the snorkelling is for confident swimmers. Reefs change, and the fourth global bleaching event since 2023 has hit some of these places hard; read about coral bleaching and how reefs recover.
Snorkelling safely, and kindly
- Never snorkel alone, and tell someone on shore where you’re going.
- Check currents and tides with local operators. Float, don’t fight a current; swim across it, not against it.
- Wear a rash vest rather than lots of sunscreen. If you use sunscreen, choose a mineral, reef-safe one and put it on well before you swim.
- Don’t stand on, touch or kick the coral. Keep your fins up when you’re over shallow reef, and practise floating in sand first.
- Give animals space. Never chase or touch turtles, sharks or rays.
- Go with responsible operators who use moorings and brief their guests.
Questions people ask
Where is the best snorkelling in the world?
Raja Ampat in Indonesia has the richest reefs on Earth, and the jetties and shallow reefs are superb for snorkellers. The Great Barrier Reef, the Maldives, Bonaire and the Red Sea are close behind.
Where can you snorkel with whale sharks?
Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia (roughly March to July), South Ari Atoll in the Maldives (all year), and Isla Mujeres in Mexico (summer).
Can you see the Great Barrier Reef by snorkelling?
Yes. Day trips from Cairns and Port Douglas take snorkellers to the outer reef and coral cays, and some islands, such as Lady Elliot, have reef right off the beach.
What is the best place to snorkel for beginners?
Calm, shallow places with easy entry: Bonaire’s shore sites, the Maldives’ house reefs, the Red Sea and Hanauma Bay. See our guide to the best places to snorkel from the beach.
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