crazyMRer

We are looking to fly somewhere in Jan for a couples get away with nice beaches and low cost or free snorkelling we can do on our own with our own gear. Where are the most colorful underwater reefs near the shore?

Possible destinations based on practical flights for us (non-stop from MCO, this is part of large trip):

Cancun
Nassau, Bahamas
Montego Bay
Kingston, Jamaica
Aruba
Port of Spain
Ponce, PR
Aguadilla, PR
San Juan, PR

Which of the above should we choose for snorkeling?

lhgreengrd1

Why no USVI or BVI? Personally, I'd rank Virgin Gorda and St. John ahead of all of the destinations above. Also, Cancun would be good as a gateway to Cozumel and Isla Mujeres, but not in and of itself.

crazyMRer

Thanks for your reply.

My list was limited to non-stop flight options from MCO.

cynicalbuthopeful

you are best using google for this. It's going to depend on several factors. For example, if there is a lot of boat traffic, it may be too turbid in Cancun. I would google each to get the full picture.

cheltzel

Are you limited to B6 and WN? If you depart from MIA there are a lot more options.

sugarbird

I agree that these 2 are better than any others on the list--I would look at doing a 1 stop flight.

Lovethecabin

See my comments about my experiences with snorkeling at the following of your options -

Cancun - in the immediate Cancun area, there isn't any snorkeling that can be reached by foot/from the shore. Plenty of boat excursions of varying costs and quality

If you travel far south, you can snorkel at Akumel and Tulum but again, transportation will come at a cost. Cozumel has spots. Whether or not it qualifies as free/low cost depends on where you stay.

San Juan - Similar to Cancun, there isn't any from the shore (free snorkeling) access at the beaches close to the city. You need to travel a considerable distance and even then, you will need to take a boat excursion.

I know you mentioned a direct flight requirement but if you can tweak that, there is fantastic snorkeling (free, you do it on your own with your own gear) right from many of the beaches in the USVI and BVIs, a 20 or so minute flight from SJU.

DWooderson

+1. You can find non-stops from MIA and FLL to STT, then ferry over to STJ or the BVIs. Alternatively, STT is a 30 minute hop from SJU, although it'll be on an island commuter airline unless you get one of the 2 daily B6 flights that run that route.

bludnik

what about Bonaire? Bonaire is well known for having fantastic shore diving. Many of the sites are also great for snorkelling.

http://www.scubadiving.com/travel/pa...s-shore-diving

Delta flies from ATL, and United flies from IAH and EWR to BON.

Northparkdad

For snorkeling in PR, try the eastern side of the island. Very peaceful, few crowds, beaches are more conducive for snorkeling. You may want to consider Culebra.
Turks and Caicos is a good choice, especially near Grace Bay (very calm snorkeling), but also on the NW point of the island, near their National Park, where the reef, and more varieties of underwater wildlife reside.
Cancun can be hit or miss, due to high winds and rough water, which seem to be more often than not. Better to go further south towards Riviera, or over to Cozumel.
St. John maybe has the most variety of all.
Bahamas: the eastern string of islands, Eleuthera.

zitozac

We loved the snorkeling in Barbados. Our hotel had a reef just steps from the beach. We would go out for 30 minutes or so, come back and relax in our beach chair, and go back out again several times throughout the day. We saw several varieties of small and big fish, turtles, a couple of octopus, and a variety of sea snakes or eels. We also went up to Folkstone marine park and swam out to the wrecked barge and saw several fish as well. Looks like B6 has a flight from FLL-BGI

LindaTerrill

Caneel Bay, St. John
Grace Bay Club, Turks and Caicos

loomis

I am a nature lover, so I would stick it out and take the one-stop flight to get the truly best snorkel experience.

Like one other previous poster, I agree with flying into Cancun, then going south to Akumal. We had good sightings of sea turtles and small rays in nice clear water.

malisaya

Akumal Bay Beach Resort has free snorkeling for one hour at a time, equipment included. This resort is an all-inclusive resort, and such a great deal.