Take off your fins since now we’ll show you some of the planet’s best snorkeling sites! It’s time to choose a destination for snorkeling now that you’ve prepared (if not, see our guide to snorkeling)! This is a list of the best places for snorkeling in the world. This isn’t a complete list; it’s just a DYI bucket list of places to go snorkeling. Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments section below.

5 Best places for snorkeling

Let us help you plan your next trip to the ocean by revealing our 5 best places for snorkeling throughout the globe, where you can swim with sea turtles and hang out with manta rays.

Tulamben, Bali

Wrecks are one of the underwater features that scuba divers usually get to see. However, there are wrecks out in the world that may be explored and experienced without using a tank, and on Bali’s Tulamben Bay, there’s one such wreck: the USAT Liberty.

She was sunk by a Japanese torpedo off the coast of Bali during World War II, and she remains there today. A subsequent volcano eruption drove her away and submerged her underwater, but she remained just a few feet underwater. Combine that with the overall clarity of the water, and it’s possible to explore the entire wreckage from the surface or from easy freedivers to get a sense of what remains. The clear waters of the Gulf give snorkeling and scuba diving enthusiasts a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to mingle underwater.

Jellyfish Lake, Palau, Micronesia

Snorkeling doesn’t have to be done in the open ocean, and many lakes provide just as interesting features as the ocean.

The Jellyfish Lake on Palau is not an exception! It’s exactly as the name implies: a lake inhabited by jellyfish! It’s a saltwater lake with just a few dozen dangerous jellyfishes. Swimming and snorkeling are permitted in the lake, but scuba diving is not. And swimming in the lake, gazing up as jellyfish float by and breaking the bright sunshine’s rays as they pass through it, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Silfra, Thingvellir, Iceland

In Iceland, a massive lake of Silfra was formed when tectonic plates split and tore the nation apart. It’s like no other place on Earth (one of the best places for snorkeling in europe).

It’s deep, sometimes quite narrow, and plummets down to around 30 feet before becoming filled with crystal clear, clean water you’ll ever swim in. It is also extremely cold.

This is a drysuit trip, as it seldom rises above 40 degrees Fahrenheit on a good day. Snorkeling equipment and drysuits may be rented from several tour operators in and around Reykjavik. The water is so transparent and the visibility so great that people with severe vertigo are advised not to make this trip because vertigo can quickly develop as you swim along the surface of what the locals call “liquid air,” with several feet of plunging depth below you.

Ras Mohammed National Marine Park, Egypt

Back to warm water!

Ras Mohammed, near Sharm el-Sheik’s resort area, is known for its stunning corals and diverse marine life.

This spot, accessible by boat or land and features a variety of sheltered nooks, is ideal for beginners and experts alike. It also works well for experienced tech divers. Take a day trip to check out the numerous coves, with coral-encrusted walls and a wide range of marine life, including Antiochus, triggerfish, parrot fish, stingrays, and even swim with the turtles.

Dean’s Blue Hole, Bahamas

When the roof of an undersea cave collapses, creating a sharp contrast in depth versus the surrounding area, it forms a “blue hole.” The Dean’s Blue Hole is the deepest known of these, dropping to a staggering 663 feet. Divers go there for the sheer fact that it plunges to 663 feet.

Snorkeling in this area is not only popular with tech divers but also with snorkelers. Swimming along the neighboring reefs and sandy bottom, witnessing the bottom fading out of sight below you before opening up into a vast void, will give you goosebumps. And if you’re blessed, you’ll be able to observe a group of tech divers plunging or rising into the vast, blue nothing above.

Where’s your best snorkeling spot? Tell us in the comments below!