Does anyone have ideas for the best snorkeling places for diver who now can't dive.

[DiveTheGalapagos]

So very sorry to hear of your illness and so very appreciative of your spirit. I would recommend the Galapagos (naturally). 3 of my Top 10 'Dive' Moments in 2009 were snorkeling...spotting my first whale shark, snorkeling for 30 minutes with 10 mantas so close you were either clipped or sort of sucked in your gut so they didn't rub against you and (for me) jumping into water with fins everywhere to snorkel with hammerheads.

Los Tuneles on Isabela has to be one of the most magical places on earth and it is only snorkeling. Divers who go there after a live-aboard are as blown away by Los Tuneles as Darwin and Wolf. I kid you not. A labrynth of lava arches inside the breakers with shallow, crystal clear water...BBC land before time setting with 2 active volcanoes in the backdrop. And penguins, sea lions, marine iguanas, eagle rays, large groups of tropical fish, white-tipped reef sharks and seriously, it is a turtle highway between the mangrove and open sea. You can watch these huge turtle pass each other going in opposite directions as though there are specifically designated lanes. (PS...they stick to the right like the US when passing, not the left like the UK.) Truly magical place and not the only great snorkeling in the Galapagos where the topside visits are equally amazing.

Another place I love for snorkeling is the San Blas Islands in Panama. 356 (if memory serves) little dots of islands between the Panama Canal and Colombia, all sovereign territory of the Kuna Indians. These are the kind of islands that grace covers of magazines. Warm, crystal clear water...waving palms and soft white sand. Very rustic trip, but oh so worth it. Coral can be so shallow that you have to gather up any shirt you may be snorkeling in (bring a dive skin for sun protection) or it will drag the coral. Beautiful experience and the Kuna culture.

Best of luck to you.

 

[firelaw]

I also wish you the best of luck.

I agree fully on Bonaire, but if you don't want to stray too far from good medical support I loved Hananuma bay in Oahu Hanauma Bay - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Ed Hatfield]

A place close to home for you would be Akumal. Depending on how strong you feel the snorkelling is easily accessible from shore. There are good American style hospitals in Playa del Carmen should the need arise (just being practical) and it is easy to return to Texas flying directly to/from Cancun with several flights daily. Granted the snorkelling will not be on the scale of the other places mentioned but the Mayan Riviera is friendly and a comfortable place to holiday. Please have a speedy recovery. You sound like the type of person that has the will to persevere. Wishing you all the best.

 

[Testudo]

Best Wishes. My favorites in the Caribbean are Grand Cayman (North Side and East End), St. John and the Tobago Cays in the Grenadines.

 

[JohnniG]

Sorry to hear about your condition :\

 

[simonds]

First and foremost, I am so sorry to hear of your condition, and I wish you all the best. I love snorkeling in Cozumel. For the last 5 years, my wife and I stayed at a condo called Condumel that is located in the northern part of the island. Every morning I would walk out our rear door about 20 feet, and the water was right there. I would snorkel for hours right behind the condo, and believe me when I tell you, I saw just about everything I saw as when I went diving.

But to be perfectly honest, I do not really care where I go snorkeling, as it is the art of snorkeling I love. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to have the visibility. But I just love to snorkel, and will do so just about any where. I feel closer to nature when I snorkel than when I dive, and I find that experience to be religious for me. No tanks or regs or heavy weights, just me and my surroundings. I love to go to Rhode Island which is the next state over for me with just my mask finns and snorkel. It makes for a very inexpensive day trip.

I started when I was 5 because I had polio. For a lot of obvious reasons, it was just better for me to be in the water.

I wish you the best of luck.

DER SEILTAENZER

Have you been to Cozumel since the hurricane? We dove there two summers ago - down on the south side reefs - and it was like diving in a desert. Maybe the north side was spared?

 

[simonds]

Curacao sounds like a good bet, thanks. We dove Bonaire back in '92 and I agree that it would be a good snorkle spot. We also snorkeled at the Baths in Virgin Gorda back in the '80's - great place,

 

[simonds]

Actually my very first snorkeling was at Akumal. I remember how petrified I was at the time and that I had rented a mask that didn't fit. (This was many years and many dives ago, Cancun was just a group of dump trucks at that point.) It is within easy reach of Houston, so thank you.

 

[simonds]

so sorry to hear about your health issues! The answer to your question is Bonaire!!!!
Clear water, very little current and surge if any, tons of fish, just walk out into the water anywhere on the westside of island and you can do fantastic snorkeling. Reefs are very, very close to shore and tons of fish. I think it is exactly what you are looking for! I have had some health issues recently and considered the fact that I might not dive again - so I have considered where I would want to go and only snorkel. Bonaire is where I would go!!!

There are direct flights on Continental to Bonaire, through Houston, on Friday nights arriving on the island at breakfast time.

I have videos of our dive trip there a few years ago but you should watch them as I show how easy the sites are to access and you can see the surface in many shots. One of my most exciting moments diving happened there in Bonaire, at the end of a dive - we had a school of squid ranging in size for 2" long babies to 8" long adults come and join us in water less that 10' deep! We were ending our dive heading to shore and they showed up! We stayed there with them for 5-10 minutes and they put on quite a show for us. We finally headed to shore and 2 adults came with us. When I stepped up on shore one was by my foot in 1' deep water!!! It was one of my favorite dives of my life!!!!

robin
my bonaire videos: Bonaire, 2007 on Vimeo

We loved Bonaire when we dove there in '92. It is probably a better idea now for snorkeling since we're both too old to drag our gear up and down those steps. I remember those dive sites up at Karpata and 1000 steps, you're right, they would be good snorkel spots.

 

[Cave Diver]

If all else fails, you can be like this guy and just snorkel around your own neighborhood.