Marine life encounters for snorkelers

Traveling with a non-diver or planning a snorkeling trip but don’t want to miss out on those big encounters? Then why not consider a holiday to one of these exceptional destinations, all offering world-class marine megafauna encounters - without having to strap on a tank!

Our travel experts have pooled their knowledge and experience to create a guide to the best destinations for snorkelers to swim with whales, dolphins, manta rays, sharks and more.

Several Caribbean islands offer the chance for snorkelers to experience the thrill of in-water encounters with humpback whales - at the Silver Bank, Dominican Republic, and Salt Caye, Turks and Caicos - as well as sperm whales at Dominica. Over in Australia, expeditions to swim with minke whales head out to the Ribbon Reefs, while Ningaloo offers incredible humpback encounters, alongside whale sharks and more.

Reefs such as Sataya Reef ‘Dolphin House’ and Shaab Samadai Reef close to Marsa Alam in the Egyptian Red Sea are home to pods of wild dolphins that have become accustomed to divers and snorkelers in the water. Both can be reached on day-trips or liveaboard itineraries. In the Bahamas, both Grand Bahama Island and Bimini offer the chance to swim with wild dolphins in spectacular conditions.

Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll, Maldives, takes the crown as the most exciting destination for snorkeling with manta rays. Hundreds gather in the bay during the low season as the winds and currents concentrate plankton in a tiny section of reef. Bali’s Nusa Penida Island offers year round encounters with manta rays that gather at the base of cliffs to feed and be cleaned.

From May to July, mobula rays migrate in the Sea of Cortez and vast ‘fevers’ of rays can be spotted - and snorkelled with - during expeditions departing from Cabo San Lucas or La Paz.

The famous Stingray City in Grand Cayman rightly claims the title as the best place to encounter stingrays, and while this spot does get busy, the chance to swim with so many is not to be missed. Over in Turks and Caicos, a similar encounter can be experienced at Gibbs Cay.

In the Maldives, South Ari’s whale sharks are seen year round, while in Indonesia, whale sharks are encountered around fishing platforms in Cenderawasih Bay, Triton Bay and Derawan. Ningaloo offers visitors the chance to swim with the ‘big three’ - whale sharks, manta rays and humpback whales - and in June and July lucky visitors can encounter all three in a single day.

Vaavu Atoll in the Maldives has several sites famous for encounters with large numbers of friendly nurse sharks, as well as stingrays along the beaches. In Indonesia, Raja Ampat’s shark population has grown since much of the area was protected and snorkelers can spot groups of blacktip reef sharks at several sites. And the famous Shark Ray Alley in Belize always lives up to its name!