Almost anywhere in the waters around the island will offer excellent snorkeling, but there are a few unique spots you’ll want to know about.

Our favorite snorkel sites:

1. Green Cay ( can be part of both full and half-day trips )
2. Rainbow Reef ( can be part of both full and half-day trips )
3. Pearl Island Reef ( can be part of both full and half-day trips )
4. Rose Island Reef ( can be part of both full and half-day trips )
5. Sea Garden ( can be part of both full and half-day trips )
6. Clifton Heritage Park ( full day trips only )
7. Goulding Cay Reef ( full day trips only )

The seagrass beds off of Green Cay offer visitors a once in a lifetime opportunity to swim with sea turtles. Loggerhead, Green and Hawksbill turtles frequent these waters. If you are lucky, you may see a dolphin or two.

If you’re interested in going offshore, Rose Island Reef – a 15-minute motorboat ride east from downtown Nassau – is worth the trip. You’ll find a wide array of aquatic species here, and the north shore of the island is
particularly spectacular.

If you are interested in a full day adventure Clifton Heritage Park at the far western end of the island, just beyond Jaws Beach is well worth the trip. This site is located about 100 yards offshore; the water is roughly 20 feet deep with
many of the coral heads reaching within six feet of the surface. Here you’ll find the Ocean Atlas, one of the worlds largest underwater sculptures.

Off the western coast of New Providence is Goulding Cay Reef. Composed of primarily Elkhorn coral this shallow reef is only nine feet from the surface at low tide and extends about 30 feet to the bottom of the sea.

There’s a great diversity of animal life in the waters that surround The Bahamas, and if you snorkel, dive or swim during your stay here, keep an eye out for sea turtles. You may see loggerheads (not quite that big), or smaller green (200 to 500 pounds) or hawksbill turtles. Some of these species can be seen in abundance throughout the near-shore reefs and seagrass beds.
Remember, don’t interfere in any way with sea turtle’s nests and don’t buy or sell any part of the sea turtle or its eggs. All of that is illegal in the Bahamas, and all marine turtles are protected under the law because some species such
as the green turtle are endangered.

Sea Turtle Behavior

Sea turtles are curious creatures, but they’re often shy. These large reptiles have paddle-shaped flippers and the upper portion of their shell – called a carapace – can differ in shape, size and color depending upon the species.

Sea turtles do not have teeth, but they use their jaws to bite and chew food including sea grass, jelly fish and smaller crustaceans. Sea turtles are air-breathing reptiles, so they need to come to the surface to breath oxygen. But these creatures have adaptations that allow them to stay underwater for long periods of time. They’re even adapted to absorb small amounts of oxygen without breathing. While sleeping at night or resting, sea turtles can remain underwater for hours without surfacing for air.