The waters here teem with exotic sea life such as spiny lobsters, starfish, sea turtles and clownfish. All you need to enjoy this abundance of aquatic activity is a mask, snorkel and some fins.
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:
- Green Cay ( can be part of both full and half-day trips )
- Rainbow Reef ( can be part of both full and half-day trips )
- Pearl Island Reef ( can be part of both full and half-day trips )
- Rose Island Reef ( can be part of both full and half-day trips )
- Sea Garden ( can be part of both full and half-day trips )
- Clifton Heritage Park ( full day trips only )
- 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.