Snorkeling Vacation

Summary - Snorkeling Vacation
Overall rating: ★★★☆☆ - 3 adventure travel stars

Imagine swimming through crystal clear water seeing colorful fish and other sea life moving around below you in an uninterrupted aquatic display of marine frivolity.

You take a deep breathe through a plastic tube, point your head to the sandy bottom and then with a long pull of your hands you're suddenly a part of the underwater parade.

Strange fish dart all around you, sea turtles cruise in front of you and a seal gracefully parks in front of you staring into your mask as if trying to figure out what kind of animal you are.

A snorkeling vacation offers you these fun and exciting brushes with exotic wildlife in places all over the world' the Galapagos Islands, Southern California, Hawaii, Australia, Mexico and the Caribbean just to name a few hot spots.

You do need to be mindful of some minor risks involved, but it doesn't take much skill to enjoy some basic overseas adventure travel snorkeling experiences. Remember that when planning your next family vacation.

Adventure Travel Risk Factor
Overall rating: ★★★☆☆ - 3 adventure travel stars

There are some minor risks involved with snorkeling, but nothing that should concern you if you use your common sense.

Common sense rule #1: never go snorkeling alone. Rule #2: learn about any potential water hazards before snorkeling in a given area. Rule #3: Stay within your abilities and don't do anything stupid. Keep these things in mind, and you'll stay safe while having loads of fun.

Other minor issues include being aware of the time you spend with bare skin exposed to the sun. You can get a nasty burn even if you think your body has been protected by being slightly submerged.

Other risk considerations include sea creatures that might want a piece of you (this is rare), getting cut by coral, dehydration (believe it or not) and getting thumped by watercraft. So have an awareness about you when you're in the open water.

Adventure Travel Skill & Physical Factors
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ - 2 adventure travel stars

Snorkeling is a pretty simple adventure travel activity. You don't need any special training. All you really need to be able to do is breathe through the snorkel and have the ability to swim well.

Breathing through the snorkel will take some practice, especially learning to clear the water once you surface after swimming at any depth. It's a good idea to get some basic instruction from an experienced snorkeler, but you'll pick it up quickly. You should also be able to clear the mask of water should the need arise... another simple lesson you can easily learn.

Using fins will help you scoot through the water much faster, and the resistance of the fin against the water can tire you out after a while. So being in good shape and having some experience using fins will really make your snorkeling vacation much more fun.


Adventure Travel Fun Factor
Rating: ★★★★☆ - 4 adventure travel stars

A snorkeling vacation is great fun for the whole family. Especially when you go to a place where there's a lot to see in shallow water, and there are countless places in the world that fit that description.

Donning a mask, snorkel and fins while taking a shallow dip is a great way to relax, enjoy the water and satisfy your curiosity about little sea critters and the underwater world in which they live.

For more experienced snorkelers who have the ability to free dive to greater depths, the fun factor gets ratcheted up a couple of notches.

Anytime you're in a watery destination that offers you a snorkeling opportunity, don't think twice... go for a swim. It a guaranteed great experience.

Popular places for a snorkeling vacation
Sometimes it's nice to shed the scuba tank and just do some shallow water exploring. Here are some great snorkeling vacation adventure destinations for you to consider.

• Anegada, British Virgin Islands
• Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles
• Cozumel, Mexico
• Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles
• Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
• Hanauma Bay, Oahu
• Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
• Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, Fiji
• Ned's Beach, Lord Howe Island
• Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
• Stingray World, Moorea
• Tobago Cays, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
  

Photo credits
Snorkeling vacation: mikefats