Good destination advice please

[hevcbs]

I fell in love with snorkelling in Hurghada a few years ago. I have also been to Sharm el Sheik. Both were pretty good. Kenya was similar, but required a boat trip. I think Meeru in the maldives was the best, but there was one limited place on the housereef. I went to Cuba and there was virtually nothing there, so now I am wary of the Caribbean. Can any experienced snorkellers recommend any good caribbean destinations, with good housereefs or good trips? Is there any good snorkelling to be found in Goa or Kerala? Which Maldivian islands are the best? I will consider any destination under 15 hours flight time and hope someone can give me some advice.

Many thanks
Hev

[James Hickman]

Why bother going abroad, UK all the way!! The South coast is excellent in summer, and its cheap!!;)

[John Bantin]

For the sort of snorkelling you probably like you will need to go to areas where the reef comes very close to the surface. The Egyptian Red Sea coast is good for that as you already know. Barbados has some shallow reefs. Check with some company like Maldives Scuba Tours who will know which islands in the Maldives have good snorkelling reefs.

[siena]

Hey all -
I'm relatively new to snorkeling too and when I really got into it during a recent trip to Oz (which was excellent BTW) our guide said to check out this site: http://www.worldreviewer.com/experiences/snorkeling/
He's put some Australian places up but some international guys have put stuff up as well - he said it's a good place to get ideas - then do your research from there. If you're keen on Australia (I know it's a long way) don't forget to take your snorkel where ever you go - there are lots of places that I used mine that I wasn't expecting to beyond the Barrier Reef etc. - which was beautiful BTW!
Thanks all! I'll keep you posted on the other things that I find. (Nice to meet you all by the way.)

[siena]

Hey all -
I'm relatively new to snorkeling too and when I really got into it during a recent trip to Oz (which was excellent BTW) our guide said to check out this site for great snorkeling spots (http://www.worldreviewer.com/experiences/snorkeling). He's put some Australian places up but some international guys have put stuff up as well - he said it's a good place to get ideas - then do your research from there. If you're keen on Australia (I know it's a long way) don't forget to take your snorkel where ever you go - there are lots of places that I used mine that I wasn't expecting to beyond the Barrier Reef etc. - which was beautiful BTW!
Thanks all! I'll keep you posted on the other things that I find. (Nice to meet you all by the way.)

[DRW]

>Why bother going abroad, UK all the way!! The South coast is excellent in summer, and its cheap!!<

Too right! In fact it's great up here on the North East coast as well. I've managed to snorkel most mornings during August. Glorious sunshine, sandy beaches, peace and quiet. What more could you ask?

As for foreign venues, I would always choose a place that's worth visiting in its own right but which happens to have good snorkelling possibilities. So far as I'm concerned, there's no point in going anywhere where there's nothing to do or see when I come out of the water. The Mediterranean fits the criteria of cultural and historical interest beyond the undersea world. Another good destination is The Cove in the San Diego resort of La Jolla in Southern California, which is a snorkelling mecca for local residents, young and old. Southern California is also the birthplace of American "skin diving", so it feels as though snorkellers are following the fins of the pioneers of the 1950s.

[teroclro]

Hi We went to the red sea with two non divers 1 a bit scarded of the water but after trying of the shore we was at sharks bay hilton she came out and said she could almost cry she had not seen anything so Beautiful in her life and we could not keep her out of the water, And I never saw much more than her diving so the red sea is well worth the trip

[inet-projects]

We went snorkelling for the first time at Sharm Egypt staying at the Lido which was 2 mins from town walking, had a little reef at the hotel but lots of different fish, for the more exiting reef the full day dive\snorkelling trips to RAS Mohamed where fantastic, we went 3 times and the boats left at 10 just outside our hotel, on the last trip we where asked if we didnt mind sharing with an Eygptian group, what a blast free belling dancing all day.

One hotel I thought looked good but quite away from town was the Hyatt Regency most boats visited here on the way back and the reef was just outside the hotel was fantastic no need for a boat trip as they had several pontoons over the reef for easy access, I think its what they call the near garden.

Regards

Dave