Glass-Bottom Boat or Snorkeling in Bermuda?
The short answer. Choose the glass bottom if anyone in your party cannot swim, if it is winter, or if you have only 90 minutes. Choose the snorkel if you swim well and the sea is warm. If your group is split, take the combination: a glass-bottom boat that anchors in about 3 feet of water so the swimmers can get in. All three leave the Dockyard, and Bermuda boat tours set them side by side.
Side by side
| Glass-bottom boat | Glass bottom and snorkel | Shipwreck snorkel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $78 | $105 | $105 |
| Time | 1 hour 30 minutes | 3 hours | 3 hours |
| What you see | The Vixen, reef, seagrass | The Vixen, then the shallows | Constellation and Montana |
| You get wet | No | If you choose | Yes |
| Swimming rule | None | Swimmers to snorkel | Competent swimmers, age 5+ |
| Group | Up to 40 | Up to 40 | Up to 40 |
| Refund | 24 hours ahead | 24 hours ahead | 24 hours ahead |
The case for the glass bottom
A glass-bottom boat shows you the reef without getting wet. The glass-bottom boat takes an hour and a half over the reef, the seagrass beds where turtles feed, and the wreck of HMS Vixen, with the captain talking you through what passes below. There is a cash bar on board.
It is the right choice for four kinds of visitor: a non-swimmer, a grandparent, a small child with a parent, and anyone here in winter, when the sea is 65 to 66°F. Candice S. saw the Vixen, the reef, the seagrass and turtles on the way. The honest limit is the glass itself: Charles W. found the wreck so grown over with coral that the ship was hard to pick out, and more of the time went on the coral than the wreck. You step on and off the boat, and the listing sets a limit of 300 lb.
The case for snorkeling
In the water, nothing sits between you and the reef. The shipwreck snorkel goes to the offshore reef and the Constellation and the Montana, a Civil War paddle steamer in about 30 feet of water whose boilers and paddlewheel frames still show. Gear and flotation are in the fare.
It suits a confident swimmer in the warm months. The Bermuda Weather Service averages put the sea at 72.1°F in May and above 80°F from July to September. Brandon G. found mid-May still a little cool, and E H. braved March to see the wrecks up close. If the offshore sea is rough, the trip glass-bottoms over an inshore wreck and snorkels a shoreline reef instead, so you still go out.
Do both: the combination
The glass-bottom and snorkel combination is built for split groups. The boat is a glass bottom, so everyone sees the reef and the Vixen from the dry seats. Then it anchors in about 3 feet of water near the wreck, and the swimmers snorkel or wade ashore while the others stay aboard. Alicia T. found the snorkel spot a protected cove, easy to manage, with coral and plenty of sea life.
It costs $105 and takes three hours, against $78 and an hour and a half for the dry trip. Book it if your party mixes swimmers and non-swimmers, or if you want to see the wreck both ways. One tip from Susan C.: make sure you go to the right dock. The boat leaves from the Dockyard, not Hamilton.
What an hour costs
The prices look close until you divide by the time. The glass-bottom boat is $78 for an hour and a half, about US$52 an hour. The combination and the shipwreck snorkel are both $105 for three hours, about US$35 an hour, with the gear included. So the snorkel is the better value by the hour, and the glass bottom is the better value for your day, because it leaves more of it free.
On a ship day that trade matters. An hour and a half on the glass bottom leaves time for the museum at the Dockyard or a ferry to Hamilton. Three hours on a snorkel boat is most of a morning, and you will want time to dry off, since you cannot ride a bus or a ferry wet.
Where each boat leaves from
The glass-bottom boat, the combination and the shipwreck snorkel all start at the Island Tour Centre, in the Dockyard Watersports Centre at 4 North Arm Drive. That is at the Dockyard, a walk from the cruise berths. The helmet dive boards its own boat by Heritage Wharf, and asks you to arrive 25 minutes early. Every meeting point is marked on the Bermuda map.
All of these boats run subject to the weather and, on the shared boats, a minimum number of guests. Every one refunds in full if you cancel 24 hours ahead, and the helmet dive offers another date or a full refund if high winds cancel it.
Other ways to see the reef
If neither suits, these sit somewhere between dry and wet:
- The helmet dive, $155: you walk the sea floor for 30 to 40 minutes in a helmet, head dry, from age 5, with wetsuits and hot chocolate when the water is below 80°F.
- The catamaran sail and snorkel, $95: a sail to a cove, with paddleboards and kayaks for those who do not snorkel.
- The two-stop snorkel, $127: a reef and a wreck with ten guests at most, from age 7.
The catamaran sail and snorkel is the relaxed option for a group that wants a swim and a drink more than a wreck. The dedicated snorkel boats are compared on Bermuda snorkeling tours, and the sailing boats on Bermuda catamaran tours.
What to bring
The lists differ a little between the boats, so pack for the wettest trip in your party:
- A towel: the combination and the shipwreck snorkel do not supply one.
- Money for the bar: drinks are sold on board on the glass bottoms, and food is not included on any of them.
- A cover-up and dry clothes: you cannot board a bus or a ferry wet afterwards.
- A hat: you are out on open water for up to three hours.
Verdict by visitor
- A non-swimmer, or a child under 5: the glass-bottom boat.
- A child from 5 who cannot swim yet: the helmet dive.
- A mixed family: the glass bottom and snorkel combination.
- A strong swimmer in summer: the shipwreck snorkel.
- A strong swimmer in winter: the helmet dive with a wetsuit, or the glass bottom.
- Short on time: the glass-bottom boat, at an hour and a half.
Whichever you choose, check the weather the evening before; the boats run subject to it. The month-by-month picture is on Bermuda weather, and where each boat leaves from is set out above. What else the water holds is in our post on Bermuda's shipwrecks. The Dockyard berths are explained in how to get to Bermuda, what the entries cost in the visitor guide, and swimming questions in the FAQs.
Boats for dry eyes and wet feet
Glass Bottom Boat and Snorkeling Combo in Bermuda
Three hours on a glass-bottom boat that anchors in about 3 feet of water near the wreck of the Vixen, so you can snorkel or wade. Gear and flotation are in the fare; snorkelers must swim in deep water.
From $105 per person
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Rising Son Catamaran Adventure in Bermuda
Three hours on a large sailing catamaran to a quiet spot in the Great Sound, with snorkel gear, kayaks and paddleboards, soft drinks and a rum swizzle after the swim. Up to 75 guests; bring a towel.
From $111 per person
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Private Bermuda Historic Sightseeing Cruise With Swim/Snorkel
A private boat and captain for up to eight, for three hours, with an hour at Admiralty House Park and an hour in Sandys Parish. Snorkel gear, pool noodles and water are in the fare; priced per group.
From $800 per group (up to 8)
Check AvailabilityNext: Plan the day around the ship, the ferries and the entries with our complete guide to visiting. Every fare sits side by side on Bermuda Tours.