Bermuda snorkeling tours take you by boat to a reef, a wreck or a sheltered cove, with the mask, snorkel and flotation in the fare. Most leave the Royal Naval Dockyard, and most ask you to manage water too deep to stand in.
A sail from the star on the cruise pier to a cove, where you swim and snorkel with the gear and flotation supplied. Kayaks and paddleboards come out at anchor, and the rum swizzles are unlimited on the way back.
From $95 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Your own catamaran for up to 15, with snorkel gear, a paddleboard and a crystal kayak. The crew picks the coves of the Great Sound for the conditions. Order food ahead; drinks come from a cash bar.
From $1,175 per group (up to 15)
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The boat anchors in about 3 feet of water near the wreck of the Vixen, so you can wade or snorkel before the reef viewing through the hull. Gear and flotation are in the fare; snorkelers must swim.
From $105 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Out to the reef line for the Constellation and the Montana, with gear and flotation supplied. From age 5, for competent swimmers. When the sea offshore is rough, the trip moves to an inshore wreck and a shoreline reef.
From $105 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A big sailing catamaran for up to 75 to a quiet anchorage, with snorkel gear, kayaks and paddleboards for the swim. Soft drinks on board and a rum swizzle once everyone is back aboard. Bring a towel and a snack.
From $111 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Despite the name, this is a catamaran day: three and a half hours with snorkel gear and flotation, kayaks and paddleboards at anchor, and one rum swizzle. Snorkelers must swim well; food and towels are yours to bring.
From $111 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Two stops, a coral reef and a shipwreck, on a boat that takes ten guests at most. The captain shows you the gear before you go in. From age 7, and only for swimmers who manage deep water.
From $127 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The snorkel comes last in a seven-hour day: two hours of jungle caves and pools with a helmet and head lamp, lunch and ice cream, then an hour in the water at a nature reserve. From age 5.
From $203 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
A private boat and captain for up to eight, with snorkel gear and pool noodles on board and an hour at each of two stops. Priced per group, so the whole party swims where the captain finds the best water that day.
From $800 per group (up to 8)
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Three and a half hours from the star on the cruise pier: a cove to snorkel, paddleboards and kayaks at anchor, and unlimited rum swizzles on the sail home.
See this tourA snorkeling tour is a boat trip with a swim in the middle. You board at the Royal Naval Dockyard and the crew hands out a mask, a snorkel and flotation. The boat anchors over a reef, a wreck or a sheltered cove. You spend half an hour to an hour in the water, then climb back aboard by the ladder.
Bermuda's reefs are the northernmost coral reefs of the Atlantic, and most of them lie offshore, on a reef line you cannot swim out to from the sand. That is what the boat buys you. The trips split three ways. Reef-and-wreck boats go out to the reef line, the big catamarans anchor in a calm cove, and the private boats go where your group wants.
Every snorkel trip here supplies the mask, snorkel and flotation, noodles or a vest. You bring a swimsuit and a towel. The catamarans add kayaks and paddleboards at anchor for anyone who would rather stay on top of the water.
The shipwreck snorkel goes out to the Constellation and the Montana. The Montana was a Civil War paddle steamer that ran onto the reef in December 1863; it lies in about 30 feet of water. The two-stop trip does a reef and a wreck. Neither is in reach of a swimmer from the beach.
The shipwreck snorkel and the jungle, lunch and snorkel day take children from 5, and the two-stop trip from 7. That makes a family snorkel possible, as long as the children are happy in deep water with a float.
The catamarans carry 50 to 75 people and feel like a party. The two-stop boat takes ten at most. The private boats carry only your group, up to eight or 15, so you swim when and where you like.
The glass-bottom boat sees the same reef from the dry side of the hull. Here is how the two compare, from the listings' own terms.
| A snorkel trip | The glass-bottom boat | |
|---|---|---|
| You get wet | Yes, for half an hour to an hour | No |
| Swimming needed | Yes, in water too deep to stand in | No |
| Fare, per person | $95 to $203 | $78 |
| Time on the water | 2.5 to 3.5 hours; one day trip 7 | 1.5 hours |
| Boat size | 8 to 75 guests | 40 guests |
| Youngest age stated | 5 or 7 on some trips | None stated |
| Bring a towel | Yes | No need |
Try both on the combo from $105
Can't decide? The glass-bottom combo does both. It shows you the reef through the hull, then anchors in about 3 feet of water near the Vixen so you can wade or snorkel. If nobody in your party swims, the Bermuda boat tours include the dry options.
The Constellation and the Montana on the reef line, with gear and flotation. From age 5; in rough seas the trip moves to an inshore wreck and a shoreline reef.
Check availabilityWhich reefs and wrecks each boat reaches is in our post on the shipwrecks snorkelers can see.
Still weighing it up? Our guide to the best tours compares every kind of trip on the island.
Would you rather stay dry? Every tour on the island is compared on Bermuda Tours.