The Best South Pacific
Snorkeling Sites

South Pacific snorkeling is hard to beat with the myriad of beautiful islands, calm blue hued lagoons, the largest reef in the world, and the enormous variety of marine life.

The South Pacific has exciting snorkeling for people of all abilities and interests, and experienced snorkelers have found experiences in the South Pacific not found in other regions of the world.

Here are Our Choices for the

Top South Pacific Snorkeling Sites

Rurutu, Austral Islands
The island of Rurutu, 90 minutes by plane from Tahiti, is known for snorkelers swimming with whales. It's the activity of choice if you want to experience whales up close. It's a snorkelers' big-animal dream that will leave you with a life time memory of an experience that cannot be duplicated anywhere else in the world.

Each year as they migrate back to AntArctica, the humpbacks stop in Rurutu from July to October to give birth and feed their calves.

The calm and shallow waters and lagoons of Rurutu provide a safe haven from the whales natural predators.

Hanauma Bay, Oahu
This is a world-class snorkeling site with the ancient volcanic caldera providing snorkelers protection from the rough Pacific waves to form a sheltered shallow reef with abundant marine life. It's like swimming in an outdoor aquarium. Bring some bread chips and you'll be rewarded with swarms of very colorful fish. Snorkelers stay along the shallow inner bay.

Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Heron Island, a world-class destination for snorkelers, is located 30 miles off the coast of Australia in the Great Barrier Reef and is reachable by helicopter or boat transfer from Gladstone. With shore access just steps away from your cottage you will experience an awesome variety of marine life. It also a great place to watch the birth and entry into the pacific of sea turtles from December to February.

Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, Fiji
With over 300 and many excellent snorkeling sites, the best snorkeling site is at the Jean Michel Cousteau Resort. Located on Vanua Levu, Fiji's second largest island, the resort is surrounded by mountains and reefs, at the edge of Savusavu Bay, a well-protected refuge. Coral and fish can be seen by going off the little pier on the property in or from a snorkeling boat that is provided for guests. A popular spot is the nearby Lighthouse Reef with a large drop off one one side and a shallow reef on the other.

This resort also offers night snorkeling with a marine biologist leading groups with flash lights off the pier.

Rock Islands, Palau - The Rock Islands, the crown jewels of Micronesia and the reason why most travelers come to Palau. They are a group of limestone rounded, jungle-topped islands that appear to float above the surface of the water. The water is bath tub warm year round with plentiful marine life. With four times the number of coral species in Palau than in the Caribbean, this is a popular destination for divers and snorkellers who are come to experience a diverse technicolor paradise of majestic reefs, crystal caves, drop-offs, blue holes, and World War II wrecks. Many of the islands have caves with dripping stalactites, rock arches, and underground channels and soft, white-sand beaches that are ideal to relax on after a dive.

Stingray World, Moorea
Tahiti is well known for it's great snorkeling and beautiful hues of blue lagoons. There are many reasons for snorkelers come to Moorea and one of the top attractions is Stingray World. The site is on a sand bank off Moorea in just three feet of water, where you will come face to face with swarms of friendly stingrays. They'll eat bits of squid right from your hand and allow you to hug their smooth underbelly's.

South Pacific Top Beaches - The best South Pacific beaches are characterized by remote islands with soft white sandy beaches, crystal clear turquoise waters surrounded by coral reefs, warm bath tub temperature lagoons, and a scenic back drop of palm trees. Because of the islands remoteness, most of these islands are more costly to get to and more expensive to stay at.

The Top South Pacific Romantic Destinations - The South Pacific immediately conjures up thoughts of romance when you describe its secluded tropical islands, white sandy-palm lined beaches, crystal clear blue pacific waters, and romantic ambiance. Our top choices for South Pacific romantic vacation destinations culls the best that offer these attractions, along with exceptional romantic amenities