The South Pacific offers some of the best snorkeling spots in the world.
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Where to snorkel with humpbacks, manta rays and sharks in the South Pacific.
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1.
Moorea – French Polynesia
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Snorkel with blacktip reef sharks off the coast of Moorea.
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Dive with dolphins, stingrays, and blacktip reef sharks in the sandy lagoon encircling Moorea,
a laid-back, mountain-clad island just 10 miles from Tahiti. Try your
luck at finding the animals yourself by snorkeling in waist-deep water
over a sandbar on the northwest tip of the island, or book an encounter
at the Moorea Dolphin Center where you’re guaranteed 15 minutes of hands-on interaction with these playful mammals.
How to get there: Take a 15-minute flight via Air Tahiti, or a 30- to 60-minute ferry ride from Papeete.
2.
Vavau – Tonga
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From June through October, snorkel with humpback whales near Vavau.
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Tonga’s Vavau island group
is one of the best places in the world to swim with humpback whales.
Females migrate north to the warm waters of the South Pacific each June
to give birth, hanging out in the shallows with their newborns through
October. Tour operators offer eco-friendly, intimate whale encounters,
and mamas will often nudge their babies up to play alongside the
visiting humans, giving you a once-in-a-lifetime chance to dance with a
whale.
How to get there: Take a direct flight from Nadi, Fiji, via Fiji Airways.
3.
Bora Bora – French Polynesia
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Swim with graceful manta rays in Bora Bora.
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Glide next to manta rays as they weave through Bora Bora’s
famous blue-green lagoon. With a wingspan reaching up to 23 feet, the
resident mantas look like giant birds as glide through the water.
Snorkelers can watch them scoop up zooplankton with their wide-open
mouths, or see them hovering at a coral reef “cleaning station,” where
fish pick parasites off their black-and-white skin. Schools of
spotted-eagle rays, stingrays, and blacktip reef sharks are also common
sights.
How to get there: Take a 45-minute flight via Air Tahiti from Papeete.
4.
Niue
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Niue is one of the largest raised coral atolls in the world.
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Not only is it one of the largest raised coral atolls in the world, the tiny island-nation of Niue
is also the only place where you can swim with the katuali, a sea snake
that grows up to 3 feet long. Its tiny mouth makes it harmless to
humans (children wear them as necklaces on Niue’s beaches),
but this snake is one of the most venomous creatures on the planet.
Watch the beautiful striped snakes stream through clear water as they
dive down to the reef to feed, then resurface to breathe. The best place
to snorkel with katuali is in Snake Gully near Avatele Beach.
How to get there: Air New Zealand offers twice-weekly three-hour flights from Auckland.
5.
Fakarava – French Polynesia
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Sharks gather at Fakarava’s south pass.
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