Snorkeling in the Exumas: reefs, grottos and wrecks from Highbourne to George Town

The Exumas offer a mix of shallow reefs, wrecks and caves, and the sites are spread along the whole chain. This page covers the Exumas as a whole. For the sites inside the park, see the park snorkeling guide. Check the tide before you go in, because a cruising guide warns that snorkeling may be difficult if the tides are running¹⁵.

Where can you snorkel in the Exumas?

Each row is a stop with a published snorkel source. The park rules apply only at sites inside the park.

Area	Snorkel stop	What a source says
Highbourne Cay	Octopus Garden reef, Horseshoe Bay	12knots sends snorkelers to the reef, and adds the Elkhorn and Staghorn reefs when the weather is calm5
Norman’s Cay	Plane wreck, south-west coast	The wreck rests in just 10 ft of water5
Staniel Cay	Thunderball Grotto	A marine cave to snorkel at low tide5,7
Rudder Cut Cay	Sunken piano and Rudder Cut	A sunken piano with a mermaid, and a drift snorkel by dinghy when the tide is right9
Musha Cay area	Sunken plane	A snorkel over a sunken plane9
Little Farmer’s Cay	Harbour	Frequented by gregarious sea turtles9
Elizabeth Harbour	16 buoyed sites	Buoys mark them, including Turtle Lagoon, Mystery Cave and Fowl Cay Reef Restoration3
Stocking Island	Blue holes, coral gardens, undersea caves	Snorkelers and divers explore all three4

The Moorings says the reef that surrounds Norman’s Cay and its neighboring islets makes it one of the most incredible places in the Exumas⁶. Staniel Cay Yacht Club lists snorkeling, kayaking and paddleboarding among its activities¹⁸. bahamas.com adds two surreal sites in the Exuma Cays: The Musician, an underwater sculpture by Jason deCaires Taylor, and an underwater plane wreck⁸.

Which reef sites do the Exuma snorkel lists name?

My Out Islands lists a run of reef sites that Hideaways Beach Front Resort also names^1,2. Hideaways says the Exuma waters are known for shallow corals².

Site	What a source says
Harbour Buoy Portside	A very active reef with plenty to see1
Harbour Buoy Starboard	An old ship’s mast marks the northern end of the reefs1
Loaded Barrel Reef	Large beds of staghorn coral1
Liz Lee Shoals	A shallow reef with brain corals among soft corals; one of the shallower reefs in the Exuma waters1,2
Duck Cay South	A tiered reef structure1
Three Sisters	Three shallow reefs with smaller schools of fish1
Bird Cay	Small tropical fish around the cay1
Jolly Hall	A snorkel site within walking distance of Hideaways2

Elizabeth Harbour lies right off the Hideaways private beach², and Hideaways rents snorkel equipment to its guests². The George Town and Elizabeth Harbour guide covers the harbour, and Stocking Island has its own page.

When and how do you snorkel Thunderball Grotto?

bahamas.com advises entering Thunderball Grotto at ebb tide, which is low or slack tide, when snorkeling gear is optional⁷. At high tide diving equipment is necessary⁷. The entrance is small and almost hidden, and it lies underwater^7,8. 12knots describes the low-tide visit as a chance to see shafts of sunlight lighting the cavern⁵.

The grotto lies south of the park’s south-west corner, which the Bahamas National Trust gives as 24°14′25″ N¹³. That puts it outside the park. See the Thunderball Grotto page for the cave itself.

Where can you snorkel inside Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park?

The Bahamas National Trust says visitors can explore the underwater coral reefs, mangroves and seagrasses throughout the park¹³. The park snorkeling guide names the sites. Two park rules matter in the water.

Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park is a no-take zone: no fishing, conching, shelling or lobstering, and nothing living or dead may be removed from within the boundaries of Exuma Park¹⁴.

Anchoring is not permitted in the mooring fields, on coral reefs and certain other designated areas within Exuma Park¹⁴.

There are fines and confiscation of vessels for poaching violations¹⁴. The no-take zone guide explains the rule in full.

Which snorkel tours go to the Exumas?

Exuma Water Sports’ half-day swimming pigs tour includes round-trip transfers within its pick-up zone, a bathroom on board and snorkeling gear, conditions permitting¹². Its FAQ says a tour can have stretches of up to 40 minutes between stops, for example to reach Thunderball Grotto or the nurse sharks¹¹. At Compass Cay, bahamas.com says you can swim alongside the nurse sharks or pet their skin when they swim up to the dock during high tide¹⁰. The Compass Cay nurse sharks page covers the stop, and the Nassau day trip guide lists what to ask a tour operator before you book.

What else should you know before you go?

bahamas.com calls the water in the Exumas some of the clearest in the world⁸. Musha Cay, another stop on the Ocean Adventure Cat route, is owned by illusionist David Copperfield¹⁷. The private islands guide names the other owners Wikipedia lists. The Exumas planning hub links the rest of the trip-planning pages.