Best BVI Snorkeling Spots

Favorite & Best BVI snorkeling spots can be, of course, very subjective. After two ( and a half!) decades of snorkeling and SCUBA diving in the waters of the British Virgin Islands, I have a few favorites, though!

Let’s go over them, and I can tell you WHY they are among my favorite snorkeling sites for your yacht charter. Some are because of the wrecks, some are because of the Marine Life, Tropical Fish, and some are the topography. Then there are the spots where I can see Sea Turtles and Reef Fish.

Little Sister Islands BVI Snorkeling

Salt Island BVI: The entire bay and, if calm, the wreck of the RMS Rhone

Why do I love Salt Island? Anyone who has followed me over the years knows it is my favorite. In the water along the beach in the swell line just under the water and on the shore, you can always find lots of Old Sea glass from hundreds of years ago.

If you look just into the distance while snorkeling, the entire shoreline has squid, sometimes permitting swimming by an odd shark or two. This is a beautiful place for Turtles and Conch. I find more octopi lairs alongside this shoreline than anywhere else I snorkel.

Cooper Island: Cistern Point is excellent for the volume of tropical fish. This bay also has great topography; because it is a rock, you can snorkel around and reach out of the water. If you get around to the other side of the point because it is flat, you will see Tarpon.
If you snorkel in the seagrass around the mooring balls, you will see many stingrays and turtles.
Hallsover Bay, which is around where the dive wrecks are, is generally excellent. It is also called Wreck Alley. It is tricky to anchor as there is a reef and rocks, but mooring balls by the wrecks are generally calm enough to pick up and enjoy the reef.
Ginger Island is great on the way to the Baths on Virgin Gorda. On very flat days ( I mean NO sea), We will go around the Northside to anchor just outside Ginger Sound and snorkel the reef there. There are HUNDREDS of juvenile barracuda here. Let’s see how brave you are! Additionally, there is a mooring ball on the north side of Ginger in the always protected waters.

Best Virgin Gorda Snorkeling Spots

I love the Baths on Virgin Gorda and will never step foot on land. I don’t find it the best for the variety and number of fish. The combination of white sand, clear water, blue sky, and boulders can happily make you snorkel in and out and between them for hours.
If you are looking for a less busy version of the Baths to snorkel at, consider stopping at Fallen Jerusalem just before you arrive at Virgin Gorda. It offers very similar conditions on a smaller scale with fewer people.
Mountain Point, halfway up Virgin Gorda, is a popular anchorage with crewed yachts, good snorkeling, and where you can also water skiing. This is a huge anchorage, and you can snorkel out to the point in safety and with varying topographies. A couple of caves can be ducked into on very flat days.
Eustatia Reef by Oil Nut Bay has about six old anchors. These were mainly placed here by Bert Kilbride from Anegada/Horseshoe Reef decades ago. I typically find the fish life healthy here with a maximum depth of 30′. Take a look and see how many anchors you can find!

Anegada and Horseshoe Reef Snorkeling

If you go out to Anegada and out with Kelly, he should be able to show you some spectacular snorkeling around Conch Mountain, and if you go to Loblolly Bay and it is calm to get to the outside of the reef, it will be good. The conch I have seen outside Loblolly has been among the largest!
Horseshoe Reef: Only on flat days with a “local” knowledge operator or person can you get out to the wreck of the Rocus. The shallow part of the wreck is just below the surface, so it’s easy to see. There are thousands of cow bones scattered around the wreck, as that is what it was carrying for cargo when it sank. This is an excellent spot to see larger schools of fish and different varieties.

North Side of Tortola, Jost Van Dyke area Snorkeling

Lots of Tarpon around where the bubbly pool is on Jost Van Dyke Anchor, or pick up a mooring ball at Diamond Reef, which is in between Jost and Little Jost. I do find the water is cloudy here often.
Brewers Bay on the North Side of Tortola by Cane Garden is great for snorkeling. If the swell is up, it will be too cloudy to see anything, so do not bother. If not, you can have a vast anchorage with good snorkeling out where the dive balls are on each point.
Guana Island, Monkey Point, and Muskmelon Bay. Monkey Point is an excellent spot for schools of fish, diving birds, and Tarpon. This can be a bustling spot, but there are many mooring balls. Muskmelon Bay on Guana Island is typically off-limits to bareboaters. Still, it offers some of my favorite snorkeling with bird nesting colonies, schools of fish, and plenty of Tarpon. As of May 2024, Monkey Point has suffered a severe decline in fish and coral life.

Norman Island Best BVI Snorkeling Spots

Norman Island. Go to Angelfish reef at the tip of Privateer bay. Or even down in the corner past the caves. WONDERFUL snorkeling. If it is calm go around the point to the outside of angelfish reef. It just gets better the further you go. The Caves does not hold a lot of appeal to me, as it is pretty kicked over from Tourists. BUT the Glassy-Eyed Sweepers in the Caves and the topography are pretty cool.
Benures Bay on Norman Island. Very healthy coral and fish life on this anchorage at the east end of Norman Island
Money Bay on Norman Island. Ah, one of my top five anchorages in the BVI. I can spend weeks here when the waters are flat snorkeling where no one else goes.
The Indians. Definitely a must-see. Just off the Bight on Norman Island, but rocky peaks looking like an Indian Headdress arise from the sea. The amount of fish is very healthy.

Peter Island Favorite Snorkeling Spots

Little Harbor on Peter , as I mentioned before. Crappy coral, but calm, and I often see interesting fish, including squid, turtles, and DOLPHINS!
Great Harbor on Peter used to be excellent. I have heard it is not that good now since the 2017 hurricanes. That’s too bad.
I suggest heading to White Bay. The west side of Peter Island. There are a lot of baby fish around the Rocky Points, and this is the spot where I have consistently seen Eagle Rays!