Under the Sea: A Caribbean Snorkeling Vacation

If you're a fan of brightly colored fish, coral reefs, and other mysteries of the deep, then snorkeling in the Caribbean offers you a lifetime of memories. Here are three of the best Caribbean snorkeling resorts, where you can discover the wonders of the sea with your own eyes.

For an island-hopping snorkeling experience, check out resorts in the U.S. Virgin Islands like Marriott Frenchman's Reef Morning Star Beach Resort on St. Thomas. Here, ferries and excursions take you to the other islands in the USVI (St. Croix and St. John), meaning you can snorkel in more places and see more of the amazing underwater world. You don't even need a passport to get to the USVI, but bring it anyway. With it you can take a ferry to the nearby British Virgin Islands, where you'll find even more fantastic snorkeling destinations like Long Bay Beach Club.

Interested in understated luxury paired with the best Caribbean snorkeling? Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort overlooks Seven Mile Beach, one of the world's best beaches. Australian pines and palm trees shade a gorgeous beach that gently slopes into crystalline waters, and the world-class conditions support more than 500 species under the sea. Don't miss Cemetery Reef, just north of the Marriott, where you'll see schools of Sergeant Majors swarming the swimmers with fish food. Or head south to Cheeseburger Reef, just off the local Burger King, where 10 feet of water is home to plenty of friendly fish and coral. Just off the Marriott's shore, the current-free waters indulge parrot-fish, yellow-tail damsels, and other colorful species just waiting to show off for snorkelers.

A veritable who's who of rainbow-hued fish is why we love one of the best Caribbean snorkeling resorts, El Cid La Ceiba Beach in Cozumel. The oceanfront resort offers a pristine beach, an amazing spa, and a private, professional dive center. The fine folks at the Babieca Dive Center will help you glide with the drift currents among schools of angelfish, parrot-fish, and groupers. Don't miss Chankanaab National Park with its underwater statues; it's like swimming in an aquarium! Only one day of snorkeling is included in the all-inclusive package, but you'll be back for more.

You'll be singing with joy when you come up for air at these snorkeling hotspots, and no one will have to persuade you that snorkeling in the Caribbean is the perfect vacation idea.