An independent guide to snorkeling and scuba diving — where to go, what to wear and carry, and how to do it, written by people who work on and in the water.https://outsiderview.com/en-UShttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/can-you-snorkel-with-contacts/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/can-you-snorkel-with-contacts/Plenty of people snorkel in contacts and nothing goes wrong; official guidance is stricter. What the FDA and CDC say, which lenses to wear, and the one habit.Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/scuba-diving/prescription-dive-mask/https://outsiderview.com/scuba-diving/prescription-dive-mask/A prescription dive mask is a different purchase from a snorkel mask, and depth is the least of it. Reading a computer is close work, and masks come off.Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/prescription-snorkel-mask-astigmatism/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/prescription-snorkel-mask-astigmatism/Stock mask lenses correct sphere only, and leave astigmatism where it was. The ranges premade lenses cover, the number that forces custom lenses, and costs.Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/best-prescription-snorkel-masks/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/best-prescription-snorkel-masks/Nearly every prescription snorkel mask ships with clear lenses and sells the correction separately. What each listing includes, and when to use a dive shop.Sat, 30 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/best-snorkel-gear-for-kids/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/best-snorkel-gear-for-kids/A child's snorkel set fails on fit, not features. How to size a mask and snorkel, what the research says about full-face masks, and when renting beats buying.Wed, 01 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/best-winter-snorkeling-destinations/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/best-winter-snorkeling-destinations/Warm water does not make a snorkeling season — wind does. December to February brings peak trade winds, the best water temperatures and the most lost days.Tue, 31 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-dubai/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-dubai/Dubai's own coast is dredged sand with almost nothing to see, and the sea hits 35 °C in August. The real snorkel is Snoopy Island in Fujairah, on the other coast. The sites, the tank prices, the rules, and the month to go.Tue, 31 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-saint-kitts-and-nevis/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-saint-kitts-and-nevis/St Kitts snorkels best where ships went down — a tug at White House Bay, a 2010 grounding at Shitten Bay. Which catamaran to book from Port Zante, what the train costs, and the three ways across to Nevis.Tue, 31 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/best-snorkeling-in-the-world/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/best-snorkeling-in-the-world/Dreaming of a snorkeling adventure? From swimming with humpbacks to seeing pristine coral reefs, here are the best places to snorkel around the globe.Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-florida/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-florida/Most Florida snorkeling writing is really about the Keys. This is the rest: the Blue Heron Bridge tidal window, Devil's Den, the springs and the manatees.Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-florida-keys/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-florida-keys/The reef sits four to six miles offshore, which is why the beaches disappoint. Which island to base on, what the 2023 bleaching left, and how to pick a boat.Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-key-west/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-key-west/Key West's beaches are not the reason to snorkel here — the boat is. Why the captain picks the reef, what trips cost in 2026, and what to do when wind wins.Fri, 23 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-greece/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-greece/Clear water, far fewer fish than the photographs promise. From the Aegean: which island to pick, why wind beats month, and what changed at Shipwreck Bay.Fri, 16 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-cuba/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-cuba/Cuba pairs some of the Caribbean's best-preserved reef with the strangest booking mechanics in the region — and in 2026, with a tourism industry in suspension. Where the water is genuinely special, what each site costs, and how an American does this legally.Tue, 06 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-colombia/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-colombia/Colombia is the only South American country with a Caribbean and a Pacific coast, and its snorkeling splits three ways. Which is worth your days, and when.Mon, 28 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-dominican-republic/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-dominican-republic/Dominican snorkeling is sold as a catamaran excursion, and the coast you leave from decides everything. Why Bayahibe is the honest capital, what Saona and Catalina cost in 2026, what the Punta Cana strip really delivers, and where the whales fit.Mon, 21 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-guadeloupe/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-guadeloupe/Guadeloupe is the Caribbean's most underrated snorkel trip for Americans because it is built for the French. How the Réserve Cousteau's boat economy works, what Petite Terre costs, what closed in the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin, and the month to come.Thu, 17 Feb 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-panama/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-panama/Panama's Caribbean and Pacific peak in opposite seasons. How San Blas actually works and what it costs, Bocas' two calm windows, Coiba's permit system, and which coast fits your dates.Tue, 15 Feb 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-costa-rica/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-costa-rica/Costa Rica has warm water every month and clear water in very few, and the coasts run opposite calendars. How to tell whether your days are worth getting in.Fri, 22 Oct 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-martinique/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-martinique/Martinique snorkels from shore better than any French island: the Anses d'Arlet coves, the turtle-approach law at Anse Dufour, Manman Dlo off Saint-Pierre, and the swell that decides the wild north.Wed, 20 Oct 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/diving/diving-rottnest-island-western-australia/https://outsiderview.com/diving/diving-rottnest-island-western-australia/Located near Perth, Rottnest Island has a unique mix of tropical and cold-water marine life. Here's how to decide when and where to go.Fri, 24 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/seaview-kradan-snorkel-set-review/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/seaview-kradan-snorkel-set-review/We put the collapsible Seaview Kradan snorkel set through its paces. Read our review to see whether this travel-friendly mask and snorkel bundle holds up.Fri, 24 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/how-to-snorkel-if-you-can't-swim/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/how-to-snorkel-if-you-can't-swim/No, and not for the reason you expect. Swimming protects you from one kind of drowning and almost none of the other. What a non-swimmer actually needs.Fri, 17 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-coral-bay-western-australia/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-coral-bay-western-australia/The reef everyone else takes a boat to is a short swim off the beach here. Where to get in, how the drift works, what the 2025 bleaching did and didn't touch, and what the manta, whale shark and humpback boats charge — checked August 2026.Sat, 07 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-belize/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-belize/Belize has almost no beach snorkeling — it has a boat schedule. What Hol Chan charges, why the Blue Hole is not a snorkeling site, and what bleaching left.Wed, 28 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-anguilla/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-anguilla/Anguilla snorkels on fish and clear water, not coral gardens — and the boats are cheap. Calvin's $15 run to Little Bay, Sandy Island's shuttle season, the Shoal Bay drift, and the ferry arithmetic from St Martin.Wed, 21 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-st-lucia/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-st-lucia/Nearly all of St. Lucia's snorkeling sits in twelve miles of coast around Soufrière. What is in the water now, what it charges, and whether to drive or sail.Wed, 14 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-roatan/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-roatan/Roatán sits on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, and bleaching and disease changed what is down there. What each site offers now, the park tag, and when to come.Fri, 09 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-curacao/https://outsiderview.com/snorkeling/snorkeling-in-curacao/Curaçao is shore snorkeling, and half the good entries sit behind a gate with an opening time and a price. Which coast, and what each beach charges now.Wed, 07 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://outsiderview.com/scuba-diving/nitrox-scuba-diving/https://outsiderview.com/scuba-diving/nitrox-scuba-diving/Nitrox buys you longer no-stop times, but on a standard cylinder you run out of gas before you run out of table at every depth shallower than about 100 feet. The arithmetic, the depth limits, and what fourteen dive shops charged on 10 August 2026.Fri, 02 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMT