IT’S ONE OF THE Caribbean’s most popular pastimes – snorkeling. And, thankfully, there are more than enough terrific snorkeling destinations to go around. While these lists always lead to difficult choices, we present to you Caribbean Journal’s inaugural Snorkeling List — the Caribbean’s Top 10 Snorkeling Destinations for 2013. Some are specific snorkeling sites, while others give visitors a wider berth and an entire destination — from snorkeling mecca Bonaire to up-and-coming Vieques. Of course, these are but a small slice of a world of wonderful snorkeling destinations in the Caribbean — we can’t mention them all. Do you have favourite snorkeling sites we didn’t mention? Let us know your top picks in the comments section at the end of the article.

Bonaire

The beauty of Bonaire is that you don’t have to choose just one site — you can pretty much walk towards the water, jump in, and find yourself in the middle of a superb snorkeling site, thanks to the Bonaire National Marine Park, which surrounds the island (just make sure you buy a pass). Bonaire is often called the Caribbean’s unofficial snorkeling (and diving) capital, and that’s because, well, it is.