The snorkeling around Banderas Bay is genuinely good — protected marine park water at Los Arcos, and clearer water still further down the south shore at Majahuitas. What ruins it for most visitors is the format: forty people off a shared catamaran, twenty minutes in the water, back on the boat. A private charter fixes that.
Where We Snorkel
Los Arcos is the famous one — granite islets with natural arches and sea caves cut through the base, protected as a national marine park, with a submarine canyon dropping away alongside. The protection is why the fish are still there: sergeant majors, angelfish, puffers, parrotfish, the occasional eagle ray.
Majahuitas is our captains' actual favourite. Further down the south shore, less boat traffic, better visibility, fewer people. It needs a 5-hour charter to do properly, and it is worth the hours.
Colomitos, Paradón and El Caballo all snorkel well along their rocky edges too, and make good second stops.
Go in the Morning
Visibility is made by calm water and low wind, and both are best early. Afternoon wind picks up across the bay most of the year and stirs the surface. If snorkeling is the point of your day, book an early departure and put the snorkel stop first on the route rather than last.
Winter and spring generally bring the clearest, cooler water. After heavy summer rain, runoff off the mountains can green things up for a day or two — your captain will tell you straight on the morning whether it is worth the run or whether a different stop is the better call.
What's on Board
Masks and fins for the group, life jackets in every size, bottled water and ice, and shade over the deck for between swims. Guanatuna and Steel n Time both have bathrooms; Steel n Time adds an air-conditioned salon if you want somewhere cool to sit between sessions.
Snorkel Plus Something Else
Almost every snorkeling charter we run is also something else. Troll a couple of lines on the run down (fishing), snorkel the arches at anchor, then finish the day on a beach at Las Ánimas with lunch on the sand. In season, whales interrupt all of it, which is the best possible interruption.
Bring
Reef-safe sunscreen — Los Arcos is a protected park and it matters. A towel, a rash guard if you burn easily, and an underwater camera if you have one. Water shoes help at the rockier coves.
