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Beneath the Waves

You don’t have to scuba dive in the waters off Anguilla’s beaches to discover the colorful life just off the shore. On many beaches a simple snorkel, mask and fins is all you need to make the trip.

Finding the right beach:

The slide show on your right contains images taken while snorkeling at Little Bay. A large colony of reef fish and coral make their home here. Occasionally turtles will swim in close to shore. Large sea going fish will come in to take advantage of the smaller school fish. Huge schools of sprat and fry swim along the cliff wall and reef fish make their home among the rocks. The pictures show lots of coral but not many fish...we just could not get them to stand still long enough to take their picture!
Anguilla has many fine beaches, some better than others for snorkeling. Calm and shallow water are a good combination but you need more than that to make it interesting.
The reef is like a village under the sea. Many fish are born and live their entire lives in the same neighborhood.

Shoal Bay East has to be the finest beach for a gentle, easy snorkel. The reef is within easy swimming distance from the shore and the fish are close enough to touch. In some places it is so shallow you can stand in the sand. Shoal Bay also has several vendors who rent snorkel equipment and there is a glass bottom boat to view the community from above without getting wet.

Little Bay is an excellent spot for viewing a large variety of fish along a cliff wall. The wall extends for quite a distance and you may see the same fish year after year. Not recommended for a beginner. To get to Little Bay, go to Crocus Bay and get Carl to take you out in his water taxi.
Crocus Bay has a large community along the eastern cliff wall and a good swimmer can snorkel all the way to Little Bay viewing lots of fish and occasionally a turtle along the way.

Sandy Hill Bay has a tiny snorkeling area but it is very near the shore and seems to be a nursery for baby fish. It is the perfect spot for a beginner, the water is very shallow.
Savannah Bay is not always calm but has a large shallow snorkeling area right off the beach.

Forest Bay is very shallow and has unusual rock formations right off shore.
Elsie Bay is hard to find and tiny but the snorkeling is great and right off shore.

What you will see:

The coral reef is home to a variety of colorful fish that don’t roam the open sea. These creatures prefer to live around the reef all year, some tending to the coral, others taking advantage of the smaller fish that live there. The coral is a living being, growing and changing throughout its life. It attaches itself to the rocks or older coral and grows much like a tree. What a sight to see…all the colorful coral and fish close enough to touch, but remember that coral is very sensitive and damages easily. Besides, some coral is poisonous and touching could cause a serious burn. Better to just look.

How to do it:

You will often see folks heading for the water, snorkel and mask in place, fins on ready for the surf. Unfortunately, fins and sand don’t get along. They tend to flop around in the loose sand determined to make you look like a fool. Also the mask gets foggy immediately in the hot sun and there you are unable to see or walk. Walking backwards works a little better but the best way is like the pros do it.
Don’t bother putting anything on until you get into the water. Water gear works best when it is wet. Just hold on to that mask and snorkel and sit down in the shallow water to pull on your fins. Next, dip your mask into the water to get it all wet and spit into the glass. Uck! Well unless you spend more money on defogger it works the best to keep your mask fog free. Rub the mask glass with your finger and dry it a little with your tee shirt. Yes, it is a very good idea to wear a tee shirt while snorkeling. All those fish will memorize you and before you know it your back is the color of a strawberry. Many fishermen in Anguilla actually swim in long pants. No sense exposing yourself to the sun if you don’t have to. Now dip your head under the water to get everything wet, the mask will side over hair better if it is wet. Naturally you have already adjusted your mask to fit before you get in the water. Snorkel works, mask is clear and fins are on without embarrassment, so head out to discover the world down under.

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