Grand Turk is widely considered to be one of the world’s best dive spots—but it’s also home to the best snorkeling in Turks and Caicos. The reason for such majestic epithets? The Grand Turk Wall. The third-largest barrier reef in the world, this huge coral-topped structure spans the entire west coast of the island, offering a dramatic drop off for hundreds of feet to the ocean floor.
This dramatic expanse of reef teems with all manner of marine life, from schools of small fish to sharks. Given that the water is relatively shallow in some places, those with a snorkel and mask can get amazing views normally reserved for scuba divers.
The Wall – best visited on a boat trip – is the obvious highlight of a snorkeling trip here, but that’s not all there is on offer. Some of the island’s many beaches offer excellent snorkeling to reefs that are just a few feet from the sand, while others have a lagoon-like calm, making them perfect for those taking their first steps in mask and fins.
Governor’s Beach
Governor’s Beach
This gorgeous stretch of white sand sits just north of the island’s port. This is the kind of beach normally seen only in glossy magazines.
Powder-soft sand, turquoise waters, and gently waving palms are very much the order of the day. There’s a small reef here but the best spot for snorkeling is by the remnants of an old jetty. Donning a snorkel and mask will reveal shoals of smaller tropical fish and red sea fans in abundance.
The ease of access to the jetty allied with shallow calm waters make this a great spot for beginners looking to master the basics of the sport, while still providing that exciting feeling of seeing some impressive marine life.
Cockburn Town Beach
Cockburn Town Beach
Cockburn Town, the island’s capital, has been inhabited since the 1600s and is a quaint affair, with its relatively narrow streets lined with colonial-era buildings. Some of these run right onto the town’s beach, a long, narrow stretch of oceanfront that is parallel to Duke and Front streets. So you can step out of a bar or café straight onto the sand, and from there straight into the ocean.
Close to shore there are a number of shelves and gullies with rocky formations that are home to fish, some yellow sea fans, and the occasional piece of coral. The two best spots for entering the water are a few hundred feet apart.
Both the Salt Raker Inn and the Osprey Beach Hotel entry points have some ancient coral formations close to the shallows – but do look out for the occasional sea urchin that makes its home here. Those spikes can be painful. This is another great beginner option with the unique chance to see sea life while in the town itself.
English Point
English Point
If you want the submarine world all to yourself while snorkeling in Turks and Caicos, English Point beach is the place to go. Despite being one of the best beaches on Grand Turk, its proximity to the capital’s airport means that it is little visited, save for those tourists looking to get a snap by the iconic Grand Turk sign here.
The waters at English Point are calm and shallow, and there are some interesting coral rock shelves and gullies to explore. These get better the further out you go, especially at the northern end of the beach where the best snorkeling can be found some 200 feet offshore. This is another beach with few facilities with the only real shade being offered by a smattering of casuarina trees, so pack all you need before setting off.
Pillory Beach
Pillory Beach
North of Cockburn Town Beach lies Pillory Beach, which takes its name from a type of stocks used in the middle ages. Much lovelier than its name may suggest, it’s not only one of the best beaches in Turks and Caicos, but it’s also one of the best equipped thanks to sunlounger hire, boat rental, and a bar.
Crucially for those looking for the best snorkeling in Turks and Caicos, there’s also a very good dive center on the beach. Here, visitors can rent snorkeling equipment before heading into gin-clear waters where there are several old coral heads and reef outcrops, all home to small and colorful reef fish.
Gibbs Cay
Gibbs Cay
A short boat ride away from Grand Turk’s east coast lies the remote island of Gibbs Cay – one of the best Turks and Caicos snorkeling spots. Arrival here is like landing on a desert island: soft white sand, palms, and sparkling waters. And it’s in those waters that Gibbs Cay finds its alternate name of Stingray City.
For the shallow, clear waters here are home to an abundance of southern stingrays – and they are more than happy to swim up freely and interact with visitors. While you can enjoy the experience by just paddling, donning snorkeling gear is far more compelling.
Not only do you get the chance to be up close to the rays, but you can also explore nearby coral patches with reef fish darting over them. Gibbs Cay experiences are usually organised by companies offering group boat tours. Not only is all equipment included, but many of them also offer a snorkeling stop over an offshore reef, as well as conch diving, and lunch on the beach.
The Grand Turk Wall
Coral reef
Grand Turk’s amazing “Wall” is the huge coral reef that runs along the west coast of the island. Part of the Columbus Landfall National Park, it’s also one of the Turks and Caicos’ best snorkeling spots.
The reef’s top edge starts in depths of around 25 to 30 feet before plunging down a huge drop to 7,000 feet. Ordinarily such a vast reef structure would only be the preserve of those with scuba gear, but that shallow top end makes it a joy for snorkelers too.
Angelfish
Diving into the depths here is one of the best things to do in Turks and Caicos, as it’s like entering another world entirely. Snorkelers get to see parrotfish, angelfish, and squirrelfish, as well as both soft and hard corals. The more sheltered areas of the reef add French grunts, blue tangs, and goatfish, while deeper areas may reveal sea turtles, rays, and even sharks.
SunRay Beach
SunRay Beach
Also known as Cruise Center Beach, SunRay is one of the best beaches on Grand Turk and a great place to go snorkeling. The sea here is blissfully calm, the sands ice-white, and entering the water is pretty straightforward.
Look out for the darker, rocky patches that are north or south of the main pier. These small coral outcrops are home to small reef fish. Check out the “drop” where the channel for cruise ships to dock was dredged. While it may not quite be The Wall, the ocean floor drops steeply from around 15 feet to 40 feet – a feature which seems to attract many fish.
SunRay Beach
When visibility is at its best, you may also see various other artefacts, including a sunken cannon and an anchor.
When you’re tired of chasing fish around the reef, there’s a magnificent pool, complete with swim-up bar for refreshments, and poolside cabanas in which to relax. Dining options are also plentiful and include Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville and Jack’s Shack.
Space travel enthusiasts can find a unique piece of history here too. Astronaut John Glenn famously splashed down off Grand Turk after becoming the first American to orbit the planet on the 1962 Mercury-Atlas 6 mission – and there’s a memorial in his honor.
Boaby Rock Point
Sitting on the very southern tip of Grand Turk, Boaby Rock Point is far from the best beach on the island, but it certainly offers some of the best snorkeling in Turks and Caicos. The beach here is exposed to constant east-southeast trade winds which means there can be a fair amount of both seaweed and flotsam on the beach itself.
It’s also fairly secluded, which means it’s low on visitors, but high on underwater attractions. Those trade winds mean the water can be choppy here, but on a calm day it ranks as probably the best spot on Grand Turk for beach snorkeling.
Sea fan
There are two reef systems just offshore, both incredibly beautiful and in shallow enough water to walk right off the sand to a spot where fish, coral, and sea fans are plentiful. There are no facilities here, though, so make sure to pack all you need for a visit, and don’t forget to wear sturdy walking shoes too. Getting over the flotsam on the beach can be a challenge.
White Sands Beach
White Sands Beach
While Grand Turk’s west coast tends to have shallow, calm waters, the trade winds mean that visiting the east coast beaches can be a rustic experience. On calm days, though, White Sands Beach is exactly that: a long stretch of white sand snaking up the island’s east coast beyond Boaby Rock Point.
Aside from offering the opportunity for some great beachcombing, this is where you can also enter the water to find some rocky patches and small reef areas around 700 feet offshore. Those who make the effort will be rewarded with some fairly pristine sites and decent schools of reef fish.
Aside from marine life, there’s a wetlands area here, too, so there’s the opportunity to spot some local bird species. Nearby, you’ll find a former British cannon battery. Dating from the 18th century, it’s also worth a look while visiting this side of this underrated Caribbean island.
Library Reef
One of the best-known spots on The Wall for beginners, Library Reef sits just offshore near Cockburn Town. While really strong swimmers could get out to Library from the beach, a boat is recommended, which is why it’s such a popular spot for organised snorkeling and diving trips on the island.
Sea fan
The Caribbean coral reef is one of the shallowest spots on The Wall making it ideal for beginner and intermediate swimmers who can either float above the coral or take relatively short free dives for a closer look. Whichever option you choose, the usual corals, sea fans, and schools of fish can be seen here, while you could even spot dolphins and barracuda on occasion.
Oasis Reef
Oasis Reef
If you’re hell-bent on seeing a shark while in Turks and Caicos, one of the best places to do so is at Oasis Reef, another popular spot on snorkeling tours of Grand Turk Wall. Diving into the water here will reveal yellowtail snappers, groupers, parrot fish, and other reef fish – but the main attraction is the nurse sharks that hang out here.
Nurse sharks are considered pretty docile with some people even calling them the “cats of the sea”, given they seem happy enough to be “stroked” by humans. Snorkel guides will point out “Lucky”, the nurse shark that’s the reef’s number one celebrity, having featured on many an underwater snap here.
North Creek Beach
For absolute beginners looking to take their first journey into snorkeling, North Creek Beach is ideal. Not only is it a beautiful spot, but as its part of a large lagoon, the waters are always calm making it an ideal place for those looking to find their feet on a first snorkeling outing.
Those calm waters also make it a favorite of kayakers, while birdwatchers also visit it for the mangrove nesting areas around the beach.
Read: Best Snorkeling Spots in the Caribbean
Grand Turk
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