Antigua Reef Riders Self-Drive Boat and Snorkeling Tour
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Five Islands Village, Antigua and Barbuda
- 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Hop in your own 2-seater motorized boat and follow a guide to secluded natural locations off the coast of Antigua. In addition to navigating, your guide brings you to the best that the island has to offer, from the coastline views of Darkwood Beach to a snorkeling session at Antigua National Marine Park. Round-trip hotel transport is included for your convenience.
- Cruise off the coast of Antigua on an inflatable Reef Rider boat
- Guided snorkeling with provided equipment
- Bottled water provided, so you can stay hydrated on your tour
- Hassle-free round-trip transport from Antigua included
What's Included
- Transport by air-conditioned vehicle
- 2 1/2 hour self drive boat tour
- Snorkeling equipment
- Price is based on 2 people sharing 1 boat.
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
We pick up from all hotels, ports or villas in Antigua. EXACT PICK UP TIME WILL BE COMMUNICATED TO YOU. PLEASE CHECK YOUR MESSAGES. IF YOU DON’T REPLY TO CONFIRM YOUR PICK UP THEN YOUR BOOKING WILL BE CANCELLED. Morning Tour Pick up between 08:15am and 09:30am - exact time dependent upon location. Drop off between 12:30pm and 1:15pm
Arranged start time
Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.
- 06/01/2026 - 04/30/2027
Monday - Sunday : 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
What To Expect
1
Cades Reef
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Minimum age of passenger 5
- Minimum age of driver 18
- Maximum carrying capacity of 400 lbs per boat.
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Brenda_R
The boats were very exciting and “sporty”. The snorkeling was amazing and the staff is first rate. I highly recommend if you are up for adventure.
Reviews
4.9
based on 420 reviews
Jerrylloyd_L, Apr 2026
The excursion itself was great! We did, however, have an issue with the provided transportation and the way our delayed arrival was handled.
Our driver went to the wrong resort and was 30 minutes late getting to us. No problem, we understand mistakes. But he was hell bent on making I p the time on our way there. He was trying shortcuts, passing anything possible and basically maus do car sick we weren't sure we could do the boats. Alot of his anxious concern was from the excursion office calling him every 5 minutes asking when he would arrive, making him drive even crazier. When we finally arrived we received several comments of "glad you finally arrived"
Once we settled in, got our equipment and moved to our boats everything became much more like the expwe hoped for. Scooby was great leading us and explaining what we were to do.
Overall, a great experience but make sure your transportation they supply knows exactly where to pick you up
Greg_H, Apr 2026
Absolutely amazing and I highly recommend this tour! I would give it 10 stars if I could. Scooby was an amazing guide!
Brenda_R, Mar 2026
The boats were very exciting and “sporty”. The snorkeling was amazing and the staff is first rate. I highly recommend if you are up for adventure.
William_E, Mar 2026
It can get a little rough but the boats are very stable and Scubi was a great guide! It’s breezy so make sure your hat is secure. The equipment provided was top notch. The reef is a popular spot so expect company when you stop to snorkel. Great way to see some coastline and spend a few hours for sure.
Kara_F, Feb 2026
This is the tour of all tours… you MUST do this activity!!! We went about 10 miles down the coast and out to Cades Reef! We snorkeled a while and saw incredible marine life! The boats are freaking incredible!! We were lucky enough to have Scooby go out with us on the tour and he was a blast! Driving & riding in the boat was the most fun! This tour was hands down our favorite!
Craig_B, Jan 2026
The boats are great fun. Very stable. We own a jet ski and prefer this boat. Scooby was a great and fun guide. We did I pick a great day for snorkeling. If you have time and snorkeling is important, check the weather and pick a low wind day. Boats could use a ladder to make it easier to get back on board but Scooby helped anyone that needed additional. Definitely would go again.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for the great review. Really glad you enjoyed the boats and found them stable, especially as jet ski owners that means a lot.
Scooby will be happy to hear your kind words. He takes pride in looking after everyone and making sure guests feel comfortable both in and out of the water, and is happy to assist any guest back into the boat.
We’d love to have you back out with us again next time you’re in Antigua.
JAYMA_M, Jan 2026
Our family of 6 had a wonderful day on the water with Scooby. Plenty of time to snorkel the reef and enjoy the area. Only comment I want to share that is noteworthy is that it is very difficult to get back into the boats if you don’t have good upper strength. Thank goodness one of the other guests (tall/strong gentleman) offered me assistance by extending his bent knee (we were all still floating in the water) to step on which got me up out of the water enough to get into the boat. I’m a 5’6” 170 lb /60 yr old woman so not that large. Scooby Did Not offer any assistance. I was very thankful the other man offered to help me.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and for the kind words about your day on the water. We’re really glad your family enjoyed the time snorkeling and exploring the reef together.
I’m sorry to hear that getting back into the boats was such a struggle for you, and that you didn’t feel supported at that moment. That’s not how we want our guests to feel, and your feedback is important.
Our guides are trained to offer guests need a little extra help getting back into the boats. Some guests prefer to try to get back on themselves, and I’m sure if you’d asked for help then Scooby would have assisted. We’ve never left anyone at the reef in over 10 years of operating.
We appreciate you being so honest about what happened. It helps us improve the experience for future guests. If you ever return to Antigua, we’d be very happy to welcome you back and make sure things go more smoothly.
NANCY_W, Jan 2026
What an amazing fun time! Scooby is a great guide! Very patient and makes sure everyone is comfortable and well taken care of from beginning to end! Just do it! You will have an amazing day!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for the lovely review. Really glad you had such a fun day with us.
Scooby will be very happy to read this. He genuinely cares about making sure everyone feels comfortable and looked after on the water.
Cole_B, Jan 2026
We had a great time with Scooby! He was funny and showed us the best reef. We are definitely coming back next time we are in Antigua!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for such a nice review. It’s great to hear you had a brilliant day out with Scooby and that the reef lived up to expectations.
He’ll be really pleased to know you enjoyed your time on the water with him.
We’d love to have you back with us whenever you return to Antigua!
James_S, Jan 2026
Excellent communication and coordination with driver and fantastic staff at the docks. Rasta was our guide and he was great. Best snorkeling equipment of any of our five island snorkeling trips. Little boards were a lot of fun. Trip was cut a bit short due to some inconsiderate folks arriving late. Not the operators fault. Be considerate and be on time! This is a really great tour!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for such a thoughtful review. Really glad to hear the communication, the team at the dock and your time with Rasta all worked well for you.
Great to know you appreciated the snorkel gear too, we put a lot of care into keeping it in good condition. The little boats are hard not to love, so I’m happy you had fun with them.
And thank you for understanding about the timing, we always try our best to keep things running smoothly for everyone.
When we have cruise ship guests then we have 3 golden rules.
1) Get everyone back safe
2) Get everyone back on time
3) Everything else is negotiable!
We appreciate you choosing us and recommending the tour. Hope to see you out on the water with us again one day.
Ron_S, Jan 2026
Scooby was friendly. Wave runners fun but snorkel spot a bit too bleached out with limited fish.
Dun activity either way.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for your feedback and for spending the day with us. Glad you enjoyed the boats and that Scooby looked after you well.
Reef conditions do change with weather and tides, so some days are better than others for fish sightings. There are usually tons of fish!
Really appreciate you saying it was still a fun activity overall.
Hope to see you out on the water again next time you’re in Antigua.
Graham_T, Dec 2025
Fantastic day out with Scooby on these wonderful machines
Well looked after and never laughed so much in a long time.
Ending the day snorkeling on a reef where we witnessed a fantastic array of colourful fish.
Would highly recommend.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for the lovely review. Really glad you had such a fun day out with Scooby and that you enjoyed the boats so much.
Glad you saw lots of colorful fish. It’s always best if you follow the guide as they know where the best spots are.
We really appreciate the recommendation and hope to welcome you back again next time you’re in Antigua.
Shona_M, Dec 2025
We thoroughly enjoyed this activity but if you are elderly, bigger build you will really struggle to get back on board it . The straps are no use at all, us and ones next to us had to come on from the back using the outboard motor to pull ourselves up from the back which is lower , I have 3 huge black bruises on my stomach from this . Our guide super friendly guy but once we got out to reef he left us 4 older ones just to get on with it while he concentrated on the 2 young scantily clad girls and a male who was with them . Myself and the man next to us didn’t enjoy in water as it was pretty rough but he never once came to check on us . They really need a floating pontoon or steps to get back onto it . Really enjoyed time on boat though .
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you for sharing your feedback. It’s good to hear you enjoyed the boat ride, but I’m sorry the in-water part of the tour wasn’t as comfortable for you.
We have guests from 5 to 95, of all shapes and sizes, although our boats do have an operational weight limit of 400lb per boat.
Getting back onto the boats can be more challenging for some guests, especially in choppier conditions, so your comments on re-boarding are helpful. Every single one of the tens on thousands of guests that we’ve taken out over the years have gotten back into the boats. Some more elegantly than others. Our guide should be strong enough to assist all guests. It’s all about the technique.
I’m also sorry you didn’t feel supported enough while in the water. Every guest should feel checked on and looked after throughout the snorkel, and we’ll be following up with the guide to make sure this doesn’t happen again. I know exactly which tour you were on, as the particular lady in question was a Victoria Secrets lingerie model, nevertheless the safety and comfort of all guests is of the utmost importance.
We appreciate you taking the time to tell us what worked and what didn’t. It helps us improve the experience for everyone. If you return to Antigua, we’d be happy to look after you again and make sure things go more smoothly.
Christy_D, Dec 2025
One of our most favorite cruise excursions EVER- out of 100+. Unique experience driving/riding out to an amazing shallow-deep reef with a small group of 8. Scooby our tour guide was knowledgeable, informative, fun and cautious to ensure our safety in the water and on the reef. Will be referring many friends and clients to this excursion and hope to see similar excursions on other islands. 💕💕💕 Thank you also to Lisa our knowledgeable and friendly driver to and from the port. Please ensure you tip your tour guides and drivers for their amazing service.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you for such a fantastic review. It means a lot to hear that this was one of your favourite excursions out of so many.
Great to know you enjoyed the ride out to the reef and the small group feel. It really does make the experience more relaxed.
Scooby will be very happy to hear your feedback. He works hard to keep things fun while also keeping everyone safe in and out of the water.
Lisa will appreciate the mention as well. She’s a star and loves meeting our cruise guests.
Thank you for recommending us to others. We really appreciate the support and hope we get to welcome you back the next time you visit Antigua!
Jason_P, Nov 2025
Very fun experience . We were pretty annoyed at the start. Had to wait 50 minutes in the sun because the driver left us and didn’t know we were also to be picked up (we were 10 mins early even) . So not the best start at all , to ensure this does not happen again , whomever the driver is needs to confirm with their company that all passengers are aboard . For a time dependent excursion (I came on a cruise) that had already facilitated the company by changing from the morning excursion to the afternoon, time was of the essence.
Otherwise it was a fun trip
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Hi Jason
Thank you for your review. As I said to you in our messages. I’m sorry. I know it was incredibly frustrating.
We are not allowed to use our own drivers from the port. We have to deal with the St John’s Taxi Association.
We used to deal directly with the president of the association, an incredibly kind and professional man. Unfortunately as I explained to you, just two weeks ago, Valentino died. He personally brought thousands of guests to us, and is praised in many of our older reviews and is greatly missed by us all. Lisa, your driver stepped in to assist. She had all of the necessary paperwork but was confused by a late addition to the tour. We will need to work with her on improving her organizational skills and we will closely monitor her performance. She has done quite well in her new role, but it’s clear that there needs to be some improvement. It’s our job to make the booking process easy and to make sure you get picked up on time by a reliable driver, in a reliable vehicle, like we’ve done so tens of thousands of times over the last 10 years.
To be clear, you didn’t “facilitate the company by changing from the morning to the afternoon excursion”. We didn’t change it. We were sold out on the morning tour and you accepted the later tour. We would never ask anyone to change their time once the booking is confirmed.
Despite the regrettable late pick up we’re glad that you enjoyed the tour!
Kind regards
Andy
Angela_B, Nov 2025
This experience was wonderful! Scooby was a great guide. The boats were easy to drive, and felt more stable than jet skis. The off-shore coral reef was a great place to snorkel and we saw lots of ocean life during our time in the water. We enjoyed the entire experience and would defiantly do it again!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you so much for sharing this lovely review. Really glad to hear you enjoyed the whole experience from the boats to the reef itself.
Great to know you found the boats easy to handle, that’s exactly what we aim for, a fun ride that still feels nice and stable on the water.
Scooby will be chuffed to hear he helped make the day such a good one for you.
Sounds like you had a fantastic snorkel too!
We’d be delighted to have you back for round two whenever you’re in Antigua again. Thanks for the recommendation!
Oscar_F, Nov 2025
Scooby was the best very patient with my non swimmer wife, even made a special stop for us thank you .very safe ill highly recommend
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you so much Oscar for the kind review. We’re really glad to hear you had a great experience with us.
Scooby will be so happy to know he helped your wife feel comfortable in the water, he’s fantastic at looking after guests and making sure everyone feels safe.
We truly appreciate the recommendation and hope we’ll get to welcome you back again soon.
Frankie_p, Nov 2025
The reef riders were super fun and we saw so much when we were snorkelling in the reef. The guide was really friendly and fun and the pick up was really easy.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you for the amazing review. We’re thrilled to hear Reef Riders was your favourite tour of the trip. Love it.
So glad you had a blast on the boats and got to see so much on the reef. I’ll pass your shout-out to the guide, they’ll be buzzing to hear it.
Great to know the pickup was smooth too.
Hope we’ll see you again for another adventure in Antigua.
Thanks for riding with us.
Aisilinn_L, Nov 2025
It was so much fun! A must try, something different than most excursions. We had a blast and are interested in buying one of their little boats now just because they were so fun!😊 Scooby was AMAZING! We had a great group and all of reef riders were great to work with. Our favorite excursion we have done!!!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thanks a million for sharing such an incredible review. We’re so happy to hear you had a blast with Reef Riders and that it ended up being your favourite excursion. That’s fantastic to hear.
Those little boats are seriously fun and we love that you’re now thinking about getting one yourself. They really do put a smile on your face.
Huge thank you for the shout-out to Scooby. He’s a star and will be thrilled to know he helped make your day unforgettable.
It was great having your group out with us and we’d love to see you again for another adventure in Antigua.
Really appreciate you choosing Reef Riders.
Mark_O, Nov 2025
Awesome! Scooby was the best guide ever and we truly had a unique boat ride and snorkeling experience in clear turquoise waters along beautiful beaches.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We’re thrilled you enjoyed the ride and the snorkelling in those gorgeous turquoise waters. Scooby will be delighted to hear he helped make your experience extra special.
We’re lucky to call these beaches home and even happier when guests love them as much as we do. Hope to welcome you back for another adventure soon!
Amy_T, Jul 2025
It was an amazing experience. Scoopy and I’m so sorry I’m blanking on the other man’s name who was also totally awesome. They were helpful how to operate the boat. And the snorkeling was fantastic. All the fishes were so beautiful. It was a blast. The only problem was me getting on back on the boat. But I’m not to gracefully to start with. But we would do it all over again.
I would highly recommend anyone to try this excursion.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hi Amy
Thank you for your awesome review. I’m glad you had a great time. Cades Reef definitely has the best selection of fish in Antigua. Scooby and Rashique say Hi!
Anthony_G, Jul 2025
Very fun and exciting time, would do it again without question. The guides were knowledgeable and gentlemen to boot. The whole staff was professional yet laid back.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for your kind review. The new team are gelling nicely and it’s awesome to hear such great feedback.
Kim_B, Jun 2025
This was A LOT of fun! We had great guides and thoroughly enjoyed our experience. It was nice snorkeling with just us and getting individual attention.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
We’re glad you all had a great time!
I’ll pass on your kind comments to the new team!
Amy_D, May 2023
A MUST DO! Tigger was an amazing host while in Antigua. From Abe our taxi driver whom Reef Riders arranged, to his knowledge of the island with so much rich history and culture. To meeting Rachel who got us all checked in got our snorkels, provided water and had sunscreen and phone protecting pouches for us. To Tigger who undoubtedly loves his job and where he lives. We got to drive out a ways and the views were out of this world. Once we got to (his office) we got all our equipment on and jumped on in. There was a pretty strong wind which made it kinda hard to snorkel and we kept drifting off but got to look down and the reefs was stunning! While I wish the wind wasn’t so strong, unfortunately we can not control Mother Nature. If you want to see the island on your own private tour I highly recommend booking directing with Reef Riders you will not be disappointed!
Andrew_P, May 2023
Had a great trip, Tigger the guide was very friendly and the boats are great fun especially when you hit the big waves. Plenty of fish to be seen whilst snorkeling
Teresa_V, May 2023
Enjoyed driving the boats around the island to the snorkeling spot. Very relaxed, snorkel as long as we liked. Did not need to worry about getting back on the boat, as Tigger instructed, I did the "Superman" pose and he pulled me right up, it was a good laugh.
Melissa_M, Apr 2023
Tigger was a fabulous guide.. worth every penny.. only suggestion would be to have a camera to take pictures of the adventure.. and the email to to the participants.. we didn’t have our phones with us so unfortunately we have no pictures to show for the fun we had
Jill_O, Dec 2022
We were met by a driver as instructed, drove to site of our boats. The tour guide/owner was friendly & comfortable. Few safety instructions & off we go. The views of island were beautiful. We saw a few fish snorkeling. A little rough water so he gave us noodles to help out. Getting back on the boat was a little hard, but with with help I got back on. Highly recommend!! Will be a highlight of our cruise.
Mickie_S, Dec 2022
We had a fantastic time with Reef Riders. Tiger our tour guide was excelellent. Highly reommend this group and look forward to joining them in the future.
Mickie & Steve
Michele_T, Nov 2022
I would highly recommend this trip, the boats were great fun, the views of local beaches wonderful and we saw loads of fish when snorkelling at the reef. I am not confident at snorkelling but that wasn’t a problem I felt totally ok with this trip. A great morning.
From $180.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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