Half-Day Snorkeling Experience in Tamarindo
Tamarindo, Costa Rica
- 5 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Explore the waters surrounding the Catalina Islands off the coast of Costa Rica during snorkeling sessions on this guided tour from Tamarindo. Learn basic snorkeling and safety procedures before jumping in. Spot dolphins, puffer fish, large schools of snappers, sea turtles, and other marine life. Plus, enjoy tropical fruits onboard the boat in between snorkeling.
- Experience some of the best snorkeling areas in Costa Rica
- There’s a chance of spotting whales as they migrate
- Bring a towel, sunscreen, hat, and jacket
- Snacks are provided on board the boat
What's Included
- Snacks and water
- Professional guide
- Use of Snorkeling equipmentUse of Snorkelling equipment
- Lunch
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Operating hours.6:40 am
What To Expect
1
Tamarindo Diving
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- It is recommended to bring a towel, sunscreen, hat, and a jacket
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Minimum age is 8 years
- Maximum age is 80 years
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
MORRIS_H
The trip was EPIC! Easy to find with a great induction, quality snorkel gear, nice boat with shade, captain of the boat had great skills, epic guide-knowledgabe, felt safe, pointed out interesting things, held a nice pace as we snorkled, and we saw HEAPS of fish, eels, an eagle ray, some dolphins, turtles, and even a few whales!
Reviews
4.4
based on 117 reviews
Lisa_S, Apr 2026
Incredible experience, saw a white tip shark - swam feet away from 2 giant mantras!!! Lots of parrot fish, huge puffer fish. The staff and guides were are friendly, accommodating. I felt very safe and watched over while in the ocean. The equipment was clean and in good condition.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Hi Lisa and thank you for your review! We wish you the best and we are shure you will come back for others Ocean adventures!!!
Pura Vida
Nick_P, Mar 2026
Had a great time with friends! The captain and staff were all welcoming and great. Made it a very time for our group!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Hi Nick! Thank you for sharing your opinnion to everibody!
See you soon!
Rod_S, Mar 2026
Super friendly staff. Well equipped. Good with learners and experienced snorkellers. Saw several manta rays…a bucket list item.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you so much for your review! It was a pleasure to have you in our tour!
See you next marine adventure!
Amy_M, Feb 2026
From the moment I walked into the shop, I felt immense warmth and positive vibes. Our boat had four guides; one with the two divers and three dedicated to our snorkeling group of about 12. Their knowledge of the area was next-level.
They knew exactly where to go near the Catalina Islands, when to pause, and what to look for. We saw an incredible variety of marine life: a huge school of manta rays, angelfish, pufferfish, parrotfish, eels, starfish, and even reef sharks. We also had the surreal pleasure of hearing humpback whale song, and one guide even found an octopus for us!
Kind, knowledgeable, patient, and safety-first from start to finish. Highly, highly recommend.
Also: how can you not love Kaya, their beautiful husky and unofficial “guide dog”/mascot?
A true trip highlight. Highly recommend!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Hi Amy. This is such a wonderfull review. Thank you for sharing and leave so detailed experience. We are happy that you see and hear all the life that is around here. Our dog Caia send you a happy-move tail haha. Pura Vida.
Daryl_G, Feb 2026
Be prepared for a bumpy boat ride, you may need something for motion sickness . The guides are first rate
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Hi Daryl, good morning, yes, January and February are windy season, if there too much wind in the tour the sea becomes quite choppy. Thank you so much for your review!
Gabrielle_F, Jan 2026
Great experience snorkelling in two spots! Felt safe and got to see some cool marine life, including Manta Rays. It is a pretty small boat, shared with a lot of divers as well (probably 3/4 divers, 1/4 snorkellers)
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for your review! It was a pleasure to have you snorkeling with us! Our boat is a 36 fit catamaran with 2 engine, very stable and we think it is not very small.
See you next ocean adventure!
Mary_C, Jan 2026
The trip was very well organized. There were 12 scuba divers and eight snorkelers aboard. As a first-time snorkeler, we got plenty of time in the water with an amazing guide (Lily!) and saw scores of beautiful fish. The water was fairly rough and swells were large, but the conditions did not hinder our ability to view many gorgeous sea creatures.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Hi Mary, thanks for your review. We're glad you enjoyed the trip and saw so many animals. January and February tend to be windier than usual, so the waves can sometimes be big and the trip a bit rough.
Amy_G, Dec 2025
The loveliest people! Beautiful boat ride. Unfortunately the water was a bit murky for us but everyone worked hard to find us things to see!! Lovely way to spend a morning.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Amy! Thank you for your review! Sometimes conditions aren't perfect, but we do our best to provide the best experience. We hope to see you soon!
Elizabeth_B, Nov 2025
Amazing snorkeling and scuba diving guides! Super friendly and professional. Great drop off and pickup convenience. Loved the experience!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Hi Elizabeth, Thank you very much for the review. This help us a lot!
We are glad that everything was great for you! Pura Vida -Tamarindo Diving Staff-
Lisa_M, Nov 2025
The trip was beautiful and all the guides excellent. It is more of a diving trip than a snorkeling trip-we two were the only folks not diving. It was still lovely to be on the boat and in the water
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Hi Lisa we glad to hear that you enjoyed the experience. We offer the full experience that you may have in Catalinas Island, for snorkelers and for divers, sometimes we have more snorkelers than divers, and sometimes the other way around. Still we focus on both types of tour so everyone has a great experience like you. Thank you for your review
Kimber_S, Oct 2025
Amazing guides. Supportive, friendly and welcoming. Would highly recommend for all levels. Locations had tons of marine life.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Hi Kimber, and thank you for your review! It is important for us to share your opinion, soeveribody else can have a better idea of our tour!
See you soon!
MORRIS_H, Sep 2025
The trip was EPIC! Easy to find with a great induction, quality snorkel gear, nice boat with shade, captain of the boat had great skills, epic guide-knowledgabe, felt safe, pointed out interesting things, held a nice pace as we snorkled, and we saw HEAPS of fish, eels, an eagle ray, some dolphins, turtles, and even a few whales!
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for your review! We are glad to know that everything went as planned. Hope to see you again!
Aislinn_G, Aug 2025
Very organized and well run! Lili was a great instructor, she pointed out anything that she thought we would want to see and took care of us :) As a note, if you experience motion sickness, I would recommend taking medication beforehand, even on a calm day!
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you for coming with good vibes and wanting to enjoy this beautiful activity. You are welcome whenever you want!
Therese_M, Aug 2025
We booked a snorkling trip that was to depart at 6:55 am. We got up at 5am onky to go to the meeting point and noone was there. After calling they informed us that the trip was canceled due to rsin but no rain at all that day. They said they would issue a refund in the amount of $128 when we paid $184.15. Still havent seen any refund. I have always had good luck w this app. This is by far the worst experience we have had.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hi Therese,
We apologize for the unusual situation!
We advised you the day before the tour that the boat was in Bat Island and it was not possible to take you snorkeling!
We even gave you the option to change the day, but you decided on the refund!
We did it! Our part is refunded!
Now you must ask Viator why they did not refund their part yet!
Anyway we Relly want you to know that we always do our best to have our customers happy (you can see it from all the other reviews).
Have a wonderful day
Amy_A, Aug 2025
We had a great time! The guides were kind, knowledgeable, and cautious with all things. It was my children's first time, and they were wonderful!!
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank YOU for coming with the best vibes, you will always be welcome here!
Vanessa_A, Jul 2025
This was a great experience. The guides were very helpful and kind. I was nervous about snorkeling this way but after a while I was able to get comfortable. The waters were rough so it was a workout and we saw some pretty cool fish and sting ray. They provide snacks and water as well. Lily was warm and fun and Clara took great photos and shared them with us.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
We are happy that you enjoyed the trip. You are welcome anytime!
Derick_Z, Jun 2025
There are a lot of booze cruises that say you go snorkeling, but it’s an add on and not the point of their trip. This trip is about snorkeling! With great guides and an actual snorkel location our entire family had a blast. With kids 9,11,13 and 14, all of them loved it so much.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Hi guys! Thank you for your review! We are so happy you all enjoyed our snorkeling experience!
See you soon!
Chitra_T, Jun 2025
Clear directions. Dedicated crew available for both divers & snorkellers. Clara was very responsive to individual family needs & all of us had different capability eg. I was seasick but was able to enjoy round 1 of ocean. Unfortunately mannity rays were not swimming near us, but we saw several colored schools & puffer fish. Clara made sure all stayed together & offered to take to boat whenever we felt like it.
Clean facility, parking. Quick response on phone. Dependable business.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Hi guys and thank you for your review!
We are thankful you described our quality in such a subtle way!
See you next snorkeling adventure!
Wendy_A, Jun 2025
When we were trying to book snorkelling and looking at various reviews we were surprised at how varied they were. Hopefully this write-up will help other people understand why.
Boat trip out to Catalina Islands was lovely - we saw dolphins, turtles and flying fish. On the boat you can sit upfront if you want to with your legs dangling over the edge so best to have a phone case that you can tie to you or put round your neck.
Boat trip there and back I was fine and I never get car sick, only been boat sick once in 50 years in a storm. However, after the first snorkelling session I felt queasy so didn't have any of the snacks provided. The second snorkelling session I threw up and had to end it early. Nothing was said by the crew so when I got back I did some research. I've snorkelled before in calm or shallow waters and been fine. This was way out at sea and there was quite a swell, especially with n the second place so apparently there is such a thing as snorkelling sea sickness which I didn't realise. We were given noodles to use under our arms but one bit of advice online was that this can increase the risk of feeling sick. My daughter felt much less queasy when holding hers rather than having it under her arms. Online advice also included making sure you don't move your head to much and taking regular breaks to look at the horizon again. Some advice about this at the briefing first thing would have really helped and it would have been interesting to see if we would still have got sick if we had followed the online advice.
The other thing that would have really made the experience better would have been a copy of the pictures our guide took with her underwater camera. We are not all pros and equipped with these things. We have just been on a fantastic trip in La Fortuna and the guide sent us the photos afterwards that she took through the scope she carried.
If you are a new snorkeller don't do this trip - it might put you off if you get sick.
Otherwise I did enjoy it, the guides were polite but it could have been so much better.
Tamera_M, May 2025
So everything that the crew could do to make this enjoyable 100% happened! They had the gear and knowledgeable guides. Now if we could get the wild animals to do their part this could not be beat. Plenty of fish, Eel and even a stingray was spotted. Recommended for adult swimmers.
Response from Host, May 2025
Hi Tamera and thank you for your review!
Everybody of our team is happy about your comment!
Keep enjoying Costa Rica and see you next snorkeling adventure!
Sabina_H, May 2025
If the water is choppy and it’s kinda windy…don’t go! Half the people on the boat were puking…all three of us in my party were vomiting…and two out of three of us couldn’t snorkel! They shouldn’t have taken us out to sea that morning!
Sarah_L, May 2025
Good crew and boat, good snorkeling spots, animal sightings depend on the day. Snacks provided were good.
Response from Host, May 2025
Hi Sarah and thank you for your review! Your opinion is important for Tamarindo Diving and for the customers will reed it!
Kathleen_M, Apr 2025
This trip is probably one of the best from the moment we were picked up at our hotel to be dropped back off at the hotel as personal experience. Lily was great. Everyone who is on the crew whether they were scuba diving or going snorkeling were great and helpful. Our mask weren’t working right she gave us Tips on how to help in the future, but gave us mask. She showed us different fish. She made it very personal. I highly recommend this trip.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
We are so happy you enjoyed the trip! Also thanks to you for coming with all the good energy, clients like you make our work better.
Kristen_S, Apr 2025
I've snorkeled a lot of places in Latin America and the Caribbean and this was my worst snorkeling experience. The water was extremely rough and was extremely cloudy- visibility was poor. The main focus is on the divers- snorkeling seemed like a second thought.
Response from Host, May 2025
Hi and thank you for your review! We are happy you write your opinion, even if is opposite to all the other!
We hope next time you will find better sea conditions!
Pura vida!
Elena_S, Apr 2025
We had an AMAZING time on this tour!! We got to see dolphins, jumping manta rays, and felt very safe and prepared while snorkeling. Our guide took us to all of the best spots and even found an octopus for us to see! This was an incredible experience we would do again!
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Hi Elena and thank you for your review!
We know that our snorkeling and diving guides are very professional and prepared!
Thank you for telling it to everybody!
See you soon!
Cynthia_B, Mar 2025
From start to finish, the staff and experience was great! Everyone was very friendly, knowledgable and worked to show their guests a great time. Half the boat scuba'd, half the boat snorkeled so it kept the groups quite manageable. The snorkeling group numbered about 8 and our guide, Lily, went out of our way to make sure we saw more than just your typical fish - spotting a white-tipped reef shark (twice), two octopi, a pod of about 20 dolphins and a squadron about about 100 rays, which swam below us while some were jumping above the water. While the water is a bit murky given all the plankton, it was such a memorable experience given the larger sea animals we were able to spot because of it. Highly recommend this excursion and this local partner!
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Ho Cynthis and thank you for your review! Thank you even to describe all what you see that day!
See you next ocean adventure!
Heather_S, Feb 2025
Very friendly guides! Amazing experience! Incredible wildlife, we even saw a manta ray! We would definitely do this again!
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Hi guys and thank you for your review! You will be always more than welcome in our boat!
See you soon!
Anne_F, Feb 2025
Very well organized. Accommodating staff, very patient with inexperienced. Nice snacks provided. Gear well maintained
Stephen_G, Feb 2025
Snorkeling was quite interesting. Visibility wasnt great but that changes day to day. Guides were very professional and explained a lot about the ecosystem we were in. Bring binoculars for the boat ride for a chance to see Whales, turtles, dolphins and birds!
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Hi and thank you for your review! Lilli is the best snorkeling guide ever and nature can speak for itself!
See you next time!
Nathan_S, Feb 2025
Very fun and relatively easy activity (from someone who is not a strong swimmer)! Went by boat and got everything we needed, the water was perfect temperature (no wetsuit needed) and saw lots of colorful fish. We also saw some white tipped sharks and an eagle Ray, and on the boat ride back saw a couple humpback whales! Snacks were tasty and to was great to chat with the scuba dive people too and compare what we all saw. Overall, great morning!
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Hi Nathan and thank you for your review! We are very happy you enjoy our snorkeling tour! See you next marine adventure!
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Half-Day Snorkeling Experience in Tamarindo
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