Caño Island Snorkeling (CR Dive and Surf)

For this tour you will need to drive to Uvita

Person $165

13+ years 

Deposit $20

Kids $130

4-12 years

Deposit $15

* This tour requires MULTIPLE payments

Have a question?

Feel free to reach out and we’re happy to answer any questions you may have.

Overview

This tour is at CAÑO ISLAND National Park.

Embark on the best Caño Island snorkeling tour from Uvita, Costa Rica. This guided Caño Island snorkel adventure with turtles and sharks is a CR Dive and Surf Isla del Caño snorkeling with lunch from Uvita. This family-friendly marine life snorkeling tour to Caño Island is a must-do for nature lovers.

Enjoy a full-day Caño Island snorkel with dolphins and rays in Costa Rica. Our professional guided snorkeling at Isla del Caño biological reserve offers snorkeling visibility over 80 feet at Caño Island from Uvita. This eco-friendly Caño Island snorkel with whales and manta rays is an unforgettable experience. Check out the CR Dive and Surf reviews for Caño Island snorkeling adventure to see what our guests are saying.

This tour is at CAÑO ISLAND National Park.

The Caño Island Biological Reserve is a wonderland of marine life, replete with vibrant coral and stunning aquatic creatures.

Caño Island Snorkeling Tour is your ticket to spectacular snorkel sites widely praised as some of the best snorkels in the world, not just the best in Costa Rica.

Just 32 miles offshore of Uvita Beach and positioned squarely within a massive current of the Pacific Ocean, Isla del Caño draws a diverse population of migratory creatures, such as whales and turtles, to its adjacent environments as well as hosting over 70 indigenous species within its borders. The colorful and majestic living-reef system surrounding the island is replete with marine organisms, including multiple types of Shellfish, Sponges, Mollusks, Arthropods, Fish, Marine Reptiles and Sea Mammals. Common, Bottlenose, and Spotted Dolphins are regularly seen, as well as White Tip and Reef Sharks. Eagle Rays, Giant Manta Rays and Moray Eels are also regular sights on many of our snorkels. If you’re really lucky you might see a Whale Shark or a Humpback Whale, which—while rare—have been spotted during some of our Caño Island Snorkel Tours during whale-watching season.

You will need to arrive at the Uvita dive shop at 7am for check in. The tour departs from Punta Uvita at 7:30 AM and arrives at Caño Island approximately 1 ½ hours later.

The boat will head back to Uvita beach at 2.00-2.30 pm surrounding the coast where you will be able to see from the boat the largest Mangrove forest under protection in Central America; Terraba Mangrove Forest. The boat will arrive back in Uvita around 2.00 pm to 3.00 pm

Important

Includes

Recommendations

Questions

What kind of marine life can I expect to see during the Caño Island Snorkeling tour?

You can expect to see a variety of marine life, including tropical fish, rays, and possibly even sharks or turtles. The clear waters around Caño Island are known for their rich biodiversity.

Most tour operators provide snorkeling gear. However, if you have your own equipment and prefer to use it, you can bring it along. Just check with the operator beforehand.

The tour is generally not very strenuous, but some swimming and floating are required. If you’re comfortable in the water and can swim, you should be fine. Guides are there to assist if needed.

Reviews

Snorkeling Satisfaction!

July 2, 2025

We had a wonderful experience on our snorkeling trip to Cano Island. All the staff were amazing, but Guillermo was specifically our snorkeling guide and was amazing at pointing out the different species and diving down to really point them out. Definitely recommend taking this trip!

Jennifer Sproul

Response from Manuel Antonio National Park | Information Center

Hi Jennifer,

Thank you so much for your wonderful 5-star review! We’re thrilled to hear you had such a satisfying snorkeling experience on your trip to Caño Island.

It’s fantastic to know that our entire staff made your trip amazing, and we’ll be sure to pass along your special shout-out to Guillermo. He truly is exceptional at spotting and pointing out all the incredible marine life.

We appreciate your strong recommendation and hope you’ll join us for another adventure in Costa Rica soon!

Muchas gracias

Michael R

Amazing day!

May 23, 2024

The crew was very professional, friendly and super well organised.

They carefully prepared bottles for each person with their names on it, provided a breakfast, snack and lunch. All the food was delicious!

During the 2 x 1 hour snorkelling, we got to see turtles, sharks, and many different fish species. We really enjoyed the experience!

Lise

Amazing tour

February 18, 2024

Incredible activity!! It was a 3 in 1 for us. First snorkeling, then on the way back we saw dolphins and even a whale and third we did a tour in the mangrove! It was magical and breathtaking. The only negative point is that the corals were mostly white, and therefore dead… which makes a less diverse and lively marine fauna. Still, we were lucky enough to see: sea turtles, some beautiful fishes and a reef shark. I highly recommend this trip!

Daphnée

Great Experience

December 15, 2023

Josue was a superb tour guide and made our experience wonderful and memorable.

It is easy to see why he was so very proud to be in his position and to speak on Costa Rica’s beautiful culture and environment.

Of course you have to understand that one cannot guarantee that you’ll see any one specific animal. Still, we saw a bunch of cool ones: turtles, fish, rays, crabs, mollusks, small shark (not interested in us at all), sloths et al. The mangroves were a sight to see, too. We were in awe of how important and vital they are to life on this planet. My advice would be to not have any expectations on what you’ll see. Just enjoy it.

Also a big shout out to his boat captain, John. That guy could spot a brown, unmoving caterpillar on a brown tree 500 meters away. He spotted us a couple of sloths or “oso perezoso” all while piloting the boat however fast we were going. We could hardly see it once we were even aware of where they were!

Tip: Wear sunscreen and reapply often!

Jared

Excellent!

December 6, 2023

We had a fantastic time! Our guide pointed out all kinds of marine life and lunch+fruit on the boat was delicious. We highly recommend this tour.

Jeremy and Stephanie

Beautiful place and very professional tour

November 3, 2023

I could not be more impressed with how organized, professional, friendly and knowledgeable this crew was. Very impressed, highly recommended.

Matt Calhoon

The staff is exceptional

August 14, 2023

Please, give them your money! You will not regret it.

This was my 4th tour and this was by far the most organized and friendliest staff of the lot. I want to mention Henry, who took me to the store and ended up paying for my anti-sea sickness pill.

The ride to the island is a bit long, 1 hour and 20 minutes. If you have a way to listen to music or to distract yourself do it. It’s a bit rough at first but heh.

There are two snorkeling sessions, about 45 min. each. On the first one, I heard a whale singing when I dove in. I saw 2 sea turtles and countless fish.

In between, you get fresh fruit and a trip to the beach.

The second session did not disappoint either. I saw pufferfish in several development stages and more sea turtles.

The water is very warm, but I recommend wearing a shirt.

The staff gives you food, explains the biology of the reserve, gives you visual fish guides and then it’s back to the point of departure. The ride back takes 45 minutes.

Veronique

Awesome excursion!

February 2, 2022

We loved our snorkeling adventure! Between my dad and I, we saw an octopus, sea turtles, a sea cucumber and a variety of tropical fish. Our lunch and the drinks provided were DELICIOUS! Our tour guide was informative, and the entire boat crew was friendly. We had to pass through some garbage patches on our way to and from the island. It was a sad sight, very eye-opening! We were able to take about three bags of trash out and a whole lawn chair! We went in June and the weather was beautiful and the water was warm! As great as the snorkeling was, if you are of the more adventurous type I would highly recommend you take one of their diving tours instead! Two people on our boat were beginner divers and they were being shown how to dive. They got to go thirty feet deep and see the marine life closer than we did snorkeling! I highly recommend the snorkeling excursion. My dad and I wish we would have dived instead though!

Isabel Farley

A great day on the water

January 25, 2022

We had a group of 8 and I believe everyone had an amazing experience. The service was exceptional. It takes a lot of work from guides, boat crew, food prep, etc and the entire team seemed upbeat and professional. The scenery was great as was the food and information provided by our guides.

Chad Clark

AWESOME Snorkeling Trip!

January 24, 2022

We had very organized equipment set up, check-in, and meet and greet with our guide. A beautiful trip out to the island. And lots of help spotting sharks, turtles, and beautiful fish. Would highly recommend it. (And the lunch was great, too)

Sarah Dickson

Awesome experience

July 25, 2021

Leo is such a nice person with a lot of knowledge, the crew was super helpful and everything was smooth… Totally recommended.

Andrey

Great snorkeling trip!

February 26, 2020

The crew was super helpful and friendly. They made a great lunch for the boat and the local knowledge was exceptional

Anthony Trietch

An incredible experience!

February 24, 2020

We did this trip for my daughter’s 13th birthday and were not disappointed! What an incredible day! The check-in process was very easy and laid back. The food in the lobby was delicious, and the instructions given were very clear. The boat ride was amazing, as we also took the time to wander over to some whales who were entertaining us in another area. The snorkeling was fantastic, and our guides were very helpful showing us where to look, how to dive, etc. The lunch was delicious and the overall boat rides were very smooth. Thank you so much for such an incredible day. We are very grateful!

Karlee