Bora Bora Snorkeling Tours

Yes. The lagoon is mostly shallow, the water sits at roughly 25 to 30 C (77 to 86 F) all year, and most snorkel stops sit inside the lagoon, away from the strong currents of Teavanui Pass. A typical trip combines sandy shallows with blacktip reef sharks and stingrays, a coral garden busy with reef fish, and on some tours a manta ray cleaning station. Most spots are reached by boat, which is why most visitors book a tour.

It depends on what you want to see. For a short trip focused on sharks and stingrays, the Eco Snorkel Cruise runs 2.5 hours from $113 per person. For the widest mix, Reef Discovery runs 3.5 hours from $135 per person and is rated 5.0 from 1,042 reviews. For a full day with lunch, look at the Vavau or Lagoon Service full days. Our best tours list ranks seven picks.

Shared group tours on this site start at $113 per person for the 2.5-hour Eco Snorkel Cruise (also on GetYourGuide from $108). Multi-stop half days cost $130 to $135 per person, most full days with lunch $145 to $174 per person, and the adults-only canoe day and luxury catamaran $282 and $312 per person. Private boats are priced per boat: $523 for up to 5 on the solar boat and $609 to $780 for up to 4 on the others.

Yes. Most group tours include a stop in shallow sandy water where blacktip reef sharks swim around snorkelers, often alongside stingrays. On the Eco Snorkel Cruise that stop lasts about 100 minutes in knee-deep water. Blacktip reef sharks are usually under about 1.6 m (5.2 ft) and timid, and bites are rare and usually minor. Follow your guide, keep your hands to yourself and do not chase them. See the shark and stingray tours.

The sharks most snorkelers meet in the lagoon are blacktip reef sharks, which are described as timid and easily frightened off by swimmers. Bites are rare and usually minor, but they are still wild animals. Stay close to your guide and never try to touch one. Sicklefin lemon sharks also live around Bora Bora, but they are mostly seen by divers in deeper water, not on snorkel tours.

Yes. The big rays at the shallow stingray stops are pink whiprays, often well over a metre across, and they carry a venomous spine on the tail. Guides tell guests not to touch, chase or corner them, and to shuffle their feet on the sand so the rays know they are there. Injuries usually happen when a ray feels threatened. Feeding policies differ between operators, so check the listing; several tours on this site state that they do not feed.

Often, but never with a guarantee. Reef manta rays visit cleaning stations inside the lagoon all year, and researchers have identified 87 individuals there between 2015 and 2024. Some tours, including Reef Discovery, the H2O shared boat and the Rohivai full day, list mantas or a manta stop, and the Rohivai listing says plainly that mantas are not guaranteed. Keep at least 3 m away. Read more on manta ray snorkeling.

The Coral Garden is a shallow, usually calm snorkel spot inside the lagoon, busy with reef fish such as butterflyfish, parrotfish, surgeonfish and wrasse. Operators use the name for more than one site, so sources disagree on its exact location. The Eco Snorkel Cruise spends 30 minutes there and the Manu full day spends 60 minutes. Do not stand on or touch the coral. Our Coral Garden guide lists the tours that stop there.

A half day covers the essentials. The Eco Snorkel Cruise takes 2.5 hours, and Reef Discovery, H2O and Lagoon Service run 3.5 to 4 hours with several stops, so you keep half the day for the resort. A full day of 6 to 7 hours adds a motu lunch and slower pacing between stops, mostly $145 to $174 per person. Pick a full day if lunch on a small islet appeals; see the half-day tours otherwise.

It can be, especially for three or four people. The H2O private boat costs $650 per boat for up to 4, which is $162.50 each for four and $325 each for two, for 3.5 hours and 4 to 5 stops of your choosing. A shared half day costs $130 to $135 per person. Private tours carry fewer reviews than the big group trips, with 126 for H2O. Compare options on the private tours page.

Many are. The Eco Snorkel Cruise starts in knee-deep water, accepts children from age 4 and is listed as suitable for all fitness levels. Reef Discovery says no prior experience is required but asks for moderate fitness. The H2O shared boat asks that you get in and out of the water by ladder unaided. Many lagoon tours provide a float or vest for weaker swimmers, but not all, so ask when booking.

Snorkel tours run all year and the lagoon water stays at roughly 25 to 30 C (77 to 86 F). The cooler, drier season is May to October and the warmer, wetter season is November to April. Humpback whales visit French Polynesia roughly July to November, most often August to October, and some tour listings mention whales as a possible sighting along the way. Manta rays use the lagoon year-round; no peak manta season is established.

Swimwear, a towel unless the listing includes one, a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen; reef-safe sunscreen is a good idea. Bring your own mask if you have a good one, as Moana recommends for the Eco Snorkel Cruise, and check whether fins are included, since some tours list them as excluded. Water shoes help on sandbar and motu stops. Cash for gratuities is useful, because some operators list tips as excluded.

Yes. Cruise ships anchor offshore and tender passengers to the pier in Vaitape, where many tours start, and some listings offer pickup at the Vaitape pier. Choose a half day that fits your port hours, such as the 2.5-hour Eco Snorkel Cruise, and leave a margin. Reef Discovery states that refunds are not issued if a tour is missed because of late or non-arrival of a cruise ship, and free cancellation on these tours ends 24 hours before departure.