**If you’re ready to book the Caño Island snorkeling tour, scroll to the bottom of the post to fill out your booking request!*
I peered over the side of the boat to check out the water, as the rest of the group started getting their snorkel gear ready.
From first glance, I could already see schools of fish swimming around in the brilliant blue waters.
Flashes of bright yellow from the stripes on large Sergeant majors winked at me from below the water, while streaks of dazzling silver from jacks glimmered deeper down.
Excitement came over me, erasing any sign of sleepiness I had on the 1 and a half hour boat ride.
I quickly donned my mask and snorkel to dive into the warm welcoming waters and I have to be honest, I had high hopes for snorkeling at Cano Island.
It didn’t disappoint.
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Snorkeling at Caño Island
Designated as the 2nd best snorkel and scuba diving site in Costa Rica, Caño Island, Isla de Caño in Spanish, sits in the Pacific Ocean about 52 kilometers (32 miles) from Marino Ballena National Park.
This biological reserve is home to a copious amount of marine wildlife such as sharks, eagle rays, fish and turtles.
On any given day, visibility is fairly good and visitors have the chance to see all sorts of wildlife.
On the boat ride over, we saw dolphins and turtles. Sometimes you can see humpback whales if it’s the right time of year!
Best Snorkeling in Uvita
Scuba diving and snorkeling at Caño Island is one of the top activities to do in Uvita and the Osa Peninsula and it was one of our favorite experiences in Costa Rica so far.
From the moment we jumped into the water, we were surrounded by all of those who call the ocean home.
Our guide called us to follow him, and no less than a minute later we were swimming with a juvenile Hawksbill turtle, grazing on the reef.
It didn’t mind us at all, focusing only on finishing his lunch.
It swam with us for a bit, even coming all the way to the surface to take a breath and dive back down.
I could have watched him all day and been very happy.
But after 10 minutes or so, our guide signaled for us to follow him. He opened his hands to show us the size of the fish swimming ahead.
They were huge.
And there were so many of them.
All the Fish!
A large school of Bigeye Jacks were swimming around underneath us, with so many dashes of silver my eyes couldn’t quite focus just on how many there were.
The only way to find out was to dive down and swim with them, so I did just that.
Going deeper into the water makes everything so much clearer and more vivid. I love snorkeling, but only when you dive as far down as you can to get a much better view of all the wildlife.
The Jacks quickly sprinted out of my way as I approached, but there were so many they ended up surrounding me.
I could also see my favorite angel fish and purple parrot fish slyly swimming around with the jacks, taking advantage of the big school to hide.
As I was happily floating alongside a very long trumpet fish, I bumped into Yeison. We had lost each other when we were swimming with the Jacks, as he was taking the pictures and videos.
We couldn’t believe that it took us 3 years to finally go snorkeling at Caño Island! Especially considering how much we love snorkeling and the ocean.
Our guide then waved us over to our next spot to look for white tip reef sharks but to no avail.
As we were snorkeling, we couldn’t see all the way down in the crevices of the reefs. However, the group next to us happened upon a large group of eagle rays.
Either way, the snorkeling at Caño Island was beyond anything what we had expected.
The Second Best Snorkeling in Costa Rica
I can definitely see now why the snorkeling at Cano Island is one of the best in Costa Rica.
The clarity of the water was absolutely insane, even though it looked cloudy and dark above water! Underneath was as clear as day.
Watch our video to see what snorkeling at Cano Island is like!
Tips for Snorkeling at Cano Island
- Wear a rash guard. I forgot mine and got stung a bunch of times by those annoying jellyfish!
- Put on sunscreen! And please use reef safe sunscreen.
- Take anti-nausea medicine if you get sea sick.
- The boat ride from Uvita is around 1.5 hours.
- Bring a waterproof camera like a GoPro or DJI Action Cam.
Where to Stay in Uvita
Hotel Cuna del Angel: Charming hotel off Costanera Sur close to Uvita. Spacious rooms with resident sloths!
Los Laureles Cabinas: Budget friendly cabinas on a beautiful property with a river and nature trail. Excellent restaurant.
Hotel Uvita Forest: Near downtown with a pool, gated parking and standard rooms with air conditioning and hot water.
Manoas: Villas and glamping resort up in the mountains. The glamping tents are awesome and is located by a river.
Book Your Tour!
Use the form below to book your Caño Island snorkeling tour from Uvita!
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Marco says
Any idea of the price to go out for a snorkel trip to cano ?
Sammi says
Hi Marco, I just emailed you!
Arthur says
Hello,
How much do you recommend tipping the crew?
Thank you!
Sammi says
Tipping is generally around 10% but it is optional, not mandatory in Costa Rica (though appreciated of course)
Joan Levinsohn says
what company would you recommend for snorkeling out of Drakes Bay, My husband and myself are going in end of February. Is it worth it?
What company would you recommend from Drakes Bay for a day trip into Corvavdo National Park? Is it worth it?
Thanks
Sammi says
Hi Joan! Pachecho tours is a great one. I just you an email with their info.
Jane says
Do they offer scuba diving tours?
Sammi says
Bahia Aventuras doesn’t but check out Cano Divers, they do scuba diving trips there.
Will Chou says
This sounds amazing. I was wondering what time of year you went and what is the recommended time of year to go to see the dolphins and sea turtles.
Sammi says
Hi Will! We went beginning of January and it was great for clarity and wildlife. I am not positive about the conditions in that area but I believe in dry season it is clearer.
Erin says
I will be staying in Matapalo and plan to do a day trip to Cano Island. Any suggestions for tours closer to where I’m staying? I’m guessing I’d be leaving from Drake Bay. Any suggestions welcome!
Sammi says
Hi Erin, if you’re staying at the Matapalo near Quepos, you can leave from Uvita, tour companies run Cano Island from there too. If you’re staying at the Matapalo down in Osa Peninsula, you’re on the other side of the Osa Peninsula so it will be too far. You can only do this tour from Uvita, Sierpe or Drake Bay.
Amanda says
Hello!
WONDERFUL! We are so thrilled to read this post. We have been searching for a great snorkeling place, however – we are staying in Jaco. Is this still a recommended (worth it) tour being that far away?
Sammi says
Hi Amanda, if you’re only staying in Jaco and not going anywhere else, then yes it’s definitely worth it because there aren’t any other really good snorkel spots in that area. You can snorkel in Manuel Antonio but it’s not very good.
Sammi says
Cocos Island National Park, about 340 miles off the coastline. It’s a UNESCO world heritage site and only very few diving companies are allowed to go there.
Ralph says
You recommend putting on sunscreen, but you might not know that sunscreen is actually harmful to corals and other invertebrate marine life. An alternitive would be to wear long sleeves. With the fresh breeze on the boat, and the coolness of the water, it wouldn’t even be that hot.
Sammi says
Hi Ralph, that’s very true! In my sunscreen post I recommend reef safe mineral sunscreen and rash guards if people plan to go swimming/snorkeling. Many of them are not just bad for reefs but for humans as well which people don’t realize. It’s more about protecting the skin than the heat since you can easily burn when you’re on the boat or while you’re snorkeling as well.
phil west says
so what is the number one place to snorkel? Did Isla de Cano in 2010.
Tom Griffiths says
Isla CoCo. I made the same mistake. Coco #1, Cano #2. The names are too similar!
Pamela says
A good post for the guidance, I always love adventure sports. And it’s sure on my to do list. Will visit soon 🙂 And thanks for the post