Turks and Caicos Snorkeling Tours
Turks and Caicos Snorkeling Tours › What to Bring on a Turks and Caicos Snorkeling Tour: 10 Things to PackUpdated 2026-09-11

What to Bring on a Turks and Caicos Snorkeling Tour: 10 Things to Pack

Hours, prices and access verified by the Turks and Caicos Snorkeling Tours team — last checked 2026-09-11

A sailing catamaran nosed onto a white-sand beach beside a wooden pier, its boarding ladder lowered onto the sand

The short answer. Pack a towel, mineral sunscreen or a rash guard, a hat, sandals that can get wet, a dry bag for your phone and cash for your crew's tip. Most boats hand you the mask, snorkel and fins, and most fares include lunch and drinks. The extra to check on your fare is the National Trust's $20 landing fee at Iguana Island.

What each boat supplies, and what it leaves to you

Find your boat in the first column, then pack for the last one.

What each shared snorkel boat supplies, and what it leaves to you
BoatFare per personSnorkel gearFood and drink aboardNot in the fare
The Bight Park half dayFrom $125Mask, snorkel, fins and floatsLunch, soda, water, beer, rum punchTips, towels, sunblock, taxi to the beach
The Grace Bay sail and snorkelFrom $145YesDeli sandwiches, fruit, soft drinks, rum punch, beerTips, the iguana cay fee
The Half Moon Bay half dayFrom $140Not listedBreakfast and lunchTowels
The Iguana Island cruises, morning or afternoonFrom $159YesSandwiches, fruit, beer, rum punch, sodas, waterTips
The reef snorkel sailFrom $109YesSnacks and alcoholic drinksTips
The deluxe catamaran sailFrom $199YesLunch and alcoholic drinksTips
The conch and snorkel dayFrom $234YesLunch, alcoholic drinks, soda, waterTips
The Grand Turk snorkelFrom $153YesWater, a rum punch tasting, a conch tastingTips

Still choosing? Compare the Turks and Caicos snorkeling guided tours first, then pack for the one you book.

What should you bring on a Turks and Caicos snorkeling tour?

These ten things cover you for a half day on any of the boats above.

  1. A towel. No fare includes towels, and the Bight Park half day and the Half Moon Bay half day say outright that you bring your own. Take one from your hotel or villa.
  2. Mineral sunscreen. The Princess Alexandra National Park asks you to use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide sunscreen. The Bight Park half day leaves sunblock out of its fare, so put a tube in your bag.
  3. A rash guard or sun shirt. The park gives you a second choice: wear sun-protective clothing instead. You float face down for about an hour on the reef, and a shirt covers your back for all of it.
  4. A hat and sunglasses. You spend the rides between stops on an open deck. Pick a hat that fits snugly, so it stays with you when the boat picks up speed.
  5. Cash. Tips are left out of almost every fare, so you settle them with your crew on the day. The Grace Bay sail and snorkel also leaves the Iguana Island landing fee to you.
  6. Your swimsuit, already on. Wear it under your clothes and you are ready at the first stop. Add a dry layer for the ride back.
  7. Sandals or water shoes that can get wet. Most shared boats load from a beach, not a dock: The Bight Park beach, the Ritz-Carlton and Grace Bay Club beach, the Alexandra Resort beach hut and the beach below Rickie's Flamingo Cafe. You wade to the ladder, and on the iguana cay you walk a boardwalk.
  8. A dry bag or a waterproof phone pouch. Your phone comes ashore with you, and you step off the ladder into the shallows.
  9. Your own mask, if you own one that fits. Gear is supplied on the boats that name it, so you bring this for comfort, not need.
  10. A seasickness remedy, if you need one. Take it before you board, not on the water.

What does the boat already supply?

The fares that name snorkel gear hand you a mask, a snorkel and fins, and the Bight Park half day adds flotation devices.

Most half days feed you as well. The Bight Park half day serves lunch with soda, water, beer and rum punch, and the Iguana Island cruises serve sandwiches, fresh fruit and light snacks. On those boats you need no food and no water bottle. The Turks and Caicos snorkeling combo tours pair the reef with a landing, and most of them include a meal.

Check your own fare for the exceptions. The 2.5-hour reef snorkel sail has snacks, not lunch. The Grand Turk snorkel pours water and gives you a rum punch tasting and a conch tasting, so eat before you go.

The 12% government tax is already inside the fare on the Grace Bay sail and snorkel and on the Grand Turk snorkel, and the Bight Park half day includes local taxes. The guide to Turks and Caicos snorkeling tour prices shows what each fare band covers.

If you want the fare that leaves you the least to carry, the Bight Park half day supplies the gear, the floats, lunch and the drinks.

Check availability from $125

What should you leave behind?

The reefs and cays off Grace Bay sit inside a national park, and its rules travel with you on every boat.

  • Shells, coral, sand and plants. It is illegal to remove them from a national park without government permission.
  • Food for the iguanas. Feeding them is illegal. On Little Water Cay the National Trust also bans dogs, cats and smoking, and asks you to keep to the boardwalk.
  • A spear or a Hawaiian sling. Border Force lists both as restricted goods, and nobody may fish inside the national park.
  • Rubbish. The iguana cay has no litter facilities, so everything you carry ashore goes back to the boat with you.

Did you know? The international wildlife-trade convention lets you carry up to three queen conch shells per person without a permit. That covers a shell you bought or found outside the parks, never one lifted from the park.

Not sure the landing deserves an hour of your day? Read is Iguana Island worth it before you pick your boat.

Do you need a wetsuit, or your own snorkel gear?

You do not need a wetsuit. The sea runs from 78°F (26°C) in winter to 85°F (29°C) in summer, so a rash guard gives you all the warmth and sun cover you need. The best time to visit page sets out the seasons.

Useful tip. Snorkel gear in the Providenciales shops costs more than it does at home. If you want your own mask, pack it before you fly.

What do you need cash for?

Three things, and only one of them applies to every boat.

  • Your crew's tip. Almost every fare leaves gratuities out.
  • The iguana cay fee, where your fare leaves it out. The Turks and Caicos National Trust charges $20 for the short tour, $25 for the extended tour and $10 for Half Moon Bay. You can pay at the visitor centre on the cay, through most boat crews or at the Trust office.
  • A taxi to the meeting point. The Bight Park half day leaves ground transportation out of its fare.

The Trust opens the reserve from 10am to 3:30pm, Monday to Saturday. For meeting times, tax and the other extras, see planning your Turks and Caicos snorkeling trip.

What changes on a private charter or a cruise day?

On a private boat the deck is yours, so a cooler or a child's float is welcome. What is already aboard depends on the boat you book. The Club Med pickup boat carries snorkel gear, sandwiches and local beer. The outer-islands boat has snacks only, so bring your lunch. The yacht serves lunch and drinks and has gear for you. The Turks and Caicos snorkeling private charters page sets each boat beside its fare.

Arriving at Grand Turk by ship? Your bag needs a ship card and photo ID as well, and the post on snorkeling from a cruise ship has that list. Packing for children is covered on the family friendly Turks and Caicos snorkeling tours page.

Frequently asked questions

Do Turks and Caicos snorkeling tours provide the gear?
Most do. The Bight Park half day names snorkels, fins, masks and flotation devices, and the Grand Turk snorkel includes snorkeling equipment. Check the inclusions on your own fare before you pack.
Is reef-safe sunscreen required in Turks and Caicos?
No law requires it. The Princess Alexandra National Park asks you to use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide sunscreen, or to wear sun-protective clothing. A mineral sunscreen or a rash guard follows that guideline.
Are towels provided on the boat?
No fare includes towels. The Bight Park half day and the Half Moon Bay half day state that towels are not supplied. Pack one from your hotel or villa.
Do you need a wetsuit or water shoes?
You do not need a wetsuit, because the sea runs from 78°F in winter to 85°F in summer. Footwear that can get wet does help you. Most shared boats load from a beach, and you walk a boardwalk on the iguana cay.
Can you take shells home from a snorkeling tour?
Not from the park. Removing shells, coral or sand from a national park without government permission is illegal. The wildlife-trade convention lets you carry up to three queen conch shells per person without a permit, bought or found outside the parks.

Bag packed? Between them, the boat days below supply snorkel gear, floats, breakfast and lunch; every other fare is compared on Turks and Caicos Snorkeling Tours.

Boat days to pack for