Since the park was gazetted, having been recognised for its immense beauty and bio-diversity, there has been almost no fishing or un-authorised anchoring in the Chumbe Reef Sanctuary. The reef remains in a pristine state (which nowadays is sadly rare in the world).

The reef crest, encompassing a spectacular array of hard corals, is shallow (between 1-3m according to tides). Therefore snorkelers can see all those wonders of the underwater world normally only accessible to divers. If you swim up to the reef ridge the view opens up a world of breathtaking sights. Shoals of barracuda taking advantage of the abundant prey living on the reef glide by and if you are lucky you may get a chance to see the playful dolphins cruising in and out of the abyss. Each snorkeling excursion provides new discoveries for guests and with each visit you are unlikely to be disappointed!

With negligiblefishing intrusion for so many years, the marine wildlife has become very unconcerned about those few humans moving around. The diversity of fishes is unbelievable and their tameness very natural. To watch out for:

• batfishes who have developed the habit of following snorkelers at close range all along the reef (out of curiosity?).
• our resident hawksbill turtles regularly spotted feeding on the reef. If you imitate the slow flapping movements of her front flippers with your arms while keeping your legs still, she may allow you to accompany her for a long time without showing signs of disturbance.
• lobsters peeping out from under corals, trying to investigate your presence with their long white feelers.
• large bluespotted stingrays, apparently believing they are invisible when hiding under a thin layer of sand.
• Oscar, the 1m potato grouper living in one of the caves, about 5m deep. He is too old to trust humans, so be patient if you'd like to spot him.
• large, colourful parrotfish wandering about the reef and nibbling on the algae covering the corals with a very audible scratching sound.
• many more fishes, nearly than 400 species in total; groupers, angel fish, butterfly fish, trigger fish, box fish, sweetlips, unicorn fish, trumpet fish, lion fish, moorish idols ... to name but a few.

All of these sites can be seen by snorkelling through this pristine shallow coral refuge and although SCUBA diving within the Chumbe reef sanctuary is not permitted (except for research and filming activities), it is still possible to enjoy diving on the nearby reefs (please check with our reservations department for details).