North of and just east of Great Bahama, the snorkeling at Hope Town Reef off the Abacos Islands is known for its brain coral and elkhorn coral formations. These corals provide plenty of habitat for large numbers of schooling reef fish. The Hope Town Reef snorkeling dive site is located 30 feet offshore of Hope Town to the northwest.
To reach the snorkeling at Elbow Cay, most travelers will fly commercial airlines into Nassau on New Providence or fly into Freeport on Grand Bahama Island. To reach the out islands from Nassau, you can either use Bahamas Air (which is known for late departures) or use the mail boat ferry service (393-1064). Note: If you are coming from Miami, there may even be a direct flight to Abacos Island Marsh Harbour Airport (MHH) on the weekends. There are regular flights from Florida (Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville) into Marsh Harbor Airport (MHH) on Silver Airways (a United Airlines partner).
Tip: Keep in mind while snorkeling Hope Town Reef off the Abacos Islands, the water temperture is known to vary greatly from summer (78F-84F) to winter (68F-76F).
Overall, Hope Town Reef is the 9th most popular snorkel dive spot of all 17 snorkeling dives in Abacos Islands.
