The water along this stretch of the Albanian Riviera is unusually clear, and that is the real reason snorkelling here is worth doing. What it is not is a coral reef. This is what you actually get, where on our route it is worth putting the mask on, and what decides whether you get a good session or a cloudy one.
Set the right expectations first
Albanian water is Mediterranean water. You will see wrasse, bream, sand gobies, seagrass beds, sea urchins wedged into the rock, and with some luck an octopus that has decided a crevice is home. You will not see coral gardens or parrotfish. What you will get on a calm morning is a long way of clear visibility over pale limestone — a different kind of pleasure, and arguably a rarer one.
Where on the route it is worth it
Gremina — the best of them
Gremina is the one to prioritise. The cliff continues underwater as a series of steps and ledges, so all the interest sits in the first few metres against the wall rather than out in open blue. Swim along the rock, not away from it.
Kakome — the most relaxed
A longer stop, mid-afternoon, with drinks already open on board. Plenty of people stay aboard for this one, which means the water is quieter than you would expect. Good rocky edges and an easy entry.
Roidhe Bay — the safe option
More open and sandier, so less dramatic underwater, but it is the calmest of the swim stops and shallow enough near shore to stand up. If you are nervous in open water, or you are getting a child into a mask for the first time, this is the stop to do it at.
Turtle Cave — do not plan on it
It reads like the obvious snorkel stop and it is not. The cave mouth is narrow and there is boat traffic waiting to move through it, so we hold for photographs and keep swimmers out of the water. Ten minutes, camera, back on the move — as covered in the full route walkthrough.
What decides a good session
- Wind, more than anything. Chop breaks up the surface and kills visibility. Morning stops are reliably clearer than afternoon ones, which is one reason the route runs the way it does.
- Sun angle. High sun lights the seabed. The same cove at 09:00 and at 13:00 looks like two different places.
- Where you swim. Hug the rock. Open water in the middle of a bay is usually the least interesting part of it.
- Your mask. A leaking mask is the single most common reason someone gives up after five minutes. If you own one that fits, bring it.
Practical notes
Masks are on board and there is a ladder, so getting back aboard is not a scramble. Sunscreen applied twenty minutes before you get in beats a fresh coat that washes straight off, and a rash vest does the job without reapplying — your back and the backs of your legs are what burn while you are face-down.
Snorkel stops are part of the shared group tour and of the private routes. If snorkelling is the whole point of your day, a private lets you spend longer at the good walls instead of moving on to the next stop — see group tour or private charter, or just ask us.
