12 Places to Swim in Clear Blue Water, from Exuma to Mauritius

Some water is so clear that boats seem to float in mid-air and every grain of sand shows through from the deck. These twelve places, from the 365 cays of Exuma to a freshwater river in Brazil and a coral pool off Tobago, have some of the clearest, bluest water on the planet for swimming and snorkelling.

Caribbean and Atlantic

1. Exuma, Bahamas

Exuma is a district of the Bahamas made up of more than 365 islands and cays. George Town on Great Exuma is the capital, and Exuma International Airport has direct flights from Nassau, Miami, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Charlotte and Toronto. Fast boats reach the northern Exuma Cays from Nassau in about an hour. The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, run by the Bahamas National Trust, protects beaches and offshore reefs, and the islands are home to the famous swimming pigs of Big Major Cay: see our Exuma swimming pigs guide.

2. Nylon Pool, Tobago

The Nylon Pool is a shallow, sandy pool in the open sea off Pigeon Point in Tobago, close to the protected coral of Buccoo Reef. You can only reach it by boat, and once there you can stand on white coral sand in the middle of the sea. Princess Margaret gave it its name in 1962: the water was so clear, she said, that it reminded her of nylon stockings. It is one of the most visited attractions in Trinidad and Tobago.

Indian Ocean

3. Maldives

The Maldives is a nation of about 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls, spread over some 90,000 km² of ocean with only 298 km² of land. With an average ground level of about 1.5 metres, it is the lowest-lying country in the world. Most visitors land at Velana International Airport, beside the capital Malé, and continue to their island by seaplane, domestic flight or speedboat. For a resort example, see our Kuramathi guide.

4. Mauritius

Mauritius lies in the Indian Ocean about 2,000 km off the southeast coast of Africa, east of Madagascar. Its lagoons are sheltered by what is described as the world's third-largest coral reef, and the island has more than 150 km of beaches. The capital is Port Louis. Mauritius was also the only known home of the dodo, which still appears on the national coat of arms.

Southeast Asia

5. Linapacan, Palawan, Philippines

Linapacan is an island municipality of Palawan province, west of Culion and Coron, made up of ten island barangays with about 17,000 residents. In 2013 its waters featured on a widely shared list of the 35 clearest places in the world to swim.

6. Sabah, Malaysian Borneo

Sabah covers northern Borneo, with the South China Sea on its west coast, the Sulu Sea to the northeast and the Celebes Sea to the southeast. The state capital, Kota Kinabalu, is the gateway, and inland rises Mount Kinabalu, at about 4,095 metres the highest peak in Malaysia, inside a UNESCO World Heritage park. Offshore lie coral-reef islands such as Sipadan in the Celebes Sea.

7. Wakatobi, Indonesia

Wakatobi National Park in Southeast Sulawesi takes its name from its four main islands: Wangi-wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia and Binongko. Established in 2002 and covering about 13,900 km², it lies in the Coral Triangle and became a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2012. Surveys have recorded 396 coral species and around 942 species of fish. To see what lives on a reef up close, watch the small-scale life of a reef.

Pacific and South America

8. To Sua Ocean Trench, Samoa

To Sua, in the village of Lotofaga on the south coast of Upolu, is a swimming hole about 30 metres deep set inside a garden of tropical greenery. A long ladder leads down to a platform at the water's edge. Entry costs 15 tala for adults and 5 tala for children aged 6 to 11, and it opens daily (afternoons only on Sundays). Read more in our To Sua guide.

9. Rio da Prata, Jardim and Bonito, Brazil

Not every clear-water swim is in the sea. Near Bonito in Mato Grosso do Sul, the Recanto Ecológico Rio da Prata in Jardim runs guided outings that begin with a walk through native forest and continue with a float of around 2 km down the Olho d'Água and Prata rivers in crystal-clear fresh water. Book through Recanto Ecológico Rio da Prata.

Mediterranean and Europe

10. Bodrum, Turkey

Bodrum sits on the Aegean at the entrance to the Gulf of Gökova. In antiquity it was Halicarnassus, a city founded by Dorian Greeks in Caria and the birthplace of Herodotus, the "Father of History". Its Mausoleum, built for the ruler Mausolus, was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The 15th-century Castle of St Peter, built by the Knights Hospitaller partly from the Mausoleum's stones, now houses the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology.

11. Cala Macarelleta, Menorca, Spain

Cala Macarelleta is the smaller sister of Cala Macarella on Menorca's south coast, about 15 km from Ciutadella; the cliffs around Cala Macarella rise up to 30 metres. In the summer season private cars are not allowed in, and a shuttle bus runs from Ciutadella; otherwise, park about 15 minutes' walk away or follow the Camí de Cavalls coastal path from Cala Galdana in about 45 minutes. Macarelleta has no services and is popular with naturists.

12. Algarve, Portugal

The Algarve is the southernmost region of mainland Portugal, with about 155 km of south-facing coast. Faro is its capital and airport. With well over 3,100 hours of sunshine a year on the southern coast, it is the sunniest region in Europe, and limestone sea caves and grottoes line the shore around Lagos, Portimão, Lagoa and Albufeira.

More clear-water photographs

Swim where local guides or lifeguards say it is safe, and ask about currents before you get in. More photographs of clear water from around the world:

Sources