I don’t know about you, but one of the must-dos on any trip to Eilat is to snorkel!
To be completely honest, snorkeling in Eilat is easy and fairly cheap (if you bring your own snorkel gear it’s even cheaper!). You don’t need to take a tour, all you need to do is head to the right beach and literally just walk into the water and start snorkeling, the fish and corals are that close to the beach! Many of the beaches are very kid friendly, and yes, even the little ones can get to see a real live Nemo, swimming in the Red Sea!
Diving is, of course, a different story, and I’d highly recommend doing some research before you book a course or tour.
After many visits to Eilat (see the video at the bottom of the page for a taster, with kids in tow), I can highly recommend the following beaches for the best snorkeling in Eilat:
| Lighthouse Beach (known as Migdal Or in Hebrew, the beach after the Underwater Observatory Park, on the way to the border with Egypt). Free to enter, they rent out snorkel gear, have decent facilities and also a bar/restaurant. They also usually play some decent beach chillout tunes, and this is my go to place when I’m in Eilat. You literally walk into the water and the fish are there – see the video below. |
| Opposite the Princess hotel (not sure if it’s still called that though), which is just before the border with Egypt. Sometimes parking is an issue. |
| Aqua Sport beach (basically located opposite the Isrotel Yam Suf hotel). This is free to enter, and also has decent facilities, and snorkel gear to rent. |
| The national park known as Coral Beach Nature Reserve is a decent option, but costs money to enter and in my opinion isn’t quite as good as the others above (though will be less crowded). You have the option to climb/jump off jetties, or just walk out into the water at your own pace, whatever takes your fancy. Facilities are OK, and you can also rent gear. |