What is better in your opinion: snorkeling right off of the beach or having to go on a boat to get there? How far do you swim for off-beach to get there? I can understand the convinence of right off the beach, but doesn't that also mean the you can't swim right off the beach with soft sand under your feet because of the coral?
Tell me what you like from your experiences!

hello dancingqueen. love your sn.
there are advantages to both and beach snorkeling does not necessarily mean no sandy entrance. often the fish/coral are off to one side of a cove or reef is a slight distance from shoreline. some reefs may start within a couple feet others may be up to a 1/4 mile+ out.
some people like it better if you can stay within walking distance of a reef and just go any time you want. getting out for a rest,snack or drink any time. and of course it's free!
boat snorkeling offers more variety of destinations and usually you are in deeper water and so see different (larger) fish. on a boat snorkel at monkey point, bvi's i saw tarpon as big as me. on a beach snorkel from provo at coral gardens i saw a school of tiny vibrant blue tangs. both were great experiences.
i guess i like beach better. hopes this helps...

There's no set answer to your question. A lot, of course, depends on the island. On some islands you'll find great snorkeling just yards off shore while on others you need a boat to get to the best spots. Then again, there are some islands that have little or no snorkeling.

I'm a big fan of snorkeling off the beach. We can snorkel anytime we want and for as long as we want. Prime feeding times for fish on the reef seem to be early morning and late afternoon, so we want to be there then, and that is not usually when the boat trips go. Of course, this all depends upon finding a place with a great reef close to shore. As Virginia said, the reef at Coral Gardens Resort in Provo is about the best of this type I've ever seen. It is an easy, sandy entry from the shore, and the reef starts about 10 yards out! Tremendous variety of fish, including some small sharks and rays, with the added bonus of many large hawksbill turtles grazing on the grass beds nearby. We can't get enough!

Having visited Coral Gardens I have to say that I prefer off-beach snorkeling.

I snorkeled, had breakfast and snorkeled, had lunch and snorkeled

The freedom to be able to snorkel at my own pace was wonderful, most of the time I found an attractive spot and just 'hung around'. My DH isn't such a keen snorkeler so this really worked for us and as virginia mentions the snorkeling is free.

Is there anywhere as good as the Coral Gardens?

alya:
smith's reef. From Coral Gardens, walk in the direction of turks and Caicos Club, keep walking until you are around the Turtle Cove area. Around the bend is the best. Or if it's too far to walk, you can take Gecko shuttle to Turtle Cove, and walk over from there.

take the shuttle!