Snorkel Excursions Abades: 2-Hour Guided Shore Snorkel in a Tenerife Marine Protected Area

Snorkel Tenerife Excursions SL

Snorkeling in a Marine Protected Area- Free Videos

★ 4.9 (744) · from $42

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Prices and timetables checked 2026-10-17. This page contains affiliate links; I earn a commission if you book.

Snorkel Excursions Abades is a guided snorkel run by Snorkel Tenerife Excursions SL from the beach at Abades, on the southeast coast of Tenerife. It costs $42 per person, about €37 at the 2026-10-16 rate, and the water part is a 50-minute guided swim inside a bay the listing calls a marine protected area.

The detail that changes the decision is that this is not a boat trip at all. You walk in from the beach, so there is no seasickness and no sailing time, but a rough sea cancels it, and the listing bars non-swimmers. A recent reviewer says swell kept the group close to the reef and they still saw plenty of fish.

I have not done this tour myself. Everything below comes from the listing, its reviews, free weather and sea APIs and the sources linked inline. For the other options see my Tenerife snorkeling tours guide and the full Tenerife boat tours list, or go back to the harbouradvisor.com home page.

What is the Snorkel Excursions Abades tour and what do you see?

Snorkel Excursions Abades is a small-group guided snorkel in a sheltered bay on Tenerife's southeast coast, where you swim over rocky reef and seagrass for about 50 minutes.

The listing describes rocky reef formations, hidden coves and seagrass meadows around them. Fish are the certain part. Green sea turtles are the possible part, because the seagrass is the turtles' feeding ground, but the operator says plainly that sightings are not guaranteed and that turtles are sometimes out of reach.

• Fish: the reef is the main attraction, and reviewers talk about the number and variety they saw.
• Turtles: a reasonable chance, not a promise; one reviewer saw one, others describe only fish.
• Octopus and seahorses: named in the listing as residents of the reef, so treat them as a bonus.
• Photos and video: an underwater photographer takes pictures during the swim and the operator sends them digitally for free.

The tour name says "marine protected area" without naming it. I could not tie that wording to an official site name, so ask the operator which designation applies if it matters to you. The behaviour rules are clear: no feeding, no touching animals and a respectful distance from turtles.

Where does Snorkel Excursions Abades start?

The tour starts on foot from the Magilu meeting spot in Abades, and the guides are easy to spot by their Snorkel Tenerife Excursions shirts.

The coordinates in the listing point to the Abades meeting point, at the village of Abades. The listing asks you to arrive 10 minutes early and to wear your swimsuit under your clothes. The listing also mentions a shower at the beach for rinsing off afterwards.

The includes list also shows "hotel pickup and drop-off". I treat that as unreliable: the same page says the tour starts from the beach, and the description never mentions a transfer. Until the operator confirms it in writing, plan your own transport to Abades and treat pickup as not included.

What happens during the 2 hours?

The two hours are a briefing, kitting up, a 50-minute guided snorkel and the walk back, so only about 40% of the booked time is spent in the water.

1. Arrive 10 minutes early: find the guide at Magilu and check you are wearing swimwear.
2. Safety briefing: the operator gives a talk on how to behave around wildlife and what to expect in the bay.
3. Kit fitting: full wetsuit, boots, fins, mask and snorkel from the measurements you sent the day before.
4. Guided swim: about 50 minutes over reef and seagrass at an average depth of 2.5 m and no more than 8 m.
5. Photos: the underwater photographer's files are sent to you digitally after the tour.

The listing gives no clock times, and it does not break the two hours into minutes beyond the 50-minute swim. Ask the operator how long the briefing and fitting take if you have a tight schedule afterwards.

What is included and what is not?

The price covers all snorkel gear, insurance, water, multilingual instructors and the photos, and in my reading it does not cover transport or a meal.

Where the structured data and the includes list disagree, I trust the description and the "know before you go" section, which both say the tour is a beach snorkel with no transport.

How does Snorkel Excursions Abades compare with the other snorkel tours?

It is the cheapest per booked hour of the snorkel trips with a guide who stays in the water with you, and the only one with no boat, so it suits people who want calm water more than a coastline cruise.

If you want a drink in your hand and a sail along the coast, the catamaran is the better fit. If you want to try breathing underwater, the dive centre trip from Puerto Colón is the one, and the catamaran sails from the same marina area on the Costa Adeje side. The full set sits in my snorkeling tours in Tenerife guide.

Is the Tenerife marine-reserve snorkel worth it against a boat trip?

For a first snorkel, I'd say yes: it costs $42 for two hours, the group is capped at 8, and the one thing it removes is the boat, which is where most sea-related complaints start.

Reviewers praise the guides' briefings, the fit of the wetsuits and the small group, and GetYourGuide's AI summary of recent reviews notes that expectations about turtles could be clearer. I'd read that as: go for the reef and count a turtle as a bonus.

The trade-off is control. A boat trip can sail to calmer water, but a shore snorkel cannot. On the day of one October review the swell kept the group near the shore, and the guides still found fish close by.

When is the best time to go?

June to October is the safest window: Open-Meteo recorded no day with 1 mm or more of rain from June to October 2025, and the sea averaged 21.9 to 24.2°C offshore.

The listing says the water sits between 19 and 23°C from March to September, a degree or so under the offshore means below, which fits a shallow bay near the coast. The wetsuit covers the cold. Waves matter more than temperature for a shore entry, so look at the last column.

Waves peak in March (1.79 m in the highest daily reading) and December (1.71 m), and are lowest in October (1.05 m) and June (1.17 m). The operator can move or cancel the session for wind or sea state, and the Spanish weather service AEMET publishes the coastal warnings I'd check the evening before.

7.56 million tourists entered Tenerife in 2025, up 2.4% on 2024, so small-group slots on sunny days sell out.

Spanish public holidays also fill the diary. The next ones, from the Nager.Date API, are 6 December (Constitution Day), 8 December (Immaculate Conception) and 25 December. Book a few days ahead for those dates, because the group cap is only 8.

What do passengers say?

Passengers describe a friendly, attentive guide team, good-quality kit and a relaxed pace, with fish seen by every group and turtles by only some.

• Guides: the most repeated theme; reviewers say the guides kept everyone safe and explained marine life as they went.
• Gear: the wetsuit kept swimmers warm and the equipment was the right size.
• Beginners: several first-time snorkelers say they felt safe from the start.
• Turtles: seen by some groups, missed by others; the booking page's own summary asks for clearer expectations.
• Weather: one October group stayed close to the reef because of swell.

The sample I could read is the 10 reviews shown first on the booking page, and all 10 are five stars, so it leans positive. The sub-scores are guide 5.0, transport 5.0 and value 4.9, and the rating comes from 744 reviews.

Who should skip it?

Skip Snorkel Excursions Abades if you cannot swim, need step-free access, weigh under 30 kg or over 140 kg, or want a sailing day with food and drinks.

• Non-swimmers: excluded in the listing's "not suitable for" section.
• Wheelchair users and reduced mobility: excluded, because the entry is from a beach.
• Full-face mask users: not allowed; you use the operator's mask.
• Anyone wanting a drink or a meal: only water is included, so choose the catamaran tours in Tenerife instead.
• People with medical conditions: the operator asks you to say so before the tour; people prone to motion sickness are advised to take medication even for the swell.

Minors must be supervised by an adult during the tour. The listing does not give a minimum age beyond a 30 kg weight floor, so ask the operator for your child's case.

If this is not the right style, the full list of Tenerife boat tours has whale watching, party boats and fishing, and the dive-centre trip at Travel Sub Dive goes deeper.

How do you book Snorkel Excursions Abades?

Pick a date on GetYourGuide, check the start time, and book at least a day ahead so the operator can message you for wetsuit sizes.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: GetYourGuide listing and reviews for product 433619 (checked 2026-10-17); Open-Meteo historical weather and marine APIs; Frankfurter exchange rates; Nager.Date public holidays; AEMET Spanish weather service; Turismo de Tenerife 2025 balance.