Snorkelling on Phu Quoc: what a boat day costs and what you actually see

Snorkelling on Phu Quoc is a boat activity. Every operator that publishes a price sells it as a departure — a morning pick-up, a harbour, two stops in the water, lunch on board — and none of them sells a walk-in session from a beach. That single fact decides how the day is planned: you are buying a seat on a boat and a guide who stays in the water with you, and the price differences follow from how many other seats there are.

What does a snorkelling day cost?

Vietnam Active sells snorkelling at $35 per person for a two-stop trip, with a silicone mask, snorkel, fins and wetsuit, all fees, a light breakfast, lunch, fruit, snacks and drinks, hotel transfers and a snorkelling guide who looks after you. The boat has a freshwater shower and a ladder platform, and the day runs on the divers' schedule: pick-up at 7:30–8:30, harbour at 9:00, back at 14:00–15:00.

Phu Quoc Diving Club asks $40 per person for a full day with two snorkelling sessions — gear including life jackets, hotel pick-up and drop-off, drinks, snacks and lunch, guide and crew. Their timing is fixed and published: 9:00 departure, first stop at 10:00, second at 11:30, lunch at 12:30, back in the harbour at 15:30. Ecodive publishes 35 USD per pax without an itemised list.

Flipper Diving Club prices snorkelling at 900,000 VND (about $35) per person to either the north or the south, with the price marked "/P" on the page itself, from about 7:45 in the morning to about 16:00 — hotel pick-up, lunch, mask, snorkel and fins, snacks and drinks included.

As with their dives, the fare depends on where you sleep: the operator publishes separate rates for guests staying in the north and for guests staying in the south, so ask which one applies to your hotel before you book.

What do you pay extra for in a small group?

OnBird's soft-adventure snorkelling in the south is 1,380,000 VND (about $53) per person for five to six hours, on a speedboat built for twenty but limited to eight or ten guests.

The list is unusually long for the island: an English-speaking guide, anti-fog masks, soft-mouthpiece snorkels and open-heel fins sanitised between uses, prescription masks, flotation devices and life jackets, an icebox with cold water, fruit and juice on the last island, hotel transfers by air-conditioned car — and travel insurance, which almost nobody else names. VAT is not included, and pick-ups outside Dương Đông, Bai Truong and An Thoi carry surcharges from 250,000 to 500,000 VND (about $19) per group.

The private version of the same trip starts at 5,900,000 VND (about $227) for the boat — the grid runs from one guest at 5,900,000 VND (about $227) to twelve at 14,450,000 VND (about $556), so a second guest adds 600,000 VND (about $23) rather than doubling the fare. A fuel surcharge of 300,000 VND (about $12) per tour applies to private pick-ups across the island.

Kimie's Tours runs a five-hour group snorkelling trip in the south for 950,000 VND (about $37) per person, capped at twelve, with a Vietnamese speedboat, gear, a guide who stays beside you in the sea, water and fruit, and free photos and videos.

Their private trip is priced per person on a sliding scale: 4,940,000 VND (about $190) for one guest, 2,470,000 VND (about $95) each for two, and down to 1,040,000 VND (about $40) each for a group of seven to twelve.

Where the boats stop

Southern trips work the An Thoi archipelago.

• Kimie's names Dam Ngang, Fingernail, May Rut and Hon Dam, chosen by the weather on the day.
• OnBird works hidden coral spots in the south, including Half-Moon Reef and Coral Mountain.
• Northern trips from Dương Đông go to shallow water around Turtle Island.

Vietnam Active, which dives 17 sites across 12 islands in the south, gives the reason the north stays a snorkelling area rather than a diving one: the maximum depth there is around six metres.

What can you actually expect to see?

Coral, in shallow water, over two stops of an hour or so — and no promises beyond that. Not one operator on the island guarantees visibility or an encounter with anything in particular.

Vietnam Explorer, which prices a snorkeller's place at $35 and says a snorkeller spends about two hours in the water per trip, is the operator that states the limitation plainly: because Phu Quoc lies close to the Mekong delta, peak-season visibility rarely matches Vietnam's eastern seaboard. That price comes from a post the operator published on 11 November 2024, so ask before you count on it.

One reef is out of the rotation altogether: Kimie's Tours states that its north-west snorkelling is currently unavailable because the reefs have bleached, and routes its private trips along the south instead.

Prices side by side

Frequently asked

Do I need to be able to swim?

It depends on the operator, and they are explicit. Flipper Diving Club states that there is no age limit and that non-swimmers can take part, with a vest provided. Phu Quoc Diving Club calls its snorkelling safe and easy for all ages and perfect for non-divers and families. Kimie's Tours, on the other hand, requires every member of the group to know how to swim.

Is gear included?

Yes at Vietnam Active, Phu Quoc Diving Club, Flipper, Kimie's and OnBird — each lists mask, snorkel and fins, and Vietnam Active adds a wetsuit while OnBird adds prescription masks and flotation devices. Ecodive publishes a price without a list.

What time does the boat leave?

Between 9:00 and 9:30 for most operators, after a pick-up at 7:30–8:30 — but OnBird states that departure times are subject to the day's water conditions, so treat the hour as provisional until the evening before.

Updated 4 September 2026. Prices, inclusions and restrictions are quoted from the operators' own published pages.