The Making of an Entrepreneurial Generation: Gen Y

source: www.inc.com

http://www.inc.com/30under30/2007/the-entrepreneurial-generation.html

The Making of an Entrepreneurial Generation

How new technologies, a proliferation of resources, and a disenchantment with the corporate world are making Generation Y the most entrepreneurial in history.

By: Donna Fenn

Published July 2007

What better measure of a generation than its approach to entrepreneurship? Generation Y, born between 1977 and 1994, may well be on its way to becoming the most entrepreneurial generation in our nation’s history — and for very good reasons. They took their baby steps during our first true entrepreneurial decade, the 1980s; watched their parents “restructured” out of what were once lifetime corporate jobs; saw barriers to entry collapse as technology democratized the business start-up process; enrolled in newly-minted college entrepreneurship programs, which have increased seven-fold in the past six years.

No wonder that a recent study by The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor shows that 18- to 24-year-olds in the United States are starting businesses at a faster rate than 35- to 44-year-olds. The college campus is now a fertile breeding ground for company builders. “Forty percent or more of students who come into our undergraduate entrepreneurship program as freshmen already have a business,” says Jeff Cornwall, the Massey Chair in Entrepreneurship at Belmont University in Nashville. “It’s a whole new world.”

The rising stars on this year’s 30 Under 30 list would most certainly agree. We’ve got a few high school start-ups, and several more college dorm room launches. Some are already racking up revenues in the tens of millions, while others are just experiencing the first blush of success. But we think that all of them are worth watching, not just for the companies they’re running today, but for the ones they’ve yet to conceive of but will most surely start in the future. Because here’s the thing about Gen Y entrepreneurs: they’re lifers, or so they say: the majority plan to start more than one company in their lifetimes.

That’s true for our list, but that particular defining characteristic was also born out by a recent survey, conducted by OPEN from American Express, which compared Generation Y and baby boomer entrepreneurs. Fifty-nine percent of Gen Y company owners described themselves as serial entrepreneurs, compared to just 33 percent of baby boomers. Maybe that has something to do with their attitudes about risk: 72 percent said they actually enjoy taking risks, while only 53 percent of older entrepreneurs were risk junkies.

Sure, it may still be pie in the sky. It’s one thing to plan multiple companies, but quite another to actually launch them; and it’s typically far easier to take risks when you’re 22 than when you’re, say, 50 and saddled with a mortgage and your kids’ college tuition. But the stated intention to live an entrepreneurial life — and to start doing it before you’re old enough to order a drink legally — is part and parcel of Generation Y’s confidence, independence, and enthusiasm. And their impatience.

They’re often so antsy, in fact, that it’s not unusual for them to bail out of college to devote themselves to their businesses full time. Take Ben Kaufman, the CEO of Mophie, who enrolled in Champlain College in Burlington, Vt., because he was drawn to a program called BYOBiz (Bring Your Own Business). But when his iPod accessory company took off, so did Kaufman (for a year, anyway). Raj Lahoti felt compelled to do the same when things started cooking at Online Guru. They wouldn’t be the first entrepreneurs to eschew the classroom for the start-up trenches, but that kind of defection may tell us something about entrepreneurship education. “The old model was, go off and study liberal arts and when you’re a junior, we’ll give you an entrepreneurship course,” Cornwall says. “Now, if I wait until junior year, I’ll loose them. They want fulfillment and success and they’re not willing to wait 10 or 15 years. They want it today.”

And having it today is a lot easier than it used to be. Technology is now the great enabler for all businesses, but Generation Y entrepreneurs have an added advantage: a lifetime of exposure to interactive digital devices has given them an enviable comfort level with new technology and the ability to navigate and exploit the Internet intuitively. Yes, they’re starting exactly the kinds of businesses you’d expect: Sam Altman’s company, Loopt, provides GPS tracking for mobile devices; Dave, Catherine, and Geoff Cook launched myYearbook.com, a social networking site for high schoolers; Will Pearson and Mangesh Hattikudur started a trivia magazine with a website that’s an integral part of their brand.

1. Ben Kaufman, Mophie
2. Sean Belnick, BizChair.com
3. Bo Menkiti, The Menkiti Group
4. Sam Altman, Loopt
5. Katie Kerrigan, Kathryn Kerrigan
6. Byron Myers, Inogen
7. Ali Perry, Inogen
8. Brenton Taylor, Inogen
9. Raj Lahoti, Online Guru
10. Geoff Cook, myYearbook.com
11. Dave Cook, myYearbook.com
12. Catherine Cook, myYearbook.com
13. Brian Taylor, Kernel Season’s
14. Miles Munz, Interview Stream
15. Randy Bitting, Interview Stream
16. David Levich, Icedoutgear.com
17. Dan Gershon, Icedoutgear.com
18. Eric Liberman, Icedoutgear.com
19. Ben Goldhirsh, GOOD
20. Seth Berkowitz, Insomnia Cookies
21. Alison Barnard, in-jean-ius
22. Will Pearson, Mental Floss
23. Mangesh Hattikudur, Mental Floss
24. Nick Kenner, Just Salad
25. Rob Crespi, Just Salad
26. Hayden Hamilton, GreenPrint
27. Benjamin Sann, BestParking.com
28. Jason Wright, Feed Granola Co.
29. Jason Osborn, Feed Granola Co.
30. Alexis Demko, Lil Bogies

But this year’s honorees are also experts at using technology as a competitive tool to start and grow businesses in traditional industries: they sell shoes to tall women; bling to urban youth; houses to middle-market buyers; cookies to college students. Count on them, too, to use blogging and social networking to boost brand awareness of their products and services. They’re much more likely to rely on word of mouth and viral marketing than on traditional advertising and promotion. It works for them not just because they’re wildly social animals, but because they’ve grown up with the concepts of team work and collaboration. Nothing illustrates that more succinctly than the number of partnerships in our 30 under 30 list: more than half of our young stars started their companies with one or more partners.

You might also note that these entrepreneurs are particularly savvy about serving the needs of their own generation. There are approximately 73 million people in Gen Y — close to the number of baby boomers, and far more than Generation X, which weighs in at around 50 million. That’s a huge market filled with people whose buying habits and frames of reference are far different from previous generations. Their entrepreneurial peers are capitalizing on that by starting companies with a distinctly Generation Y point of view: IceOutGear.com, Mental Floss magazine, Insomnia Cookies, myYearbook.com, Interview Stream, and Mophie are all companies whose primary customer base is, like their founders, young.

But baby boomers, take heart: this is not an ageist generation. Some of our most successful 30 Under 30 entrepreneurs realize that there’s just no substitute for experience when it comes to growing a company, so they’ve brought on a few seasoned managers to help them navigate entrepreneurial waters. Mophie’s Ben Kaufman fired himself and hired a CEO in his 40s; Benjamin Sann runs BestParking.com with his step father; the three founders of Inogen all ceded senior management roles to their older investors. The generational mix isn’t always easy or comfortable, but it gives young companies gravitas, the kind of perspective on growth that might otherwise elude them for years, and the freedom to do what they do best — keeping their companies on the cutting edge of technology and market trends and, of course, conceiving ideas for more cool companies.

Urban Entertainment Architect: Zark Fatah

source: http://www.condominiums.com/condomonde/condomonde0/condomonde40.htm

The Don Juan Condo Code Si Si Penaloza talks to Nightlife Bon Vivant Zark Fatah on his Fabulous New East End Digs
	Toronto’s come a long way in variations on the “ultimate bachelor pad” theme. I remember when the terms “utilitarian, vermin-free, furnished in Early Ikea” used to pass for progressive bachelor living. These days, with singles playing the field longer than ever, it pays to invest in sophisticated style – even if it means going solo on that high-end sectional.  Of course, one Toronto bachelor has taken this investment in personal style to a whole new level. Enter Zark Fatah, social entrepreneur and nightlife architect extraordinaire, whose name is synonymous with all things hip and hot. Ten years ago, he was a bartender at clubs like Fluid and the Guvernment. Today, his company, Zark Inc. spearheads six businesses. And of course, there’s the fact that he’s on too many most eligible and best-dressed lists to mention.  With five of his six Zarkinc businesses on or near King St. W. – the Century Room nightclub, Atelier, restaurants Blowfish and Doku 15 and the Hammam spa, it’s no surprise Fatah grew wary of living where he worked. The ICON condo development on Wellington, his first Toronto real estate acquisition, put him right in the middle of the action. With his businesses thriving and firmly entrenched in the downtown scene, the impresario of King West looked east for a sanctuary to call home. Of course, his must not be a mere dwelling. His must be the signature of a lifestyle itself. It doesn’t take long to realize Fatah isn’t your run-of-the-mill property-buyer. Upon his first viewing of his current home at The Broadview Lofts, there was a considerable Gulp Factor – a kind of gulp-in-your-throat “I Have to Have It” sort of deal. He recalls, “I walked in and was blown away by the expanse of open space and spectacular views. It was the kind of space where I could really import the best creative possible. And the fact that I could see panoramic skylines sealed the deal.” The view, as any man on a meteoric rise can tell you, is everything. Fatah explains further, “I had seen about a dozen loft spaces all over the city before seeing this one; I knew as soon as I saw it that I could make any ambitious design idea work here as it’s such an open concept, raw space.” As founder of entertainment empire Zarkinc and Prototype Design Lab, “a design-and-build company” in Mississauga, Fatah has made it his business to set social and design trends in the city, importing the best experiences of his travels to the heart of Toronto. And, as a man who likes to have a hand in everything, his own company, Prototype Design Lab, produced a lot of the fixtures and fittings for his marquee properties, including the signature metal steam “spout” of Hammam’s gorgeous steam room.       Featuring soaring 21-foot ceilings, a mezzanine that feels like a true second floor, floor to ceiling warehouse style windows, two south facing terraces, two full bathrooms – this pad has James Bond written all over it. At 1,424 square feet, Fatah definitely had room to flex his design muscles. The first thing he decided to do was drop a Versailles-sized, gleaming black glass chandelier from the altitudinous ceiling. Seriously. When this man dresses to impress, it doesn’t stop at mere shoulder pads. The drama of the stark black glass against a towering, textured Baroque ivory and vanilla wall treatment creates the key signatures in the decadent dining room.  In choosing a dining room set, Fatah went for a Valentino-Meets-Gothic Cowboy kind of thing, and to great effect I might add. Heavy black empire chairs get the royal treatment with sumptuous fabric and silver rodeo studs. And, if conversation ever flags around that big dining table, the two storey panoramic views provide endless talking points. “It’s a different energy when you wake up and you see water and the skyline,” Fatah elaborates. “It just opens your mind.” Fatah designed the space to be functional and purposeful without needless embellishment. His main attraction to modern and minimalist décor? Large, spare spaces lend themselves to entertaining – an activity that lies at the heart of the bachelor lifestyle. Guests to his home no doubt enjoy the HDTV, as Fatah invested in that most ubiquitous electronic accoutrements of bachelorhood: the flat screen plasma television. Although Fatah’s looks gigantic to me, rivaling the size of an exit sign on the Gardiner Expressway. Nowadays, fashionable bachelors invest in the same consumer culture that has historically been the mainstay of women. Men cultivate their homes and spending money on them in ways that only women used to. From the way they customize floor plans to the way they accessorize, their choices reveal a lot about their ideals of masculinity.  With the Broadview Lofts, The Sorbara Group caters to the architecturally educated consumer, those who desire just the right balance of history and modernity. Heritage savvy buyers won over by tongue & groove wood ceilings were equally wowed by the gorgeous exposed brick walls. The builder retained much of the building’s original structure and materials, an approach that appealed to Fatah. Active in real estate development, investment and management, The Sorbara Group has been involved in the GTA’s most successful residential communities including The Village of Brooklin, Sherwood Village, Britannia Meadows and Bankside in Mississauga, as well as Tanglewood in Oakville. No stranger to Toronto’s east side, the company’s landmark Corktown project, the Brewery Loft on Sumach Street, is now regarded as a Toronto classic. Collectively, The Broadview Lofts community enjoys a beautifully landscaped central square, underground parking, a party room and roof deck patio. The builders also engaged the contemporary palate with their penthouses, adding two floors of brand new lofts to their original, turn-of-the-century Rexall drug warehouse, for those like Fatah, who yearn for a truly contemporary space. Loft living is all about the city and its myriad sights and sounds – endless choices and possibilities. Fatah loves that his loft is actually part of three vibrant neighbourhoods: Queen & Broadview, Leslieville and The Studio District. Each nurturing its own vibrant and unique character. Hip cafés and restaurants. Funky shopping everywhere you turn, all within walking distance. Not to mention the close proximity to Queen Street and Toronto’s major artery, the Don Valley Parkway. A bachelor pad is a cultural icon. It has earned mythic status. And it has essential ingredients. The quintessential pad is masculine, minimalist and, in the best-case scenario, cleaned by a maid. There is leather, hard exotic wood and fine wine. The views are befitting of a emerging master of the universe, but one touch remote can kill the lights, lower the shades and turn on the David Bowie before a girl knows what hit her. So is there a downside to living so high? When I ask the question, Fatah stifles a simultaneous laugh and a blush. “You wouldn’t think so, but there is,” he confides. “Girls seem to get really attached to the idea of not necessarily leaving. I brought a girl back here once who, as soon as she walked in the door asked, ‘So when am I moving in?’” Indeed, this may seem like the Hollywood version of a bachelor pad, but it’s just a little place he likes to call home.  THE BROADVIEW LOFTS: 68 Broadview Ave., on the northwest corner of Broadview and Eastern Ave.  Builder: The Sorbara Group. A six-storey building. The first five storeys will be a restored brick warehouse. A new five-storey extension will have a facade of steel and glass.  Amenities: rooftop patio and large party/media room. www.broadviewlofts.com

Entertainment Visionaire: Sam Nazarian

source: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/feb2008/id2008021_569245.htm

BUSINESSWEEK –> BUSINESS INNOVATION –> February 1, 2008

Sam Nazarian: Emperor of Cool

His L.A. nightclubs and restaurants may be A-list only, but Nazarian makes sure business sense isn’t lost in all the glitz. Up next: boutique hotels

by Christopher Palmeri

Nazarian has signed designer Philippe Starck to an exclusive, multiyear contract to design hotels and restaurants in North America.

 

Sam Nazarian’s club, the 90-person Hyde, attracts a defiantly A-list clientele—and is a regular feature in celebrity gossip Web sites such as TMZ.com as a result.

A bouncer clad in black stands guard at the door. Sushi knives, dipped in white plastic and encased in Plexiglas, serve as cocktail tables. Huge photos of models with bright red lips cover the walls. Below, stylishly dressed diners indulge on pricey treats such as Kobe beef filets with foie gras and watermelon cucumber mojitos.

Katsuya, at the legendary intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Los Angeles, is the latest trendy stop in a mini-empire of cool created by entrepreneur Sam Nazarian. The 32-year-old Los Angeles native now has four nightclubs, two Katsuya sushi restaurants—with two more opening this year—and a movie production company (Down in the Valley, Mr. Brooks) under his SBE Entertainment Group holding company banner.

ALL THE TAKINGS

Next? Boutique hotels. Nazarian is opening two over the next year: the SLS in Los Angeles in August and a remodeling of the Ritz Plaza in Miami Beach due to open in early 2009. On the drawing board is a complete reworking of the famed Sahara Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, which Nazarian acquired last year along with the investment firmStockbridge Real Estate Partners. “We’re building the Chateau Marmont of our generation,” Nazarian says, referring to the legendary Los Angeles hotel that’s been the site of countless Hollywood soirées and scandals.

Entrepreneurship runs in Nazarian’s family. His father, Younes, is an Iranian-born immigrant who made a fortune starting companies from construction to high tech. Sam dropped out of New York University to launch a wireless telephone company, Platinum Wireless. It’s still in business, but Nazarian got bitten by the real estate bug, and then lured into the world of nightclubs. Opening his first venue in 2003, his Los Angeles clubs, including Privilege and Hyde, next door to each other on the Sunset Strip, became famous for attracting the famous, including A-list starlets such as Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Lindsey Lohan. Nazarian himself had a cameo on the hot HBO show Entourage last year. And his clubs—especially the tiny, 90-person Hyde—have regularly been featured in celebrity gossip Web sites such as TMZ.com. As for B-listers such as Tara Reid and Bobby Brown, their rejections at the door show up online, too. “We probably got more hits per square foot than any place on Earth,” Nazarian says.

Nazarian says his innovation was to treat nightclubbing like a business. Typically, club owners round up money from wealthy investors who want to tell their friends they own a piece of a nightclub. The owners rarely returned much in profits and were quick to move on to the next project. “It was an ego thing for investors,” Nazarian says. “They’d be in business for a year, and whether they made money didn’t matter.” Nazarian sought to change that by running all facets of the business in-house—and treating clubs as a long-term business. Rather than lease his venue out to promoters on certain nights, a common practice in the industry, Nazarian acquired Bolthouse Productions, and several other top club promoters in town. That keeps them from sending their regular customers to other venues—and Nazarian gets to keep all the takings of any given night.

Nazarian has signed designer Philippe Starck to an exclusive, multiyear contract to design hotels and restaurants in North America.

CAPTURING THE “COOL FACTOR.”

And to keep up with the fickle crowd, Nazarian continually redesigns his establishments, as often as every six months. Privilege, now under renovation, will reopen as an upscale supper club this summer. So far, Nazarian has managed to keep up with the in-crowd, opening a “pop-up” version of Hyde at this year’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. for example. He’ll do that again at this weekend’s Super Bowl in Phoenix.

To give his properties even more star power, Nazarian pursued designer Philippe Starck for more than a year before signing him to an exclusive, multiyear contract to design hotels and restaurants in North America. Starck designs the interiors for the budding Katsuya chain and is working on Nazarian’s three new hotel properties. When he’s in Los Angeles, Starck works out of an office in Nazarian’s low-slung, modern headquarters on Beverly Boulevard. Nazarian admits negotiating new projects with the famous designer can often be a battle. “He always wants the best,” Nazarian says. “Stone, tiles, fabric, everything.” And while for the most part it seems like Nazarian humors his French collaborator, he has also found some savvy ways to offset that cost. Through a partnership with Italian furniture maker Cassina, he’ll be selling the couches, tables, and desks that Starck designed for the new Los Angeles hotel.

Nazarian wants to be more than just a younger version of Ian Schrager, the former Studio 54 promoter who launched the boutique hotel craze in the 1980s with properties such as the Morgans Hotel in Manhattan (MHGC) and the Delano in Miami Beach. He plans to link his various establishments with a common computer system so guests can present their room key and use it to charge drinks, dinner, or hotel services wherever they are. He’s also looking to advise other businesses, such as sports stadium owners and private jet operators, on how to capture what he calls the “cool factor.” Nazarian says he’s been talking with stadium management company Anschutz Entertainment Group to find ways to enhance the dining experience at Staples Center in Los Angeles, where the Lakers and Clippers basketball teams play. “People are paying $2,200 for floor seats and getting served a chicken sandwich,” he says disdainfully. Sounds like another opportunity for Kobe beef.

There are currently two Katsuya sushi restaurants, with two more due to open this year.

Econdos

source:

http://www.condominiums.com/ECO-ndos/eco-ndos.htm

Econdos
	The MGM City Centre Las Vegas One of the largest real estate developments in the US. Casinos, hotels and condos will be built on a 70+ acre parcel of land. Developeris aiming at receiving the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for this project.
	The Castle House by Hamiltons Architects London The Castle House site offers an opportunity to create a development that sets the standard for design quality for the future regeneration of the Elephant & Castle. The client’s brief challenged the design team to develop a concept that embraces energy efficiency targeting an EcoHomes assessment rating of “excellent”. The design explores opportunities to generate heat and electricity on site including three 9m diameter wind turbines and a combined heat and power plant.”
	Aquarius Tower Atlanta
	Burj Al-Taqa Energy Tower Dubai by Eckhard Gerber With the design for the “Energy Tower / Burj Al-Taqa”, the German architectural firm Gerber Architekten international GmbH in cooperation with the environmental engineers DS-Plan lately presented plans for a revolutionary ecological high-rise building especially designed to meet the particular demands of the Middle East. The Energy Tower is operated with zero primary energy and emits zero CO2. It thus actively contributes to stop the global climate change. The Energy Tower transfers the traditional techniques of natural ventilation as used in the historic wind towers of the Middle East into cutting-edge building technology. The Energy Tower is highly energy efficient and 100% energy self-sufficient. It produces itself 100% of its own energy demand through renewable resources. The Energy Tower is thus defining a new generation of sustainable high-rise buildings. The Energy Tower / Burj Al-Taqa was presented to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in Bahrain and to the Arriyadh Development Authority in Riyadh in March 2007 as well as to the Dubai Municipality in September 2006. Project developers in all three locations are now preparing the realization of the project…”
	Ocean 1 Tower Pattaya Thailand “The project will not only alter the skyline with Thailand’s tallest building, but set a new benchmark in upscale living. A new residence that combines the prestige of record-breaking scale with the pleasure of sophisticated details, material luxury with natural beauty, and a great location. A postcard destination for others which an exclusive few can call home.  Ocean 1 Tower brings a new philosophy of living life at its highest. Located approximately 200m away from a serene stretch of Jomtien beach in the resort of Pattaya, Ocean 1 Tower reflects the beauty of the sea in its elegant wave-themed, 91-storey design – the tallest building in Thailand. With rooms as high up as 327 meters, Ocean 1 Tower offers not just the best views of the sea but of the city as well, while providing an oasis of calm and a sanctuary in the sky. ..”
	Park Hyatt in Mumbai India 60 story condo-hotel tower by  FXFOWLE Architects is aiming at LEED certification.
	Ramsgate Street Apartment Building by Waugh Thistleton Architects Our Ramsgate Street scheme in Dalston, London, will significantly benefit a community currently deprived of both housing and employment. With a mix of private and affordable housing, as well as commercial space, the scheme will provide the community with much-needed facilities, while being fully ricated. More than this, however, this is a building that projects the area’s aspirations and potential. With this design, our aim was to exceed the Mayor’s target on renewable energy sources – something that led us to investigate how best to use the height and form of the building to harness the available wind energy. The resulting solution sees four wind turbines stacked vertically down the spine of this fourteen-storey building in an innovation that is as visually stunning as it is incredibly efficient…”
	Roberts Towers St Louis Condominiums “Roberts Tower will be more than luxury living; it will also be selectively smart living. Located in the heart of revitalized downtown St. Louis, Roberts Tower will offer premiere, environmentally intelligent residences. It will not only feature the finest appointments and amenities – including personal concierge service from the adjoining Roberts Mayfair Hotel – it will also reduce energy use by up to 75%. Designed to achieve LEED Gold Certification and constructed from responsible, sustainable materials, Roberts Tower is leading the way for St. Louis in energy-efficient and environmental design. Indeed, Roberts Tower will combine living well for yourself with living well for others. Its technological innovation will sharpen the cutting edge, ensuring your home will be smarter in the most imaginative ways. Come 2009, Roberts Tower will truly be living above it all…”
	Songjiang Hotel China by Atkins Design Studio

Caribbean Snorkeling

source: forbestraveler.com

http://www.forbestraveler.com/adventure/caribbean-snorkeling-spots-story.html?partner=alert

 

Puerto Rico © Stephen Frink/ Getty Images

• San Salvador, Bahamas (Riding Rock Inn Resort and Marina)
• La Cordillera Nature Reserve, Puerto Rico (Spread Eagle II)
• Isla Mona Nature Reserve, Puerto Rico (Tour Marine)
• Anegada, British Virgin Islands
• Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles (Renee Snorkel Trips)
• Tobago Cays, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (Tobago Cays Marine Park)
• Whale Sharks, Isla Contoy, Mexico (Delfin Diving)
• Shark Ray Alley, Ambergris Caye, Belize (Hol CHan Marine Reserve)
• Buck Island, St. Croix (Buck Island Reef National Monument)
• Dominica

See our slideshow of Best Caribbean Snorkeling.

 

BEST CARIBBEAN SNORKELING

Greg Breining February 6, 2009

©Nikolas Konstantinou/ GettyImages

Who needs to scuba dive?

Snorkeling is a terrific way to see your Caribbean travel destination from a new perspective. Slipping beneath the surface to swim through corals and spy on reef fish helps a tourist gain some appreciation of the natural world beyond the clubs and casinos.

For such rich rewards, the sport doesn’t ask for much in return. For starters, it requires little skill or athleticism—only the ability to feel comfortable in water. “You don’t even have to swim to snorkel,” says Renee Leach, who guides snorkel tours onBonaire in the Netherlands Antilles. “You float. You can’t sink.” In fact, Leach has guided snorkelers as young as 3 and as old as 93, and has pulled nonswimmers around by the hand.

“If our guests are not experienced snorkelers we go straight to a shallow area where we ‘learn’ to snorkel in waist-deep water and test out the equipment so even people who actually can not swim can participate in the snorkeling,” says Elena Humphrey, who guides trips to Puerto Rico’s La Corillera Nature Reserve.

 “No certification,” says Luis Saez, a dive instructor who manages a guide service that takes snorkelers among the islands of La Cordillera. “It’s something the whole family can enjoy. It’s something really simple to do.”

Not only does it take less training and skill than scuba, it also takes less equipment—a real advantage for a traveler. You can pack a mask, snorkel and flippers in a tote bag. If you don’t have gear or left it at home, you can usually pick up a mask and snorkel at a local dive shop for under $20. (More, of course, if you want good-quality stuff.)

Compared with diving, says Karen Moise, part owner of a Nature Island Dive shop in Dominica, “it’s not as cumbersome. But you can see a lot of stuff, a lot of marine life.” 

And if you don’t have gear and don’t want to buy any, simply sign up for a tour that provides the gear. The key to a good guided experience is finding guides who are involved in pointing out interesting stuff underwater and then, back at the surface, explaining what you’ve seen, Moise says. 

As easy as it is to go snorkeling, some places provide a better experience  than others. Even in the Caribbean—as close to ideal snorkel waters as you can imagine—some sites stand out.  What makes these great snorkeling spots? Whether you plan to spend every waking hour in the water, or only paddle around for a single afternoon, it comes down to four things: clear water (often with visibility approaching 100 feet), mild currents (or none at all), abundant aquatic life (especially healthy corals and diverse reef fish), and the chance to get away from the crowds.

Some of our best Caribbean snorkeling spots are no farther away than a public beach or park. On the island of Dominca, the bizarre bubbling volcanic formation known as Champagne is easily accessed from shore. On the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas, some of the best diving, including a 261-foot shipwreck in 20 feet of water, lies just offshore from the Riding Rock Inn Resort and Marina. 

Others spots are a bit harder to reach. You’ll need a boat—at the very least a kayak—to snorkel La Cordillera Nature Reserve in Puerto Rico. And to explore fabulous Mona Island off the west end of Puerto Rico is a major expedition. You’ll need not only a boat but at least a couple of days. 
 
When it comes to undersea life, some of our sites have a bonus. For example, Hol Chan Marine Reserve on Ambergris Caye in Belize boasts not only coral and small fish, but abundant rays and sharks as well. Mexico’s Isla Contoy stands out for giving snorkelers a chance to swim with whale sharks, the world’s largest fish.

And if snorkeling with a fish that stretches 30 feet doesn’t cast your vacation experience in a new light, nothing will. Here are our picks for the Caribbean’s best snorkeling stops.