10 Stunning Bodies of Water You Can Swim In

Accessible only by hike or boat, Rendezvous Bay is Montserrat’s only white-sand beach, bordered by dramatic cliffs and thick tropical vegetation. Montserrat is a lush and mountainous island of approximately 39 square miles that lies in the Eastern Caribbean chain of islands. The island boasts nature trails, deserted dark sand beaches, untouched reefs and unpolluted coral and volcanic vistas. The verdant surroundings of Rendezvous Bay embody the serene nature of the country, as the secluded cove creates privacy for swimming, snorkeling, sunbathing, kayaking, and diving.

Orca sightings are commonplace along the coastlines in places like New Zealand and British Columbia, but only in Norway can you get into the water to snorkel with the notorious black and white predator. From December until early February, hundreds of orcas are lured by the tons of herring that make their way into Andfjord in Northern Norway's Vesteralen archipelago. This magical experience of getting into the water to snorkel with the animals brings the action surprisingly close to land. This is aided by Andfjord's proximity to the continental shelf and to the town of Andenes along the Norwegian coast.

This tucked away paradise is mainly on the radar of the locals of Ibiza. Warm sand flanked by crystal clear blue waters beckons you for a swim. When you start to feel your body tiring, rent one of the paddle boats for an up-close perspective of the coast. On the beach, the see-and-be-seen Cotton Beach Club offers one of the best views on the island while dining. The ritzy restaurant-lounge is swathed in all white and overlooks the tranquil Tarida beach and the swimmers below.

Situated on Barbados’ stunning west coast, the Colony Club resort is a plantation-style retreat boasting a long stretch of warm, white sandy beach. The beach is celebrated for its calm, crystal-clear seas and pristine sands, while off the coast are shallow coral reefs where snorkelers can spot an eclectic mix of colorful fish. From the Colony Club Beach, bathers can take a short swim to the neighboring Folkestone Marine Park to come face-to-face with the island’s population of hawksbills and leatherback turtles.

Butterfly Falls can be reached by a 20-minute hike inside the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. This park is located in the high country on the southern region of Western Belize, with 300,000 acres of preserved pine forests. The temperature is cool and there are magnificent natural monuments, including Butterfly Falls, which is a popular honeymoon and wedding destinations for couples. After swimming in the clear waters, visitors can hike through the pines to see colorful vegetation, numerous bird species, and other wildlife like tapirs, cougars, jaguars and ocelots.

Croatia’s largest island of Mljet is home to an aquamarine cave described by Homer in The Odyssey. The Cave of Ulysses is, according to legend, where Odysseus spent seven years as love slave to the nymph Calypso. The cave is located below the village of Babino Polje. Visitors can reach the cave from land or sea. The elongated Island of Mljet is a short boat ride away from the western coastal city of Dubrovnik.

During the dry season, the Zambezi River (which spans Zambia and Zimbabwe) drops quite substantially. Fortunately for adventure travelers, from mid-August to mid-January, it is possible to walk along the lip of the falls, but only on the Zambian side. After thousands of years of erosion, many rock pools have formed on the very edge of the sheer drop, creating the ultimate infinity pool.

After a rocky walk and swim in the Zambezi to reach the pool, fearless travelers can leap into the pool and get pushed to the edge by the force of the river.  The rock lip brings swimmers to a halt as the raging waters of the Zambezi crash over the cliffs a few feet away.

Swim inside Yalahau, a sparkling cenote believed to have been used by pirates as a fresh water supply hundreds of years ago. The Yalahau Cenote is located on the north coast of the Yucatan peninsula and measures around 200 feet in diameter. Yalahau is a sweet water cenote, surrounded by salt water and often called "the fountain of youth." This crystal-clear water spring is about a 20-minute boat ride from Holbox Island.

The Baths National Park on Virgin Gorda is comprised of the geological wonder of awe-inspiring granite boulders that form sheltered sea pools alongside the white sand beaches. The protected area also includes Devil's Bay, which can be reached from The Baths by a series of ladders scaling the boulders.

The massive granite boulders that reach up to 40 feet in diameter are a result of molten rock seeping up into the existing volcanic rock layers; because the molten rock did not reach the surface, it cooled slowly and formed the hard crystalline granite layer. Further shrinkage and cracking formed blocks, which were exposed when the softer volcanic rock above eroded away. Weathering rounded the corners of the boulders to what they are today, making them a treasure for visitors to swim around.

This picturesque beach located in the South Pacific isle of Samoa was made famous by the 1953 movie <em>Return to Paradise</em>, starring Gary Cooper and Roberta Haynes. The same beach where the movie was filmed is now home to Samoan-owned and operated Return to Paradise Resort, which opened in late 2014. From the shore, guests and visitors to the property can explore stunning lagoons, lava pools, and sparkling white sand beaches. With a year-round average temperature of 84 degrees Fahrenheit and ocean temperature around 70 degrees, the beach can be visited anytime.

North Lake Tahoe offers 24 public beaches for summer visitors to the Northern California destination. Its waters are some of the most clear in the world, as a recent test shows the lake has clarity up to 71 feet. Most of the lake's sandy beaches are lined with pine trees, allowing for families to enjoy wide spaces and couples to cozy up on the shades of pines.  Once swimmers plunge into the lake, the initial chill will wear off as they begin to swim. The ultimate challenge is to swim the 12 miles across Lake Tahoe with the guidance of a team following and watching.