Fish, like operas and childhood photos of the sun, are best viewed through specialized eyewear. Don goggles for a subtidal spectacle with today's Groupon: for $49, you get a snorkeling adventure from Ocean Planet Adventures in Tofino (a $99.68 value).

At Ocean Planet Adventures, snorkelers of all skill levels kick their fins during a three- to four-hour aquatic journey along Canada's Pacific Rim. Skilled guides outfit prospective snorkelers with fins, masks, and all necessary equipment before conducting a basic lesson that informs aquanauts of proper procedures and the best way to approach fish for autographs. Adventurers traverse along rugged coastlines toward a protected group of islets and reefs, where snorkelers float face-down on the water's surface, and eyes gaze at colourful, below-water views of Clayoquot Sound's diverse tidal and subtidal wildlife, including schools of fish, sponges, and technicolor coral. Meanwhile, water-wary friends and family can catch sunrays, take pictures, or inscribe haikus into the sand at the beach.