Cozumel - shore snorkelling & diving??

[torontoscubagirl]

Hello All,

I'm a newish diver (50 dives) and I am planning on going to Cozumel mid-February with two of my non-diving girlfriends. The are planning on taking one of those intro-to-scuba pool classes at whatever resort we stay at, but for the most part they will be snorkelling.

We were thinking about staying at the Cozumel Allegro Hotel, but I am wondering if it is possible to do any shore dives or shore-snorkelling from the Allegro beach? Or is there another hotel that is snorkel/dive-able from the beach?

I'd really appreciate any advice!!
Thanks!

 

[bconger2]

I stayed at Hotel Cozumel last September which is about 10 miles or so down the coast from Allegro. I did some snorkelling in between dives and there was some pretty good scenery. I wanted to do some shore diving but I didn't have a change. I would say it is definanly worth a try! Where I was snorkelling at there wasn't a beach so it was hard to find a good entry point but if I remember correctly, the Allegro had a better set-up for shore diving then hotel Cozumel. I am going back in February, but it is early so I'll probably miss you. Have fun and be safe!!

 

[redacted]

The Allegro has a fairly nice beach but not a lot to attract much sea life. And last year's storms did a number on what little they did have. But you will still find some grassy areas and remnants of the manmade features that hold some interesting tropical stuff. You won't find much more than 15 to 20 FSW inside their safe area but it is worth a snorkel and should be great for a resort dive experience. You could also do a snorkel trip down to Columbia Shallows which is one of my favorite scuba dives and came thru the stom in great shape.

BTW, the Occidental Grand is just a couple hundred meters south of the Occidental Allegro and is a clear wstep up in both facilities and food quality. If the price is close (10-15%), I'd recommend the Grand. Both are serviced by the same dive op.

 

[Sirto]

Allegro does not have good snorkelling. You should consider renting a car (which you should do anyway to explore the East side of the island). Check out Smart Car as they have good rates.

Dzul Ha (do a search here) is a nice snorkeling location. It has a large deck with chaise lounges and a bar. I wil look for my old trip report that entioned another nice beach for snorkelling and will post the name later.

 

[torontoscubagirl]

Thanks for these great suggestions! We'll make sure to check them out!

 

[fisherdvm]

We stayed at Casa del Mar resort. It was supposed to have one of the best snorkeling reef close to the shore before Wilma. Now there is hardly any reef left. So shore dives and snorkeling about 1 mile south of town is no longer good. I heard that snorkeling is better further south of town.