Cruise? Cozumel? Or just stfu and pay for HI?

[BoundForElsewhere]

Isla Mujeres is pretty good for snorkeling. And drinking. Mostly drinking.

 

[Altamira]

Isla Mujeres is pretty good for snorkeling. And drinking. Mostly drinking.

Maybe its the drinking that makes you think the snorkeling is pretty good. Of course, "pretty good" can be a very relative description.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

Maybe its the drinking that makes you think the snorkeling is pretty good. Of course, "pretty good" can be a very relative description.

Nope. Don't imbibe and get in the water. I don't snorkel except for work so I have no point of reference but others seem to like it.

 

[jonhall]

I've never been to Cozumel which looked nice and figured I could stay in a condo in PDC not in the center of where all the nightlife is (I prefer being in the sea and not in a club!).

I just want a relaxing trip with at least 2 good snorkeling trips.

Sounds like you're looking for a new place to visit as opposed to returning to the Big Island, although your favorite snorkeling places are there. I agree there are some really nice snorkeling spots.

In regards to Cozumel, if you were to stay in PDC but wanted to snorkel in Cozumel, you would have to do some planning for the day - know the ferry schedule for the trip to Cozumel and then back to PDC, find an operator, get transportation (taxi) to where the op departs from, and get transportation back to ferry pier. There are shallow reefs that a boat can get you to - have seen plenty of snorkelers above me when I've been diving - can't vouch for how good the snorkeling is above the reef - down below the fish can sometimes be pretty spread out. One could also snorkel from shore in a few spots - from El Cid la Ceiba (close to cruise ship terminal) north toward Roberta's Scuba Shack is one area. IMO, the planning for all of this and actually doing it doesn't seem too relaxing.

Don't really hear too much about great snorkeling in PDC itself. From PDC, you could go to Akumal, which isn't far away, and snorkel from the beach (very nice beach) with the turtles. A little farther south is an eco park, Xel Ha, with a snorkeling area and much more, such as a long lazy river through nature. Staying in PDC, you could also get to a cenote easily. Just a few ideas for snorkeling in PDC.

Although I wouldn't make a special trip from PDC to Coz for snorkeling, I would make a trip to spend some time and see what's there. PDC also puts you near other possible activities/excursions/tours.

I like snorkeling off the beach without having to take a tour (I'll do it if I need to but prefer not to)

I also looked into some cheap cruises

If you do the cruise route, especially Caribbean, here's 3 places that stand out to me.

Barbados - one of the better snorkeling tours I've been on - went to a really good (fishy) snorkeling spot -turtles were advertised but I remember the relaxing cruise and fish! Was picked up from cruise ship terminal and shuttled to different marina

Grand Cayman - weird, but maybe my favorite snorkeling spot - the Turtle Farm has a lagoon area where you can snorkel in a long loop and there are reef fish and turtles

St. Croix - snorkeling from the beach (walking distance from cruise ship) can provide some variety on both sides of the pier

 

[Rick Brant]

The 10-day cruises out of FL do the southern Caribbean including Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. All three have very good snorkeling.