How long Cancun to Cozumel via Ferry? Snorkel vs Dive?

[goneballistic]

Here's the deal; we had a trip booked to Cancun in June and were going to go to Cozumel and dive for a few of the days we were there. My wife was signed up for Certification class and we were set.

Then we found out she is pregnant! Soooo, no scuba for her. She's going to have to snorkel. So we had a couple of questions; First how far is it from Cancun to Cozumel via ferry. She's worried with the morning sickness she won't want to be on a boat for a long time. So how long does it take to get there?

And B) since she's snorkeling, should we even TRY to go to Cozumel? From reading the Can vs Coz thread it seems snorkelers will have more fun in Cancun. Are there any dive ops where we can both go out and she can snorkel and I can dive at the same time?

Thanks for your help. Neither of us have been there before and I'd like to get some legwork done prior to going to make sure we have a good time. (like even if we just lay in the sun and drink margueritas wouldn't be fun )

Matt
goneballistic@gmail.com

 

[HammerNoMore]

Then we found out she is pregnant!

Congratulations. I don't know if this is your first or 15th but as my first is 7mos old I will let you know right now, this is only the first of many questions you will have to ask. As I'm about 7+9 mos ahead feel free to PM me with any questions as I'm facing many of the same things.

Soooo, no scuba for her. She's going to have to snorkel. So we had a couple of questions; First how far is it from Cancun to Cozumel via ferry. She's worried with the morning sickness she won't want to be on a boat for a long time. So how long does it take to get there?

IIRC it's a good 40 minute ride on the bus from the Cancun airport. You should add some time if you are actually in Cancun as it is further north and probably has more stops. The ferry is also about 40 minutes with loading, crossing and unloading. Personally I'd add another hour for schedules and misc. And say at least 2.5 hours each way.

And B) since she's snorkeling, should we even TRY to go to Cozumel? From reading the Can vs Coz thread it seems snorkelers will have more fun in Cancun. Are there any dive ops where we can both go out and she can snorkel and I can dive at the same time?

No there arent. The good dive spots on COZ are deep. Nothing for snorkelers to see and no way for them to keep up. I suggest you and your wife go separate ways if you want to dive Coz. She should stay and sun, snorkle on Cancun or Coz separately or go do somthing on her own, maybe a trip to a ruin. It will be your last chance to have the freedom to go your separate ways anyhow so take advantage of it.

 

[Hooked4Life]

If you make the right times we made it less then 1.5 hrs from Cozumel to the Cancun airport. The ferry is in great shape and its an easy ride.

 

[Mako Mark]

A number of operators run coz day trips out of cancun. I would reccommend taking an organized tour because it takes the hassle out of the day. You can both go, but if one is snorkling and the other diving, you will probably be on different boats during your activities, but the rest of the day you will be together.

 

[scubawife]

Akumal could be a nice day trip out of Cancun for both of you. The diving isn't as spectacular as Coz, but there are some nice lush reefs and the there are a few great snorkelling spots too. Half Moon Bay and Yalku Lagoon are a couple of the best snorkel spots in the Riviera Maya. Akumal is about 30 minutes south of Playa del Carmen, and no ferry to worry about.

The dive shops in Akumal go out for 3 single tank trips a day at 9am, 11 (or 11:30) and 2pm, returning to the beach between dives since the sites are only a 5-10 min boat ride out.

You could rent a car for the day, easily get in 2 dives (11 and 2pm), have lunch together at La Buena Vida or Lol-Ha between dives, and if you want, stop in Playa del Carmen on the way back.

It won't be the deep walls you'd get in Coz, but it would still be a nice day out of Cancun for both of you, and with the more leisurely schedule, probably more enjoyable for you wife.

 

[holdingmybreath]

No there arent. The good dive spots on COZ are deep. Nothing for snorkelers to see and no way for them to keep up. I suggest you and your wife go separate ways if you want to dive Coz. She should stay and sun, snorkle on Cancun or Coz separately or go do somthing on her own, maybe a trip to a ruin. It will be your last chance to have the freedom to go your separate ways anyhow so take advantage of it.

Not true.. my wife snorkels.. I freedive.. we went out with the scuba divers and snorkelers at Cozumel with BLue angel dive shop at the caribe blu (formerly hotel lorena).. my wife was going to tag with the snorkelers but tagged with me while I went with the scuba divers.. sure we were deep.. but with about 100' of vis there was still a lot for her to see.. although not in the detail as for the rest of us... but the 2nd or 3rd dives with the divers were shallow... 12' - 20'.. and that was just fine for the snorkeling.. also.. shore snorkeling off of the Blu Caribe is really pretty good, just if you get way out from shore you have to deal with the boat traffic and the current.

Also.. we've done akumal several times.. that's great snorkeling there as was stated.. lot's of fish.. I think we saw about everything in the book from 3 or 4 species of eels to 3 species of rays to what must have been nearly all the reef fish, and tons of turtles mostly in less than 6' of water. We did make our way quite a bit beyond the boat channel markers though and still only got to about 45' feet of water maybe (that's were we saw all the eagle rays).. It's a great beach to spend a day at.. good restaraunt too.. buy some water at the grocery store as you enter and some snacks, take a beach towel and you're set. Akumal has become my wifes fav. snorkel site, right up there with coz.. AND when we've been there.. NO CURRENT.. and that's a pleasure when you're swimming waaaaaay out from shore.

If you're good swimmers and maybe plan on pushing out from shore a bit of a ways... take a dive flag along.. it's a must.

 

[teamheatwave]

I'd like to add a few other ideas to your list.

If you do go to Cozumel, go to Chankanaab Park. There is shore diving as well as snorkeling so you can spend the day together.

From Cancun you can also go over to Isla Mujeres and visit El Garrafon. You can snorkel and scuba there.

Have you considered a cenote dive? Hidden Worlds Cenote Park offers both scuba and snorkeling at Dos Ojos. Although if she is pregnant you may want to reconsider as the road to get to the cenote is quite bumpy.

And last but not least, look into Xcaret. This is an eco park that does offer optional scuba and snorkeling.

While some of these places may not be considered the best of dive/snorkel sites, they are certainly far from being bad spots. And they do allow you to all be together the majority of the time.

Feel free to PM me with any questions. FYI I have been to all of these places and can help you see pictures of those sites or research them better.