Question Snorkeling Recommendations for Coz?

[nodakdive]

It would be a boat trip, but if you're going to El Cielo, you should go to Colombia Shallows. 28 feet deep. LOTS of structure, etc. If I was ever on a trip with snorkelers, I'd insist on Colombia Shallows.

 

[lionfish-eater]

You can go to sunset bar/ sand dollar sports. There is decent snorkelling there. You could also go to tekila bar just south and snorkel all the way to sunset . The reef is about 15 feet deep. Lots of snorkel boats do their tours in the same area that is accesible from shore. There are statues of cousteu, sylvia earle in the water about 100 feet south of sunset in 15 feet of water. Money Bar has snorkelling , but the currents can be fast there sometimes. Buccanos has snorkelling too. Make sure you have some kind of float and have kids wear bright rash guards or snorkel vests while in the water.

And a third statue of Ramon Bravo

ramon bravo - Google Suche

 

[Rob9876]

We've been on the Cozumel Cruise Excursions Snorkel Tour (that @Billg68bg mentioned) several times now and always enjoyed it. It stops for snorkeling at Columbia and Palancar, then a stop at El Cielo with soft drinks, beer, etc. and chips and fresh-made guac. It's a good time, and we've gone with kids each time and never felt too overwhelmed by folks crowding or getting rowdy.

As for snorkeling from shore, south of town SkyReef has no entry fee and has a good bit of coral at very shallow depths. Money Bar is also good snorkeling and no entry fee, but as mentioned you do have to watch currents (nothing too bad usually).

North of town we like to go to Buccanos sometimes, and there's some good snorkeling there but know that they have an entry fee and you have to be clear on whether they are treating you as cruisers where I believe you just pay and get no credit, or regular visitors who pay to enter but that fee is a credit toward food and drink -- their food is good (love the lobster mac 'n cheese) but a bit on the pricey side. May want to confirm their admission fees/policies before going.

And sorry to say but the last few times I've been to Chankanaab the viz has been more cloudy and overall snorkeling not as good as the places I mentioned above (still fun - beats the Gulf of Mexico). Admission cost there is fairly high, and their lunch buffet has been declining such that after our trip last December we've decided to try to avoid it in the future. All that said, Chankanaab has a variety of activities for the whole family, and might be a good place for the kids to try a Discovery Dive there (which was where I did my first dive, on my honeymoon in 1997).

 

[ggunn]

I can only speak for my one experience. There were quite a few people, but it didn’t feel overcrowded to me. I didn’t notice any drunks or people trying to pick up the starfish or rays. Depending on where by the bar your boat drops anchor, I guess wild determine the number of starfish. Saw numerous snorkeling and while on the boat. As for the rays, they were all over the place, weaving in and out of the people. I went toward the end of August.

I have been on Cielo cruises three or four times from Blue Angel. I enjoyed them and the non divers in my group including my 90-something mom did as well. There were a number of boats at Cielo Shallows but the area is so big that it did not feel crowded. We started with snorkeling at Colombia Shallows, then where the sea stars were, and then to the Shallows (4' to 5' deep over sand) area where the stingrays were. The staff brought out guac and tacos on a boogie board, and drinks (alcoholic and non) were plentiful. It was fun.

 

[H2Oforme]

If you are all good swimmers, AND everyone wears a life jacket - Punta Sur. You will need to research it. It's been a while, but we snorkeled there when our son was about 10. There is a reef that you can swim to from the beach. Once you get out there to it, there is a small drifting current. The reef is in such shallow water you have to be careful not to touch it while snorkeling. It's amazing. Great photo ops because the colors are not muted. Never gotten closer to a reef while snorkeling. I had read that if you let the drift take you all the way to the other end of the beach, it's easy to swim back to shore. We started feeling like we didn't have enough time to do the whole thing, so we swam back mid-way down the reef, and it was very tiring. But it was an awesome snorkel experience. Lots of starfish on the swim out. You also mentioned Akumal - the best turtle experience!

 

[ggunn]

I don’t know why anyone who is a decent swimmer would need a life jacket when snorkeling around Cozumel unless it is to prevent them from being able to swim underwater, like they do around whale sharks.

 

[OregonDM]

Columbia Shallows is probably my favorite shallow dive site. Always see lots of snorkelers there too.

 

[DivingLane]

I don’t know why anyone who is a decent swimmer would need a life jacket when snorkeling around Cozumel unless it is to prevent them from being able to swim underwater, like they do around whale sharks.

I heard the underwater thing was the reason, but when we when in March this year, no one mentioned a life jacket to us, and I went out twice without them.

 

[ggunn]

I heard the underwater thing was the reason, but when we when in March this year, no one mentioned a life jacket to us, and I went out twice without them.

That said, the challenge in snorkeling in salt water is to swim underwater if you want to. In salt water the human body floats like a cork without any help from a floatation device.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

That said, the challenge in snorkeling in salt water is to swim underwater if you want to. In salt water the human body floats like a cork without any help from a floatation device.

I know how great the Presidente is but for the best snorkeling in the Caribbean just have a look at AldoraVilla.com under snorkeling. The video was made by a guest last year…you will be amazed.

Dave Dillehay