Question Snorkeling Recommendations for Coz?

[DeltaWardog]

You can snorkel at the Money Bar for free. There's a great roped off area where you can swim and snorkel safely away from boat traffic, and they have some stone steps where you can enter and exit the water and I think a ladder off to the side IIRC. It costs nothing to snorkel but if you want to set up on Money Bar's beach chairs and have an umbrella for shade, just buy a snack and a couple sodas and you're good to go.

I took a non-diving friend snorkeling there on my last trip and she had a great time. We even saw a juvenile nurse shark swim by us there which was just incredibly fortunate.

 

[DivingLane]

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.

My 18 year old was able to dive fairly deep when we snorkeled Palancar, no weights. My 215lb frame couldn’t go as deep, lol. He also pushed his snorkel out of his mouth, which heard helps

 

[gopbroek]

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.

Then again some folks have the skills to power thru that and still drown

 

[ggunn]

Before I started diving, when I was snorkeling behind the hotel, I would find a rock with the right negative buoyancy to make me neutral when I was holding it, and I tied a 20' line to it with a styrofoam float on the other end. From the surface I would haul the rock up, dive down to look at stuff carrying the rock, and then set the rock on the bottom when I was ready to come up.

 

[Shawn C]

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.

Snorkel vests are a great idea. They allow you to deflate them so you can dive down as deep as you can hold your breath and then reinflate at surface to take a float break. Plus they pack down to nothing in your suitcase and weigh next to nothing.

 

[ggunn]

Snorkel vests are a great idea. They allow you to deflate them so you can dive down as deep as you can hold your breath and then reinflate at surface to take a float break. Plus they pack down to nothing in your suitcase and weigh next to nothing.

Suit yourself but I would never wear one. I can lie on the surface and relax just fine without a float, and I don't have a lot of body fat. Even when I was a kid with almost no fat I floated like a cork in salt water.

 

[nwflyboy]

OP here. This thread has been quite useful for me as I continue to plan our trip. I've been following it closely and will continue to do so (trip isn't until April 2025). Thanks to all who have contributed so far, please continue adding info/opinions on snorkeling options.

Snorkel vests are a great idea. They allow you to deflate them so you can dive down as deep as you can hold your breath and then reinflate at surface to take a float break. Plus they pack down to nothing in your suitcase and weigh next to nothing.

In our case our snorkeling party will include kids from age 9 to 13. These kids swim a lot (they have access to swimming pools and live in a tropical location), they're generally pretty good swimmers, and are comfortable in the water. They just don't have much snorkeling experience in deep, open water (with marine life). Of course, all water is potentially dangerous - especially when depth exceeds one's height - and our 9 year old is not very tall. An inflatable/deflatable snorkel vest sounds like a decent idea to me. I've never seen one before but will poke around on amazon and see.

Thanks for all the insights here, please keep 'em coming.

 

[nodakdive]

OP here. This thread has been quite useful for me as I continue to plan our trip. I've been following it closely and will continue to do so (trip isn't until April 2025). Thanks to all who have contributed so far, please continue adding info/opinions on snorkeling options.

In our case our snorkeling party will include kids from age 9 to 13. These kids swim a lot (they have access to swimming pools and live in a tropical location), they're generally pretty good swimmers, and are comfortable in the water. They just don't have much snorkeling experience in deep, open water (with marine life). Of course, all water is potentially dangerous - especially when depth exceeds one's height - and our 9 year old is not very tall. An inflatable/deflatable snorkel vest sounds like a decent idea to me. I've never seen one before but will poke around on amazon and see.

Thanks for all the insights here, please keep 'em coming.

Tikila has been mentioned, but between El Presidente and the square, you'd have Tikila, Papa Hogs and possibly Blue Angel for snorkeling. ggunn would know if Blue Angel allows snorkelers. I had friends that stayed for about 6 weeks last year in an Air B and B on the south side of the square and about 3 blocks off the water. They snorkeled almost every day somewhere south of where they were that I'd never heard of. It's 5 blocks south of Chedraui. It's a public area where others were snorkeling. It's kind of across from the Wyndham I guess. They loved it. I didn't know it existed. Entry is from some rocks where you can put on your gear. Others here would probably know of more options between the square and El Presidente.

 

[ggunn]

Tikila has been mentioned, but between El Presidente and the square, you'd have Tikila, Papa Hogs and possibly Blue Angel for snorkeling. ggunn would know if Blue Angel allows snorkelers. I had friends that stayed for about 6 weeks last year in an Air B and B on the south side of the square and about 3 blocks off the water. They snorkeled almost every day somewhere south of where they were that I'd never heard of. It's 5 blocks south of Chedraui. It's a public area where others were snorkeling. It's kind of across from the Wyndham I guess. They loved it. I didn't know it existed. Entry is from some rocks where you can put on your gear. Others here would probably know of more options between the square and El Presidente.

BA allows snorkelers.

 

[Shawn C]

Suit yourself but I would never wear one. I can lie on the surface and relax just fine without a float, and I don't have a lot of body fat. Even when I was a kid with almost no fat I floated like a cork in salt water.

I was thinking more about the kids than the adults. But for adults who aren't great swimmers or who don't have a lot of stamina or comfort in the water, they are also a good idea. They are also bright and easier to spot if a boat happens along...