Where to go snorkeling in cozumel

[blue steal]

Does anyone have any recommendation on a nice beach south of town to go snorkeling?
My wife is a non-diver, but loves to snorkel. :snorkel2: We would be staying at the Blue Angel and I have snorkeled in front of the BA and around the string ray pen, but there is not a whole lot to see. (At least when snorkeling).

Planing on renting a car on the next trip to go exploring after the morning dives and take the wife snorkeling after lunch.
The backside looks to rough, but saw a few nice beaches in the southern part, (from the boat), that looked like they would be good for snorkeling.
Would like to avoid the expensive beach clubs.

Thanks all......................man I love COZ.......................:goingdown:

 

[OSUcowboyinSPFD]

These are my favorites in this order:

1) The snorkel tour at Playa Palancar. It is $30/pp and you snorkel over Columbia Shallows and Palancar Gardens.

2) The snorkel at Dzul-Ha (Money Bar). Gear is about $10-$15, or so. This was really hammered by Wilma but is recovering pretty nicely.

3) The snorkel at Punta Sur National Park. It is $10 admission to the Park. It is about a 1/4 mile swim to the reef, then the reef is about 1/4-1/2 mile long. It is not for the faint of heart. My pregnant wife was not happy with me until the very nice guy at the gear stand brought the kayak to her.

4) The snorkel in front of Coz Palace is not too bad. If you stay there it is worth the time.

5) The tour operators who do glass bottom snorkels are not worth the price, in my opinion.

That is my $.02. Cozumel is not the best snorkel destination, but it can still be fun if you keep an open mind and try to make it fun.

 

[firstdive2005]

The money bar is pretty good. All they ask is you have a munch and drinks there. They have showers and very clean washrooms.
Corona beach bar is my wifes favourite, they also ask to use the food and drinks there. They have clean washrooms and showers too.
Punta Sur is the all time gem. You can visit the crocs too. The snorkeling has deminished probably from the sunscreen on bodies there. After Wilma it's really not coming back so well. Not like the other sites. I would bet the bay at Punta Sur doesnt flush like the other beaches. There is zero drift at Punta Sur. The swim is quit far though as stated earlier. Nonetheless we liked it.

 

[blue steal]

Thanks. My wife is a pretty good snorkeler. She has all of her own gear.
We go to Hawaii every year and have our favorite snorkel sites on each one of the islands.
Was looking for a place to drive, park fairly close, and then shore dive out to a decent reef to explore.

 

[RubberDucky]

The only 2 places I've been snorkeling are La Palapita (aka Villa Blanca, right beside Papa Hogs), and The Money Bar. I've snorkeled at both multiple times, and each time has been absolutely fantastic. The last time I was at The Money Bar, we ended up in the middle of a sizable school of Blue Tangs that were not intimidated by us at all. In fact, one swam right up to my hand and nipped at my index finger. Didn't hurt a bit, and it made me smile.

If you go to La Palapita, right near the end of the pier and sitting on the ocean floor is a man-made reef thing where fish can often be found. Not that there aren't plenty of fish to be found in that area already, but it's always fun to hover over the reef for a little bit and watch the fish. I don't know if La Palapita qualifies for south of town, however. Seems to me it's about in the middle, I think?

As firstdive2005 mentioned, you can get something to eat at The Money Bar. You can also order food at La Palapita, which they will then get for you from the Papa Hogs restaurant across the street. I've had the food from both places I mention above, and it's always been quite good, and never expensive.

You can park very close to both places. After you park, you just walk across the street, and you're pretty much already there.

Be sure to post a trip report when you return!

 

[cicopo]

I highly recommend the idea of using the tour that departs from Palancar Beach Club, but if you'd rather just snorkel from the shore I have some albums on line with comments that should help. I've created a new set of albums with just Cozumel related albums to save time and it's still a work in progress but here's the link.
Picasa Web Albums - Larry