Where are the best places/tours to Snorkel in PV, Mazatlan and Cabo?

[Winegirl from CA]

I know the Mexican Riviera does not have that great of snorkeling, compared to other places, but we love to snorkel, and would like to snorkel at least twice on our cruise. What would our best options be for snorkeling? Thank you:)

[sceneisle]

Of your three ports, Cabo is your best bet. Two of the best snorkeling sites in Los Cabos are Bahia Chileno (Chileno Bay) and Playa Santa Maria. Most of the snorkeling boats visit one or both of these locations. They can also be easily reached by bus/taxi.

[Winegirl from CA]

Of your three ports, Cabo is your best bet. Two of the best snorkeling sites in Los Cabos are Bahia Chileno (Chileno Bay) and Playa Santa Maria. Most of the snorkeling boats visit one or both of these locations. They can also be easily reached by bus/taxi.

 

Thank you! I will go check out those two spots and see what I can find:D

[NorcalGuy]

We loved Santa Maria Bay in Cabo and are going back.

VERY clear water, pretty smooth and protected. LOTS of tropcal fish to see. Even coral! Clean Pebbley beach. It is a marine sancturary. Best place I've been outside of Caribiean or Hawaii. Not a lot of boats coming and going (as is the case near the arches, Lover's beach). The water is cooler than the Carib, so be prepared for that, but I didn't mind it at all. It was refreshing since our weather was about 90F that day.

Our Princess cruise offered a package on a nice racing sail boat (sloop?) to the bay and back, with a quick tour of Lover's Beach and the Arches on the way. A little pricey at about $60 ea, but so easy and so nice that we still felt it was a good value. I think it is actually too far for a standard

"Water Taxi" but could be wrong on that. Also, remember, should their boat break down and get delayed, the ship won't leave without you (provided you are with the group, but that's a whole other issue...). Very friendly crew without a lot of overly loud music and "entertaining for tips" exploits, which get annoying to me. Just real people who like to sail and make their life on the marina.

We had a great experience!

I have also heard that near by Chilleano Bay is also very good with similar conditions, but perhaps a little rougher.

The two bays are reached by bus and taxi, but I never felt like I could go with that option. It could certianly be cheaper. You would either need to pay to have your taxi wait for you (which may be doable), or have them come back at a certain time. Problem would be if they don't return you could have a hart time getting back to the Pier. I think it's about 5 miles. Maybe someone here knows how to arrange that kind of transportation to Santa Maria Bay, and if so I will be listening also.

Ideas anyone??

Hope this helps! Have an awesome time!!

[Winegirl from CA]

We loved Santa Maria Bay in Cabo and are going back.

 

 

VERY clear water, pretty smooth and protected. LOTS of tropcal fish to see. Even coral! Clean Pebbley beach. It is a marine sancturary. Best place I've been outside of Caribiean or Hawaii. Not a lot of boats coming and going (as is the case near the arches, Lover's beach). The water is cooler than the Carib, so be prepared for that, but I didn't mind it at all. It was refreshing since our weather was about 90F that day.

 

Our Princess cruise offered a package on a nice racing sail boat (sloop?) to the bay and back, with a quick tour of Lover's Beach and the Arches on the way. A little pricey at about $60 ea, but so easy and so nice that we still felt it was a good value. I think it is actually too far for a standard

"Water Taxi" but could be wrong on that. Also, remember, should their boat break down and get delayed, the ship won't leave without you (provided you are with the group, but that's a whole other issue...). Very friendly crew without a lot of overly loud music and "entertaining for tips" exploits, which get annoying to me. Just real people who like to sail and make their life on the marina.

We had a great experience!

 

 

Hey Norcal Guy (are you from Northern California?)

Do you remember what the name of the excursion was from Princess? This sounds exactly like what we want to do. But I didn't see that on our excursions list. Any further help would be great. Thank you! Jan

[Winegirl from CA]

Sail & Snorkel Excursion

 

Board a sailing catamaran or ex-racing sloop for a sailing adventure into the Gulf of California, where you snorkel in a secluded cove.

 

Board your sailing vessel, either an ex-racing sloop or sailing catamaran, and cruise past Los Arcos to Pelican Rock. After a brief safety orientation, sail or motor past Lover’s Beach and the sea lion colony, entering the waters of the Gulf of California. Drop anchor in palm-lined Santa Maria Cove, where you have approximately one hour to snorkel or swim through waters teeming with colorful tropical fish, including Moorish Idols and King and Cortez anglefish. The onboard bar serves nonalcoholic beverages throughout your excursion; alcoholic beverages are available after snorkeling. Snorkeling equipment, safety vest and instruction and supervision are included.

 

SPECIAL NOTES

Snorkeling takes place from the boat.

 

Minimum age is 12 to participate.

[HLP]

Winegirl,

 

Thank you for posting this. Snorkling is exactly what we

want to do on our cruise also. I know its not the best

trip for snorkling but since we live in Calif. we wont need

to fly.

 

Does anyone have any ideas for snorkling at the other

ports Like P.V. or Ixtapa?

 

Thanks

HLP

[MSN-Travelers]

A snorkeling excursion that will be less crowded than most cruisers are exposed to can be found at - http://www.chicos-diveshop.com/snorkel_tours/majahuitas.html

 

Smaller group and is centered on snorkeling vs just part of a larger entertainment package.

 

Enjoy!

[HLP]

Thanks

 

Thats full of great info.

How far is this from where the ships anchor?

 

Thanks again

I book marked the site.

 

HLP

[MSN-Travelers]

Thanks

 

Thats full of great info.

How far is this from where the ships anchor?

 

Thanks again

I book marked the site.

 

HLP

 

Is located downtown on the Malecon. I can't remember the cross street. Contact them via email for meeting time & place information. It's about a 10-15 minute taxi trip from the port. Yellow taxi will run about $5 USD (50 pesos). Price is per taxi with up to four passengers.

 

There are other water based excursions on the bay that include snorkeling stops. Chico's just happens to be more dive/snorkel orientated vs. a part of a larger entainment package.

[NorcalGuy]

Sail & Snorkel Excursion

 

Board a sailing catamaran or ex-racing sloop for a sailing adventure into the Gulf of California, where you snorkel in a secluded cove.

 

Board your sailing vessel, either an ex-racing sloop or sailing catamaran, and cruise past Los Arcos to Pelican Rock. After a brief safety orientation, sail or motor past Lover’s Beach and the sea lion colony, entering the waters of the Gulf of California. Drop anchor in palm-lined Santa Maria Cove, where you have approximately one hour to snorkel or swim through waters teeming with colorful tropical fish, including Moorish Idols and King and Cortez anglefish. The onboard bar serves nonalcoholic beverages throughout your excursion; alcoholic beverages are available after snorkeling. Snorkeling equipment, safety vest and instruction and supervision are included.

 

SPECIAL NOTES

Snorkeling takes place from the boat.

 

Minimum age is 12 to participate.

 

Yes, that's it! Like I said, a little pricey, but we felt it was worth it. We have to make good use of that precious port time. The boat ride over there was fun too. We had the racing sloop and got to walk all over the deck just like we were part of the crew. Very easy also. We got off at the tender pier and directly onto the sloop. Yes, we're from Marin/North Bay, so even that 70-75 (?) degree water is warm to us! It was beautiful.

[Winegirl from CA]

My sister is worried about the water be rough or choppy. She is brand new to snorkeling. Santa Maria Bay is a protected cove? And the water wasn't rough? And it is on the Sea of Cortez side, not the Pacific? Thanks again for helping me out! And I live up in the Healdsburg area, so we are neighbors.:)

[Bucky3]

How easy/difficult is it to get into the water from the boat? Steps down or do you just jump in?

[NorcalGuy]

My sister is worried about the water be rough or choppy. She is brand new to snorkeling. Santa Maria Bay is a protected cove? And the water wasn't rough? And it is on the Sea of Cortez side, not the Pacific? Thanks again for helping me out! And I live up in the Healdsburg area, so we are neighbors.:)

Pictures are worth a thousand words.

The water wasn't rough in Santa Maria Bay when we were there last May.

It is my understanding that Santa Maria Bay is definately one of the more protected bays. It is deeply inset. It is on the Sea of Cortez side. You can see the coral beds to the right of the photo, which is where most people snorkel. Did I already mention is is a natural preserve also?

Buck3: On our tour there was a ladder at the back of the boat, though a couple people just jumped in.

 

 

aerial view:

 

Wish I was there!!

[Bucky3]

Thanks for the pictures - looks really nice. We're thinking about this excursion so appreciate your response. Thanks

[gottago2mexico]

In Cabo, try any tour that takes you to Cabo Pulmo.

 

In PV, I like the Majahuitas tour that MSN pointed out, but the snorkeling isn't that wonderful. As a whole tour though, it's very good for the price and also good because it's a lot smaller-scale than any of the snorkeling tours you'll get through the cruise line. They also do a trip to Los Arcos for snorkeling as well. Chicos will give you more snorkeling time than any of the cruise excursions too, which are usually all done by Vallarta Adventures.

 

Try the Geronimo Catamaran that goes to the Marietas Islands if you want some snorkeling with an excellent overall tour.

[jewely]

Are there extra charges for the onboard bar on that package?

[rjscott]

HLP, at Ixtapa/Ziha stop, we snorkeled on our own. At the tender pier, there are little fishing boats that will take you across a bay to the beach for a couple of $'s. At the beach there are several beach-front setups where you can drop your stuff while you snorkel. They figure you'll buy a beverage or some food when you are out of the water. Pretty nice snorkeling.

[gottago2mexico]

Are there extra charges for the onboard bar on that package?

Which one?

 

The Geronimo includes open bar. The Majahuitas trip with Chicos doesn't have a bar on the boat - just some tequila on the way back. There are drinks at the beach restaurant but they're extra.

[rjscott]

Johann & Sandra,

 

We will be in PV on a Sunday, and Geronimo does not operate on Sunday. In that case, would you recommend the Chico tour to Marietas Island?

 

In Cabo, boat snorkel or beach snorkel? Which one?

 

Thanks,

Becki

[gottago2mexico]

Actually the Geronimo is currently running on Sundays too. It leaves at 9:00AM so if your ship gets in later than 7:00AM, you might have trouble getting on it though.

 

You can always go to Las Caletas - there's one that leaves at 11:00AM. You can snorkel at Los Arcos also at 11:00AM. The Sarape leaves at 9:45AM. These are more accessible to cruisers. Princess Yelapa leaves at 9:30AM.

 

Chicos says they're not doing the Marietas Islands snorkel anymore - they only want to take divers there. They're still doing the Majahuitas trip, though.

 

Cabo Pulmo is actually too far from Cabo San Lucas to do on a shore excursion - check it out when you're staying there sometime - it's north of San Jose del Cabo on the East Cape - the only coral reef in the Sea of Cortez. Beautiful place - sorry for the bad suggestion, knee jerk reaction - as a diver, when I think of Cabo, it springs into my mind. Hot Springs there too.

[rjscott]

Johann and Sandra, thanks for your prompt reply. I've used your website in the past to check out snorkeling sites in the Caribbean and on Maui. Very nice site!

We do get in at 7AM, but you never know what delays might occur disembarking, so I'm not sure about making the Geronimo's trip. But, I will pass that info on to our fellow cruisers. We were at Las Caletas our last visit to PV, so wanted to try something different. Chico's website indicated they do a snorkel trip to Marietas Island, so I appreciate the update. Our ship does one with Tropical Tours. Are you familiar with them?

 

At Cabo, there are two snorkel trips to Santa Maria cove, one by Zodiac and one by sailing catamaran. There's also a trip to Chileno Bay. Recommendations? Is it better to snorkel from a boat at Santa Maria or is it good from the beach?

 

We also stop at Catalina Island. I understand we could snorkel there, just would need to rent a wetsuit. Any thoughts on that site?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Becki

[gottago2mexico]

I'm sorry, Becki, but I have never heard of Tropical Tours before. You miight take a look at your ships excursion list and see what times those boats depart the pier - if they say 9:00, you're probably fine. If they're later, you're probably not.

 

Vallarta Adventures runs the Wild Dolphins and Snorkeling tour to the Marietas Islands too - I'm sure you've seen that one on the ship excursion list - there's not too much of either dolphins or snorkeling, though, from what I understand. Ecotours does a full day snorkeling tour out there as well.

 

If you have several people, you may consider chartering a boat for the day - you can get a boat for up to 6 people for about $300 for 4 hours to take you snorkeling or to a beach - this way it leaves on your schedule instead of the other way around. $300-$400 (depending on how long you charter it for), split six ways is about the same cost as a Vallarta Adventures cruise. There are also private catamarans and sailboats you can charter as well. Because of the flexibility, these are great options - you just have to have enough people to split the cost between to make it worth the money.

 

The water at Catalina island will be cold enough you'll definitely want a wetsuit. We've never been there, but it's a popular dive location. Remember the colder the water, the uglier the fish, though. Diving in the Pacific Northwest, for example, though fantastic, is like a scene out of a horror film. Of course, that's REALLY cold.

 

Bahia Santa Maria and Bahia Chileno are supposed to be the best snorkeling locations in Cabo proper - both with soft corals at the ends of the bay - unfortunately we haven't snorkeled either yet. There is snorkeling from the shore, but it's not as good as the snorkeling from the boat, from what I've heard. Sounds like you won't go wrong with either - I'd pick the excursion based on the tour rather than the location - ie does it offer something the others don't, etc. Obviously there's a big difference between a zodiac and a sailing catamaran - which one suits your tastes better? One gets you to the snorkeling site fast but uncomfortably, one is comfortable and relaxing, but slow.

 

I'll be able to give better Cabo recommendations by late this summer.

[Winegirl from CA]

Try the Geronimo Catamaran that goes to the Marietas Islands if you want some snorkeling with an excellent overall tour.

 

Does Geronimo have a website?

[cruisieparker]

Johann and Sandra,

I have a PV question. I am sure this has been answered before, but I am thinking about booking a sailboat for 6 hours in PV. We will be on the Mercury on Friday April 14, 2006 and are suppose to arrive at 9:30 ship time and leave at 7:00 ship time. I have been told that PV is one hour ahead of ship time. I was thinking about making the reservations for 12:00 PV time until 6:00 PV time. (I think that is 11:00-5:00 ship time). Am I thinking about this correctly. I know that Daylight Savings time comes in there sometime in April, but when it does will the one hour time difference still be in effect. I think I am confused.

Sherry