Stopping at Roatan, Belize, Cozumel, and Costa Maya... best snorkeling?

[love4god]

My wife and I are on the NCL Joy West Carrib in March.  We're stopping in Roatan, Belize, Cozumel, and Costa Maya.  We would like to visit a ruin and maybe do another tour but at least two of these stops we would like to snorkel. Snorkeling is our absolute favorite excursion on any cruise and our priority is to plan the best snorkeling spots and try our other excursions in the other places.

We normally do non-ship excursions and we're willing to book a spot on a boat, take public trans, or hire a car to get to where we're going.  Does anyone have some advice on which of those places have the best snorkeling?  

We were on a similar cruise a few years ago.  In Cozumel we had a cancelled excursion and ended up at Money Bar and the snorkeling was so so, fun but nothing great.  In Roatan we went to an AMAZING reef but I have no idea where it was.  We hired a car for the day and we asked to go to West Bay at the end of the day and he said he had a much better place with no crowds.  It was awesome.  WE walked a short path through some woods past some outdoor showers and some stairs into what seemed like an inlet of some kind.  Big reef with tons of fish.  But I have no idea where it was or what it was called.

 

Thanks.

[sckal]

I'm in Costa Maya now, last port on this same itinerary. I can highly recommend Roatan Ocean Adventures for Roatan. They go to reefs near French Key and your last snorkel is a long drift along a reef right beside the wall drop off. Smaller company, lots of personalized attention and the staff really care about their island, their guests and the marine environment. 

I took the Shark/Ray Alley to Caye Caulker, the snorkel was ok but it was cool to see all those nurse sharks and rays swimming around you. That part is in waist deep water so you just kinda stick your mask in the water. 

In Cozumel I went to Island Beach Club which actually has pretty good artificial reef structures you can access right off the beach. It's clean, has showers and lockers plus a restaurant bar and gift shop. I also didn't feel there were many people walking along the beach selling things all the time. 

Today I did discover Scuba with GYPSEA Divers behind Nacional beach Club in Majahual. I can't speak for the snorkeling but if you want to try that out, I'd highly recommend going with this outfit. very Professional, all safety guidelines are covered and their personalized attention is excellent!

[jbrinkm]

I thought there was really good snorkeling right from the shore on Cozumel - we were at the Cabana Beach but Chankanaab is next door and Money Bar is neaby as well - that is the stretch of island that is rocky, not sandy, has steps to lead in for the most part, and has a bunch of colorful, different kinds of fish right there. There is a current, so we definitely needed our fins, and the water was chilly (mid-April) but you got used to it quickly. We had decent snorkeling also in Roatan but we haven't been to West End. We snorkeled near French Key. The water was really clear and shallow.