Snorkeling in Cozumel

[Kelfly]

I am actually taking a land vacation this weekend with my teenage daughter to Playa del Carmen. We would like to take the ferry over to Cozumel one day as I hear the snorkeling is better over there. I love to snorkel but prefer reefs and MANY colorful fish. I was disappointment in snorkeling at Xel-Ha several years ago; I'd like snorkeliing to all be like reefs in Curacao, etc!

Anyway, if we take the ferry over to Cozumel, are there guides etc. nearby that can take us to a great snorkeling spot, or does anyone have suggestions on how to go about finding a great tour and spot? Or do we find a cab once we get there? I have read that Cozumel has one of the largest reefs but I'm not sure how to go about getting there...

Any help and information would be greatly appreciated!

[lory]

Mayan Paradise Tours offers a great snorkeling trip. They visit Palancar, Columbia and Cielo. The reefs at Palancar and Columbia are amazing. Cielo is a shallow spot that has lots of starfish and lobsters. We saw a nurse shark there on one trip. It's a 4 hour trip. You would have to take a taxi from the ferry dock to Nachi Cocom - it's a beach club toward the southern end of the island. Gary and his crew are great. It's a really fun trip. I've been out with them several times. I can't wait to go back later this month! You can reach Gary via his website at [url]http://www.snubacozumel.com[/url].

[ScubaMare]

Snorkeling and diving in Cozumel is wonderful. Even shore snorkeling is great from places like Dzul Ha and Chankanaab. We typically like to snorkel on our own the first day we're there (we usually stay a week to 10 days at a time) just to get our feet wet. The best snorkeling will typically be from a boat.

We use Eagle Ray Divers and have since 1999. We've done everything with them -- snorkeling, Discover Scuba, our PADI Open Water certification, and diving. We've found that they give great personal attention. They keep their groups small. And, they're just the nicest people! [url]www.eagleraydivers.com[/url] for more information.

Enjoy your trip. We're on a countdown for our next trip down -- still at over 100 days, but happy to see those digits going by nonetheless.