zura Posted December 28, 2007 #1 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Hi All, I am looking for advice from others that have taken their children snorkeling in Belize, Cozumel, or Key West. There are one or two excursions that allow my 5 year old, but looking for some personal experiences. Anyone been to these ports and found a good place for children to safely experience snorkeling? Thanks!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abitaturbodog Posted December 29, 2007 #2 Share Posted December 29, 2007 All three of these ports don't offer the best snorkeling from the beach. I would say that your best snorkeling port is Belize, but you'll have to book a snorkeling excursion to a local island. Before you even leave, purchase a snorkel and mask for your child and practice in the bathtub then move onto a local pool if you can. My kids learned this way and are snorkeling fanatics on vacation. Be sure to bring your child's mask and snorkel with you on your cruise. This way you're sure that it fits him/her and is clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdmike Posted December 29, 2007 #3 Share Posted December 29, 2007 All three of these ports don't offer the best snorkeling from the beach. I would say that your best snorkeling port is Belize, but you'll have to book a snorkeling excursion to a local island. Before you even leave, purchase a snorkel and mask for your child and practice in the bathtub then move onto a local pool if you can. My kids learned this way and are snorkeling fanatics on vacation. Be sure to bring your child's mask and snorkel with you on your cruise. This way you're sure that it fits him/her and is clean. Agree with everything here! You want to make them comfortable with a mask and snorkel BEFORE the trip. It's not a natural thing to breath through your mouth through a little tube, and many never get comfortable with it. The last thing you want to do is be trying to convince your 5 year old they're not going to drown while you're standing waist deep in beautiful blue caribbean water after having paid some serious $$. Take care of all that before you leave home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khm1 Posted December 30, 2007 #4 Share Posted December 30, 2007 We took my youngest son snorkeling on our first cruise when he was 5 (he is 10 now). My husband and I are snorkeling fanatics! Our kids started swimming lessons at 3yo and now are on the swim team. At the time, my son was a timid swimmer at best and did great with the snorkeling. We took him to the Y and taught him how to use his mask, snorkel and fins. he never did master the fins, so we brought a floatation vest and pulled him along while we snorkeled with him. He is a very thin child and got cold easily. I wish I would have taken a short wet suit for him (try campmor dot com). He tired more easily than we did, so my DH and I traded off staying on the boat/beach with him. He also got a little intimidated by the deep water and shallow reefs. All in all it was a good experience for all of us. A lot will depend on the temperment, swimming ability and preparation of your child. My advice is to plan well, practice, take your own mask and snorkel, and have realistic expectations. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfrenaye Posted January 1, 2008 #5 Share Posted January 1, 2008 For that age, we recommend Chankanaab Park in Cozumel. Maybe a 15 minute cab ride from the pier and a small admission for the day. They have dolphin experiences there, a very neat Mayan museum, restaurants, decent beaches and a secure snorkeling area. There are plenty of shallows and pools to explore and if you want to go deeper, there is a float line that you can pull yourself along and see the depths. There is a wreck in there and some scuba--but not too many. They rent snorkel gear. Bring ship's towels and plan to rent their snorkel gear. My kids loved it there. It was when my 5 yr old daughter (at the time) realized that snorkeling and seeing the fish meant gettin gIN the water with them. Also a great experience wiht an iguana. Son cane up from the water, was clearing his eyes and as he cleared them , realized he was nose to nose with a sunning iguana on a rock along the edge. WOW! But you can stay all day long and the cab driver will pick you up at the end of the day (make arrangements and don't pay him till the end of the day). The welcome center has sunscreen and stuff if you forgot them, and they can call a cab if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zura Posted January 2, 2008 Author #6 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Thanks for your input! Much appreciated! Zura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebr.cruiser Posted January 2, 2008 #7 Share Posted January 2, 2008 All of the above advice is excellent, and will help make a good snorkeling experience for your child. Flexibility is key, and the knowledge that even with all the preparation it is possible that a child that age either won't like the experience, will be afraid, or just can't handle it, depending on conditions. Even a good 5 year old swimmer is going to be slower than an adult and need help. Life vest are a must, of course. When we took kids 5,5,4 & 3 snorkeling in Grand Cayman we hit a coolish (about 72 when we were snorkeling) day and a sea with a slight chop--just enough to make it unpleasant for the kids; none of them stayed out more than a few minutes. The five year olds could swim quite well and the others were very used to the water; we live by a lake. We snorkeled from a boat and we (grandparents) are very experienced snorkelers. As long as you won't be terribly disappointed if things don't work out and have an alternate plan, you'll be ok. I do think in most cases snorkeling from shore with kids is easier and they can always play on the beach if they tire of snorkeling. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s318830 Posted January 2, 2008 #8 Share Posted January 2, 2008 I want to add one piece advice to all the great info you've gotten here... when you get your 5-yr old his own snorkel, get the kind with a valve that doesn't allow you to inhale water. If the snorkel is submerged, it doesn't fill with water, and your child won't get a sudden shock or come up coughing. Instead they get the "can't breathe - need to go back up" feeling which is much easier to deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homosassa Posted January 2, 2008 #9 Share Posted January 2, 2008 When our daughter was small, we would bring a blow up raft when we went snorkeling. Although she swam like a fish, we would have her lie across the narrow width of the raft with her face in the water. She did not get as tire and, therefore, allowed all of us to stay in the water for a longer time. The raft also gave us an easy way to maneuver her over anything interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethCarp Posted January 3, 2008 #10 Share Posted January 3, 2008 I agree with the above poster. On the private island we rented a floating mat. After taking my 6yo out in the water with the life vest I quickly got the idea to let him lay on the mat. I'm so glad I did that; it was soooooo much easier than the just the vest. The two of us just laid across it sideways and just stuck our heads in the water. It was a lot easier for him since he didn't have to paddle or hold himself up. It didn't tire him out at all and we were able to go pretty far from shore and stay out a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khm1 Posted January 5, 2008 #11 Share Posted January 5, 2008 I agree with the above poster. On the private island we rented a floating mat. After taking my 6yo out in the water with the life vest I quickly got the idea to let him lay on the mat. I'm so glad I did that; it was soooooo much easier than the just the vest. The two of us just laid across it sideways and just stuck our heads in the water. It was a lot easier for him since he didn't have to paddle or hold himself up. It didn't tire him out at all and we were able to go pretty far from shore and stay out a while. Great Idea!! Wish I had thought of this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianTwosome Posted January 5, 2008 #12 Share Posted January 5, 2008 Last year in Belize, we all went snorkelling (daughter was 8 - and she is very tall for her age - she was already 5 feet tall then). We did the 'Shark Ray Alley' tour, that takes you snorkelling over a reef, and then to an area where there are tons of rays. It was fantastic, except that in the area with the rays, the undertow was REALLY strong. I'm a really strong swimmer, and she had to hold on to me with one hand and swim as hard as she could, with me doing the same, so that we could get back to the boat after being pulled out. I don't recommend it for small people or weak swimmers. Chankanaab Park, on the other hand, was fantastic!! We had a dolphin encounter there that was the highlight of our trip, and my husband went scuba diving, even though he hasn't been certified for over ten years. The guy took them on a shallow dive and they saw a little statue under the water, as well as some fish... and the friend he went with saw an eel... she thought it was a puffer fish, though, and came up raving about taking the picture of it... until my husband and the guide told her what it really was!! :p They also have underwater mayan ruins that I believe you can snorkel over... I didn't see them myself, but from what I understand, they're just pretend small ones that they built for fun. They have a website you can check out: http://www.*****cozumel/default.asp We just took a cab to the park. It was a fantastic day all around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zura Posted January 5, 2008 Author #13 Share Posted January 5, 2008 Tjhank you all for such fantastic ideas for the snorkeling. We are very excited to try it all out with the boys, but, we always keep the expectations low and take turns with staying with the child on the beach that may be freaked out at the time.Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smnornes Posted January 28, 2008 #14 Share Posted January 28, 2008 we taught our kids to snorkel when we were in Hawaii in October. They were 6 and 8 and are good swimmers. The one thing that made both my daughter (6) AND me more comfortable was the flotation belt that the resort gave her to use. She was able to focus on snorkeling, not floating, and it gave me something to hold onto her with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smnornes Posted January 28, 2008 #15 Share Posted January 28, 2008 we taught our kids to snorkel when we were in Hawaii in October. They were 6 and 8 and are good swimmers. The one thing that made both my daughter (6) AND me more comfortable was the flotation belt that the resort gave her to use. She was able to focus on snorkeling, not floating, and it gave me something to hold onto her with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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