Best snorkeling spots, Mexican riviera???

[Frizzle Fry]

Hello all!!

I'm going on my first cruise in april on the Carnival Pride to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas.

Just curious as to which ports have the best snorkeling spots.

Of course, I've read alot about cabo and it's popular areas, but what about the other ports??

Don't really want to follow the herd on the ship tours. My friends and I are planning on going out on our own. Any suggestions or advice will be a great help.

 

Thanks!

[xSandman3`]

There are definitely some cool things to see in Cabo and PV. Once you see the water in Mazatlan, you'll understand why going in is probably not a good idea...it's pretty nasty. You're not going to see the colors you would in the Caribbean or Hawaii, but there is lots of life to watch.

[Frizzle Fry]

There are definitely some cool things to see in Cabo and PV. Once you see the water in Mazatlan, you'll understand why going in is probably not a good idea...it's pretty nasty. You're not going to see the colors you would in the Caribbean or Hawaii, but there is lots of life to watch.

 

Yeah, I'll probably end up snorkeling at cabo. I've done some research and found some great spots!

I'm relatively familiar with marine life, so I don't expect to see anything like the Caribbean, but I'm sure it will still be a nice swim!

 

Thanks for the response.

 

Take care and smooth sailing!!

[5waldos]

Will the water be quite chilly around Cabo in late March?

[bruce-r]

Will the water be quite chilly around Cabo in late March?

 

It definitely won't be as warm as the Caribbean. I'd expect sub-80 degree temps.

[jmps]

We cruised the west coast last spring break late in March for the first time. I thought the water was cold in Cabo and all the ports but I can't say the exact temp. I was in and out in five mintues. My wife was laughing that I was so cold because I scuba dive in Lake Michigan and at depth the water is almost always in the mid 40s. I do wear a 7mm wetsuit for lake diving but I have never felt as cold as I did in Cabo snorkeling. :-) If I was going again I would wear a light weight wet suit shorty.

[socalgal3]

I've only been to Puerto Vallarta, so I can't speak for the other places. The water is green, not the blue you see in Hawaii and the Caribbean. To snorkel you have to take a boat tour--there's nothing off the beach. We took one tour and it dumped us off in the middle of a choppy ocean and then came back for us in half an hour. No fish and I lost my fin in the murky water within minutes of jumping off the boat. It was awful, to say the least! Our second time in PV we went to an island (murietas?) and the snorkeling was decent. They also had a nature tour, yummy lunch grilled on the spot, massages, hammocks, kayaks--it was basically a day to play. I don't know if you can book a tour of the island within your time frame, but I thinnk the tour left in the morning and was about 4 hours. It's been a couple of years, so I don't remember all the details. Have fun!

[mav39]

My family and I were on the Pride the second week of March. The only planned excursion we did was snorkling in Cabo. I did some research here on CC and on the web. Found an outfit in Cabo called YAEL Snorkel and Sail. They have two sail boats. One is 30ft and the other 40ft. My wife, two teenage sons and I rented the 30ft boat as a private charter. For $500 plus tip we had a nearly six hour trip of whale watching, snorkling in a beautiful bay, and sailing. Also included was lunch and an open bar. And one other thing...the catermerans that had forty or fifty people had no wetsuits. The water temp was around 65F and those people didn't stay in the water more than ten minutes. Our charter included wet suits. We snorkled for almost an hour and one half.

 

If $500 is too much for just the two of you, see if they are doing a public sail on the 40 footer that day. You won't stay out quite as long but probably will pay less than $100 each. Google YAEL Snorkel and you will find their homepage. A gentlemen named Gil will get back to you to answer questions if you to to their email link.

 

If you think we enjoyed this part of our trip, you are right. It was a wonderful experience for all of us.

[Frizzle Fry]

Thanks alot everyone for your responses. It is all very helpful.

I like the idea of renting out the private charter, that would be perfect!!

 

Thanks again and smooth sailing!!

[simonv]

Water is cold in Cabo. PV isn't much better, either. Take your wetsuit or make sure you can rent one. Snorkeling in Mexican Riviera isn't much.