Snorkeling in Cozumel?

[chacharb]

Where is the best snorkeling in Cozumel? Would you recommend going with a tour?

[bruce-r]

Where is the best snorkeling in Cozumel?

Off shore from a boat. Palancar reef is probably the best area and it is really only accessible by boat. A good bet is to go to Playa Palancar beach club and do the boat tour they offer that departs from their beach. It is a short boat ride from there. Cost is between $35 ~ $40 per person.

 

Would you recommend going with a tour?

Yes, definitely.

[SCUBA Mark]

Where is the best snorkeling in Cozumel? Would you recommend going with a tour?

 

The Snorkel shore excursions through the cruise ships are pretty good and reasonably priced. They all take you to some of the nice shallow reefs where there are lots of fish. My favorite snorkel shore excursion is the Fury Catamaran. They take you out in a giant catamaran (with a motor), you snorkel at a reef, they stop at a private beach for a while, and then take you back to the ship with free drinks.

 

We have also taken a taxi ($10 for 4 people) to Chankanaab Park ($14 per person with a coupon). They have a nice Mayan Culture exhibit that is included in the price. It takes about an hour to go through. They also have a couple of restaurants and a beautiful beach. You can rent snorkel gear (or SCUBA gear) and snorkel right at their beach. If you have your own snorkel gear, you can use that also.

 

You can also do dolphin encounters for a lot less than the ship charges.

[Stevesan]

Definitely take a boat trip that goes to an off shore reef. The near reefs have barely begun to recover from damage done by Hurricane Wilma.

The off shore reefs remain excellent to great.

 

There are a number of first rate local operators. I've been happy with Eagle Ray. Be sure to book the full day. The half day will go to the near shore reef just off Dzul Ha.

Manta Ray comes to mind as another good choice.

 

http://www.eagleraydivers.com/

 

Th full day will usually go to Columbia and Palancar. The last time we went all the way down to Punta Sur. It is magnifico!!!

 

BTW - they make a beach stop for lunch on the return. It's a very leisurely trip and I became a bit tired of the boat ride, so I simply took a taxi back to the ship. Saved about an hour off the total time.