Snorkeling at Chankanaab with kids

[tandrsmom]

I want to take my kids snorkeling for the first time. They are 8 and 12, and we want to be able to go from shore, rather than from a boat; that's why, from what I've read on the board, I've chosen to go to Chankanaab. Can anybody tell me, if we rent gear there, are life vests/flotation devices available? My younger son knows how to swim, but he (and I) would feel more comfortable if he has a floaty thing on.

Thanks!

[KOOLBEANS]

I would definitely make my kids were the floatation vests!! It gets deep really fast, water can get quite choppy, but you will see amazing fish. The "beach" area where you walk in is extra tiny and looked lagoonish to me when we were there. The place is awesome, don't get me wrong, but to see pretty fish you will most likely have to swim out some, not real close to shore, JMO.

 

Hope this helps!

[tandrsmom]

Do you know whether life vests were available when renting snorkeling gear? I agree, I do want the kids in life vests - my question is, are they available? Thanks.

[texaspappy]

You can rent life vest or snorkle vest both at Chankanaab. The kid pool is small and not very deep and I would not think it to be a good place to snorkle--but it might be a good place for beginner lessons? There is another beach called Paradise beach where they rent snorkle equipment with vest and it is a large area where you walk into the water with a gentle slope. A day pass at Paradise beach is $10 each which includes snorkeling equipment and all other non-motorized water toys and this might be a better place to learn how to snorkle?

[KOOLBEANS]

Yes you can.

[tandrsmom]

Thanks for your replies. Now I'm going to have to look into Paradise beach, too, as an option. I don't know if I recall hearing much, if anything, about it...

Now that I know we can get vests, I feel more comfortable.

[tandrsmom]

Well, I looked at the Paradise Beach site, and it sounds like a really fun place, and a good deal, but they admit that their shore snorkeling is not great. So, since snorkeling is our main objective, I think it'll be Chankanaab for us. If we were looking for a general beach day, Paradise sounds like it would be great.

BTW, we're going to take the kids to a local pool to get them familiar with the basics, how to use the gear, etc., before our trip.

[Tenn/cruiser]

Your best bet is Chankanaab because there are more fish to see. We were at Chankanaab two weeks ago. There were fish swimming up to us as soon as we stepped in the water. I have never experienced anything like it. I have snorkeled in many different places and I have NEVER seen as many colorful fish in all shapes and sizes!! I will definately go back on my next visit to Cozumel.

[CMM]

I wondered about snorkel vests too and emailed them asking if they rented them and the cost. I also asked if the pool was included in the general admission. Below is the email response I recieved from Chankanaab last month.

 

 

 

"DearXXXXX,

 

thanks for asking, we rent snorkel vest at the park the cost is 5 usd for

the day, we request a minimun consume at the pool of 6 usd this consume

includes a super combo nachos with a beer or soda

 

Regards"

[Lausmadel]

TennCruiser thanks for your post. We also want to go there and we are leaving in 3 days... yeah! My kids are only 2 and 5 but it still seemed the best place to go for us. Reading what you wrote about the fish really go me excited now, thanks!

[MamaParrotHead]

I think they'll do great. My kids can't swim, but I took them to the kiddie pool here at home, with snorkel gear, and simply told them to breathe through their mouths rather than their noses, and they were off like little fish! We have snorkel stops planned at every port and normally, any place that rents snorkel gear at all will have vests of some kind.

 

We went to Paradise Beach last cruise and although it was great, and the service and food were awesome, the snorkeling wasn't much to "write home about".

[Tenn/cruiser]

TennCruiser thanks for your post. We also want to go there and we are leaving in 3 days... yeah! My kids are only 2 and 5 but it still seemed the best place to go for us. Reading what you wrote about the fish really go me excited now, thanks!

 

I am not kidding about the fish. I still can't believe how many beautiful fish that we saw. The dophins are relly great to watch also. You will have a great time!:o

[Lausmadel]

I totally agree with Tenn Cruiser. We just got back and were in Chakanaab Saturday. My kids did the Dolphin encounter with us and due to their age (2 & 5) they were free. Plus I booked it ahead of time online so we didn't have to pay the entrance fee for Chakanaab, only for my 5year old (which was $8) - usually adults are $16.

After the encounter we went snorkeling and it was great. The water was so clear and lots of fish right when we got in. One of the guys from the shop where you rent the gear (we didn't rent any) was in the water with a few kids and he gave my daughter another (better) mask with snorkel (I hadn't brought one since I didn't think she could do that yet) and he made us tag along. Awesome. He had some fish food in a bottle which he opened now and then and you could actually touch the fish. But even without that we saw a lot. Just a little bit about (I'm talking about maybe 10 feet) and you could already see some corals. My daughter had floaties and held on to a red bouie (sorry don't know how to spell it) which he pulled and I swam next to it. My daughter did great snorkeling and was thrilled... as was I. We were snorkeling for quite a while and I gave him a good tip after. Was totally worth it and I wholeheartedly recommend this place.

The dolphin encounter was great too. We all loved it. They made awesome pictures of us kissing the dolphin and getting a peck from him as well and the whole thing was filmed and edited within minutes... nice souvenir!!!

[aquatot11]

Check cozumelparks.com for coupon saving you $2 per person. Enjoy the Park. We've been there many times, and plan on returning in December.

 

Charlie

[Ashpalo]

I totally agree with Tenn Cruiser. We just got back and were in Chakanaab Saturday. My kids did the Dolphin encounter with us and due to their age (2 & 5) they were free. Plus I booked it ahead of time online so we didn't have to pay the entrance fee for Chakanaab, only for my 5year old (which was $8) - usually adults are $16.

After the encounter we went snorkeling and it was great. The water was so clear and lots of fish right when we got in. One of the guys from the shop where you rent the gear (we didn't rent any) was in the water with a few kids and he gave my daughter another (better) mask with snorkel (I hadn't brought one since I didn't think she could do that yet) and he made us tag along. Awesome. He had some fish food in a bottle which he opened now and then and you could actually touch the fish. But even without that we saw a lot. Just a little bit about (I'm talking about maybe 10 feet) and you could already see some corals. My daughter had floaties and held on to a red bouie (sorry don't know how to spell it) which he pulled and I swam next to it. My daughter did great snorkeling and was thrilled... as was I. We were snorkeling for quite a while and I gave him a good tip after. Was totally worth it and I wholeheartedly recommend this place.

The dolphin encounter was great too. We all loved it. They made awesome pictures of us kissing the dolphin and getting a peck from him as well and the whole thing was filmed and edited within minutes... nice souvenir!!!

 

Thanks for the info. My girls and I are really looking forward to doing this in September. We'll be snorkeling, then having lunch, then doing the 1:00 Dolphin Encounter...can't wait!!!

 

Ashley :)

[AryMay]

It has been a few years since we snorkeled at Chankanaab...but when we were there we saw a lot of fish.

 

 

You can't tell, but my friend is actually in this picture!

[CDNJehn]

We took our 10 year old to Chankanaab a year ago. It was his first time snorkelling and he loved it. It was a bit difficult for him to master breathing through his mouth but once he did he was fine, swimming all over the place. There is a dock that you can swim out to and you can look down at sunken statues. We rented him a lifejacket as well, to be safe. The whole day at Chankanaab was amazing and a great deal.

 

We're returning in December and might try Paradise Beach this time.

[czexrus]

How much does it cost to get into Chankanaab?

Also, how much is the cab ride to Chan?

What else is there to do besides snorkel?

[Lausmadel]

czexrus entrance for adults is $16 and for kids $8. If you prebook one of the dolphin swims or the encounter the entrance is free because somebody from the dolphin place gives you a bracelet at the entrance.

As far as I could tell the place where you can rent the equipment you can also do snuba and scuba. The guy that me and my daughter snorkeled with offered us Scuba diving for $65.- but we didn't have enough time that day anyways.

We took a cab from the boat to Chakanaab which is I think only like 4 km (or miles not sure) from it and since there was 6 in our party we paid $24 or so. For a regular cab it would have been $11 so it would have been actually cheaper but we didn't want to bother having my inlaws and kids with us. Definitely way overpriced for a group of 6 like us.

There is a pool there which is reserved for people doing the dolphin encounters and next to the restaurant there is also a small beach area that is more sandy and where you can just walk in rather than go down the steps. Worked great for us letting the kids play for awhile.

Also there is a small playground and you can take a little walk where they have replicas of statues etc. The kids liked it and I thought it was a nice touch. Check out their website...

[Lausmadel]

I meant would have been cheaper to take 2 regular cabs...

[kcroxyoursox]

If you bring some ziploc baggies in your luggage, go to the ship's deli the night before you dock in Cozumel and order a few sandwiches plus some plain bagels. At the lido buffet, grab some apples and maybe some other type of dry food (chips, cereal, pretzels) or maybe even order it from room service.

 

We stored the food in our minibar fridge and then brought it off the boat with us. $2 got us some cold sodas once inside the park, and we had a nice little picnic lunch on the beach.

 

The bagels and cereal we used as "bait" to feed the fish and attract them to us while snorkeling. Made for some awesome pictures with our underwater camera!

[dijid]

We stored the food in our minibar fridge and then brought it off the boat with us. $2 got us some cold sodas once inside the park, and we had a nice little picnic lunch on the beach.

FYI. Everything else I've read states that it's illegal to bring food like this off the ship and into Mexico. You can only bring pre-packaged foods (ie granola bars). Even bringing an apple is illegal.

[xxbrowns]

I just wanted to pop in here and warn you that in order to enter the ocean, you have to walk down steps that are very slippery to get into the ocean. It's not a traditional walk from the sand into the water setting. I can post some pics if you would like. Have fun.

[Lausmadel]

We stored the food in our minibar fridge

 

We had an inside cabin and no minibar fridge.

We had a good breakfast on the boat and then only a small lunch there. That was sufficient. Only brought a little snack for the kids along and had some juice boxes for them.

[Lausmadel]

I agree with Chris regarding the steps, but it was well worth it :)