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Ocho Rios, Cozumel, Georgetown, Nassau - best hotels/beaches to snorkel from?


TheSoccerCoach
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We are cruising on MSC Seaside in November, 2018. We love to snorkel and have kind of exhausted ourselves on catamaran tours, etc. For this cruise, we simply want to cab to the closest, best beach. And, enjoy some lovely, off the beach snorkeling.

 

Looking for ideas, insider tips in Ocho Rios, Cozumel, Georgetown, and Nassau.

 

My research so far has us leaning towards the Hotel Cozumel & Resort in Cozumel and the Wyndham Reef Resort in Grand Cayman.

 

What we are looking for is places like we found in St Maarten at Maho. We paid $12 for a cab. $5 for a beach chair to put our stuff on. And, we spent hours snorkeling from their beach. They even had courtesy rooms for non guests that included showers.

 

Anyone know of places like this in our four ports for November? Thanks!

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  • 2 months later...

We went to Money Bar in Cozumel. We had rented a van, but about 20min after we got there a couple we spoke with had walked 45min to it. Can't imagine the taxi would be that expensive.

The snorkeling was fantastic! And there was no cover charge. 

http://www.moneybarbeachclub.com/

 

We went to royal palms beach club in Grand Cayman. There were a few fish here and there so not great for snorkeling, but it had a nice sandy beach. 

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in Cayman just turn right outside the tender landing and walk to Eden Rock .... you can snork' from shore here and it is world class. Many of the 'pay' boat trips come here but you can access for free.  BUT because it is near town it can be crowded.  

 

We usually walk another 1/3 mile or so and do the same thing at Sunset House .... similar reef profile but few if any cruise folks venture this far. Sunset House has been a SCUBA resort for a long long time. We first visited in the 80's and it was far from a new location then. (And there you find 'My Bar' .... a hidden gem to the cruise crowd but where the locals go)

 

Eden and Sunset House are both 'iron shore' areas and 'big boy pants' snork' sites.  

 

If you'd prefer an almost private beach with snorkeling from the shore ask a taxi to take you to Smith's Cove ... about 1.3 miles from the tender landings (Sunset and Eden are 'tween)

 

Snorkeling anywhere on 7 mile beach is going to be ...... the sand extends off shore for nearly a mile off 7 mile, while in the southern iron shore area the reef runs right up the beach (iron shore is exposed coral)

 

air view of Sunset House, note coral fingers running up to the shoreline

sunsethouse.jpg

Smith Cove.jpg

 

there is no decent shore snork' in Ocho or Nassau

 

all the snork and scuba I've done in Coz was by boat (to get to the good stuff it is typically drift diving/snorkeling with a chase boat)

Edited by Capt_BJ
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  • 3 weeks later...

It may be too late to answer this, but I was in Cozumel and Grand Cayman last week.

 

In Grand Cayman, I went to Eden Rock first.  I was early and the only one out in the water.  From there, I took the public bus to Cemetery beach (near the far end of Seven Mile beach).  There are no facilities there, and not many people at all.  It was a beautiful beach and a nice chance to relax and snorkel a few times offshore.

 

In Cozumel, I got a day pass at El  Cid.  If you're at the main port, it's within walking distance.  There was decent snorkeling right in front.  

 

The most amazing snorkeling was in Roatan though!

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