Snorkle vs.scuba in Roatan,Cozumel,CostaMaya,GC

[christycruises]

We want to snorkle or take a resort course scuba trip in 2 of our stops the end of the month. Which 2 would you recommend? We fed the stingrays in GC(amazing!) but the snorkling nearby after was disappointing.

Would we see a lot more coral and fish if we did a shallow "resort course" dive than just snorkle?

Are we better off booking a boat trip to snorkle or is there good snorkling from shore at any stop?

Should we consider snuba?

[katefur]

Decided to take a cruise in February today!! We only snorkel. Purchased snorkeling tour at the dock of Cozumel last year and it was terrible...no fish. Can anyone recommend where to snorkel and who they went with?

[Friscorays]

Head out to Playa Palancar. Great beach day with a snorkel and scuba operator on site.

 

Some of the dive boats will take snorkelers along if you would be interested in that. For example, Scuba with Alison, who my wife and I used for a dedicated scuba and snorkel trip.

[dfwhgsfan]

We just returned from a 7 day on the Crown Princess and we did a resort dive course in Grand Cayman and snorkeled in Roatan. I booked both of these through private tours. We used the Sunset House for our resort dive in the Caymans and Atlantic Sea Divers for snorkeling in Roatan and these trips were fabulous!

 

The resort dive course is $99 pp and this includes equipment. This is the same price you will pay through Princess or most cruiselines except you don't have the same crowds. If you go before April, see if you can ask for Roger. He was our instructor and was awsome! This class consisted of me, my DW and another couple who were staying at the hotel there at Sunset House. Once we got in the water, Roger was very patient with the other lady. She was having difficulty and he helped her every step of the way. While he was with her, he still allowed us to explore, but not get out of his sight and our safety was his first priority. The area was incredible!! Lots of fish and coral. Even saw some kind of big fish nestled under some coral. There is also a restaurant on site so you can have lunch and a drink if you want. We walked there, but took a cab back, which was $10.

I had booked a tour through Victor Bodden for Roatan and the snorkel company he had booked with backed out, but we were fortunate that the place we were at had a dive shop right there. They offered to take 6 of us snorkeling for $20 pp and this included equipment! The people were extremely friendly and customer oriented. The reef they took us too was close by and there were numerous fish, coral and we even were lucky enough to see a turtle that we followed for a while. This place is on the other side of the island, but you can email them and see if they can either pick you up or you can take a cab to them.

 

If you do the resort course in the Caymans and decide you want to scuba in Roatan as well, they said you can bring them your paperwork from the Cayman's and they will take you on a dive for $50! I wish I would have known, because I would loved to have dove in Roatan as well. The website for The Sunset House is www.sunsethouse.com. I called them to make the reservation and they emailed me the Dr's paperwork you need to complete. No deposit was required and they answered my questions promptly. The website for Atlantic Divers in Roatan is www.atlanticseadivers.com If you have any other questions, just let me know, my email is cgbland@msn.com

[M&M in the Sun]

Snorkel at Tabyana beach in Roatan Honduras. Beautiful, close to shore, cheap. Ride to beach can be purchased on board. Well worth it regardless of cost.

 

Cozumel is better for diving as the shallow water reefs took a serious beating in 2005 from hurricane Wilma. Reefs take hundreds of years to develop. Deep reefs would be much better.

 

my $.02, FWIW

 

Have fun whatever you decide on!

[TreeCity]

Costa maya would be my last choice. Dove there twice and it was and still is my least favorite. Just not a lot to see compared to the other ports.

[kosmic_wino]

Costa maya would be my last choice. Dove there twice and it was and still is my least favorite. Just not a lot to see compared to the other ports.

 

Totally agree that diving is Costa Maya is not great.

 

In Cozumel there is a great small company called Dive with Cristina. Luis and Cristina are both dive masters and they are great. The dive boat Nena is clean and well maintained. They only take small groups. I have done over 100 dives all over the world and Luis is hands down the best dive master I have ever has the pleasure to dive with - anywhere. He has some special PADI dive master certification that only a handful of people in the world have (can't remember what it is called). Their prices are great, especially considering that they give you drinks and lunch. I have dove with them twice and had an really great experience both times. If you dive with them tell them Julie sent you!