First time snorkeling (with kids) in Cozumel

[BlessedBeingMom]

We will be going to Cozumel soon, and are planning to snorkel in Chankanaab with our kids. They are 8, 10 & 12. My youngest doesn't really swim very well at all yet. Will this be a problem? We have purchased snorkels & masks for everyone. Are the flippers necessary? None of us have ever used them before (actually none of us have ever snorkeled before either).

What do we need to know as beginners?

I have read that they have vests we can get there at Chankanaab.

Also, we cannot practice in a pool due to the temperature, but the kids can practice in the bathtub. (Alas, I do not think my DH nor myself are short enough to practice there, and I'm definitely not limber enough to bend myself in half to try it. :lol: )

Thanks for any advice! :)

[mitsugirly]

We went to Chankanaab last year with our 3 year old. She just wore a life vest and swam beside us. It was by far our most favorite port of the cruise and she snorkeled/swam right beside us in all of the ports we could.

 

You can rent the life vest there at Chankanaab. It is a requirement to have one on there while snorkeling (I'm told). If you go to the first hut that only has snorkel vest (not the 2nd hut with all the fins and mask), you can rent them for free. All you have to do is give them your license to hold (just 1 license for all of them) and they will return it to you when you turn the snorkel vest back in. If you go to the 2nd hut, they charge $5.

 

Here is my review of the WONDERFUL day we had there at Chankanaab last year complete with a link to all of my pictures. Also, since we had such a wonderful time there last year, I knew I HAD to go back and our next cruise had to have Cozumel on the itinerary...so we will be back again in March this year. :D

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=30683350&postcount=59

 

And make sure you don't miss this wonderful capture I managed to snap of my 3 year old and the huge fish starring each other done that day LOL

 

 

 

If you have any questions at all...just let me know and I'll be happy to answer what I can. :)

[BlessedBeingMom]

Thank so much! Loved your review & pics & your daughter is adorable! :D

[BlessedBeingMom]

We have the snorkels & masks (we bought the US Dive ones and they fit well). Do we need to rent the fins or can you snorkel without them?

[mitsugirly]

Thank so much! Loved your review & pics & your daughter is adorable! :D

 

Thanks :)

 

We have the snorkels & masks (we bought the US Dive ones and they fit well). Do we need to rent the fins or can you snorkel without them?

 

We had our own mask there too and when we inquired about renting just the fins, we were pretty much told they rent the entire snorkel set for $10. So, we just ended up renting all of it and not using ours.

 

Just my thoughts, but the way this place is for snorkeling, I would feel a little better using fins. JMO.

 

This year we have purchased US Dive snorkels, mask, and the travel fins. We can't wait to use them. We have also purchased the snorkel life vest as well. We will be set. No more renting. hehe

[TheSuttonz]

I went snorkeling in Cozumel. The water where you get in is very rough and may be a little bit scary for kids but once you get past that part and actually get out in the water it is amazing!! Encourage them to go out further than the rough areas. The fish you see the further out you go are so fun to watch. As far as your 8 year old and swimming...with a life vest he will be fine. Even with the life vests they provide at the snorkel booth. no swimming required..just floating and a kick of the flippers once in a while. Have fun and enjoy the experience!!!

[BlessedBeingMom]

Thanks :)

 

 

 

We had our own mask there too and when we inquired about renting just the fins, we were pretty much told they rent the entire snorkel set for $10. So, we just ended up renting all of it and not using ours.

 

Just my thoughts, but the way this place is for snorkeling, I would feel a little better using fins. JMO.

 

This year we have purchased US Dive snorkels, mask, and the travel fins. We can't wait to use them. We have also purchased the snorkel life vest as well. We will be set. No more renting. hehe

 

Would there be lockers anywhere nearby where we could stash the rest of their set while using our snorkels & masks (particularly the snorkels, as I feel funny putting my mouth on something someone else's mouth has been on).

Thanks again to everyone for all your help! We'll be leaving Saturday! :D

[mitsugirly]

Would there be lockers anywhere nearby where we could stash the rest of their set while using our snorkels & masks (particularly the snorkels, as I feel funny putting my mouth on something someone else's mouth has been on).

Thanks again to everyone for all your help! We'll be leaving Saturday! :D

 

They have lockers over by the dolphin swim where some of the restrooms are located in the building. It's kinda a long walk from the snorkeling area. :( But it is free. There are keys in them and you just put your stuff in it, lock it and pull out the key. (They have a wrist band thing that you can attach it to your arm to hold onto it). It's just a really long walk.

[mitsugirly]

I tried to see if there was a map out there from Chankanaab, but couldn't find any.

 

So...I google earthed it to show you the distance:

 

[mitsugirly]

I just thought of something...but I'm not sure.

 

There actually might be some lockers located in the restrooms that is behind the shack that you rent your snorkel equipment from. It's in a building. I remember them having showers in there, but can't remember if there is actually a locker or not. Hopefully someone else can chime in that knows for sure. If not, I would check there first just to see. :)

[The Flying Pirate]

One thing you might want to consider is to contact your local Scuba shop and as them about pool time, many dive shops rent or have access to indoor swimming pools to training divers, and most would be willing to help you get a snorkeling lesson/practice before your trip. That way the kids will have had a chance to use their gear in something larger than a bathtub which will help them be more comfortable with it in the ocean.

 

A couple tips for new snorkelers, pack some ankle length socks for each person and wear them snorkeling, this will prevent blisters from the flippers. I highly recommend using the flippers, they make snorkeling much easier. Also most kids seem to be wearing rash guards which is a great idea, if you don't want to buy rash guards for everyone, just wearing a T-shirt will prevent sunburn. Keep in mind that they don't allow sunscreen in the park, since the sunscreen is harmful to the coral. The coral at Chankanaab is all still very young, after the reef was badly damaged in the hurricane in 2004.

[The Flying Pirate]

One other tip, if you want to take pictures but don't have a waterproof digital camera, go to Target/Wal-Mart etc and pick up some of the waterproof disposable cameras. They are about $10 at home and $20 if you buy them down there. They take reasonable pictures underwater and are fine for snorkeling depths. It makes for a cool page in the trip scrapbook.

[QUIGONATOR]

I tried to see if there was a map out there from Chankanaab, but couldn't find any.

 

So...I google earthed it to show you the distance:

 

We went here in Oct. water was too rough we never went past the pool/ beach area (a tropical storm came day after we left.) How rough was it when you went & was there any currents? Is there a particular spot that you thought was better than another, how deep is water, how far did you go out approx? Was entry & exit only at a specific spot? Also what is the body of water behind the beach? Which dolphin swim did you do/ We did dolphin adventure, but thinking of doing the better one in April when we go back.

[mitsugirly]

We went here in Oct. water was too rough we never went past the pool/ beach area (a tropical storm came day after we left.) How rough was it when you went & was there any currents? Is there a particular spot that you thought was better than another, how deep is water, how far did you go out approx? Was entry & exit only at a specific spot? Also what is the body of water behind the beach? Which dolphin swim did you do/ We did dolphin adventure, but thinking of doing the better one in April when we go back.

 

There was a few storms/rain before we were there in September, but the weather was nice when we arrived. The water was a little choppy, but we managed with no problems (even my 3 year old snorkeled with us and did fine). When we first got there, they told us to stay to one side (at the moment I can't remember if they said left or right) because the water was calmer there than the other side. I'm sure anyone working there can tell you which side it was.

 

The water is different depths. You can swim along the wall with the rocks and such and find PLENTY of fish and marine life there. That's where all of my pictures were taken. Once you start to go out deeper, you see the statues, but it's a little ways out and they are situated in 3 different spots out there, not together.

 

There are several exit/entry spots to go in/out. Some are like iron steps you walk down others are flat rock steps you walk down. There are handrails to hold on to but it can be a little slippery. I would get so far into the water and then sit on the step and ease my way in (this is because I had my little one with me and was trying to hold her hand and get us both in at the same time).

 

The body of water behind the beach is the lagoon and it is BEAUTIFUL! There are iguanas walking around everywhere too.

 

 

 

 

We had to do the dolphin "encounter" and not the swim because our 3 year old was too short to do the swim (they go by their height). We will not be doing the dolphins again next week when we are there because I want to wait until she is old enough to actually do the "swim". The encounter was amazing for her. She was able to be in the water with them, kiss them, do the hand shake and all that. But swimming with them will be an entirely different story for her. So to make it up to her this cruise, we will be doing a stingray swim in Grand Cayman. :D

 

I believe the dolphin "royal" swim is the best/most you can do. They do the swim and they push you up in the water with their noses and I believe you ride on their backs with your feet pushing you up out of the water.

[mitsugirly]

Also, if you notice the smaller part of water over by the dolphin swim...that is the pool if you are interested in swimming in the pool.

 

The other area of water behind the pool is a waterfall when you first enter the park. :)

[kgraham56]

The fins will make a difference if you have a chance to practice with them. Take them and practice in the pool on the ship. The salt water will make a huge difference also. They will be much more bouyant.

 

If you do the the tours to Stingray City in Grand Caymen (highly recommended), masks and snorkels will really enhance their views of the stingrays (you can't wear fins or shoes while with the stingrays).

 

ken

[sharks48]

They require you to wear a life vest at Chank. We just put the inflatable vests on and didn't inflate them [since we had wetsuits]. For your kids, just inflate the vests - you might want something to "sterilize" the mouthpiece, I'd think. Hopefully, your snorkels are "dry" snorkels - otherwise, the kids may have a very frustrating time. Teach them how to put the mask on, too. [Once they have it on, and there's no hair in the mask, etc., they should inhale until the mask "adheres" to their face. Be sure and have the strap high enough on their head, too, that it won't slip.]

 

There are tons of fish "right there" when you get in. If you swim a bit out to the right, there's a big chunk of rock/coral with, again, tons of fish. There's also a sunken statue there.

[mitsugirly]

I have always read that it is required to have a snorkeling vest when swimming at Chankanaab (from this board). We have been twice. Just a little over a week ago and 6 months before that.

 

There were tons of people in the water snorkeling that didn't have the life vest. I'm not sure if there just wasn't people that said anything to them or what. But people do swim without them.

 

However, I wouldn't suggest swimming without a snorkel vest. Both times I've been there the water is a little rough. Especially when the boats are going by it creates a big wave. It's better to be safe than sorry and wear out.

 

Also, this time that we went...they had a thing way out in the water that you could swim out to and climb on to rest or snorkel off of. They didn't have that 6 months ago when we went. Kinda neat. :)

[sigma_1966]

We cruised to Cozumel at the beginning of May. We are avid snorkelers and have snorkeled in many places in the Carribean.

 

On our trip to Cozumel we did a tour in which 6 or 8 of us were loaded onto a small boat and did a 3 reef tour. All of them were within sight of the ship we were on. We docked at the Puerto Maya dock. The snorkeling was terrible. Not really a lot of fish and there was 3-4 other snorkel boats so it was crowded in the water.

 

Does anyone know of a snorkel company that does snorkel tours in Cozumel that is away from those areas. Maybe a tour to reefs off the beaten path ?

[BridgeMates]

We cruised to Cozumel at the beginning of May. We are avid snorkelers and have snorkeled in many places in the Carribean.

 

On our trip to Cozumel we did a tour in which 6 or 8 of us were loaded onto a small boat and did a 3 reef tour. All of them were within sight of the ship we were on. We docked at the Puerto Maya dock. The snorkeling was terrible. Not really a lot of fish and there was 3-4 other snorkel boats so it was crowded in the water.

 

Does anyone know of a snorkel company that does snorkel tours in Cozumel that is away from those areas. Maybe a tour to reefs off the beaten path ?

 

Check out EagleRayDivers.com. Hopefully this isn't the operator you used and were disappointed in, but we'd like to know. :eek:

Thanks.

[sigma_1966]

It wasn't the company we used. I have bookmarked your site for our cruise next April. Thank you

 

Check out EagleRayDivers.com. Hopefully this isn't the operator you used and were disappointed in, but we'd like to know. :eek:

Thanks.