Western Caribbean Snorkeling

[CozGurl]

We are considering booking a Carnival cruise next spring that stops in Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Honduras and Belize. We've been to and snorkeled in Coz several times and are looking to do something different in one of the other ports. I can't remember now which port does the cave tubing, but we'd like that.

 

Which port had your least favorite snorkeling? Or if you had to pass that on one of those stops, which would it be?

[OCruisers]

Belize has Cave Tubing.

[TullMan]

I have snorkeled only in Cozumel from one of those cat boats with the open bar afterwards. Great fun!

 

Belize had cave tubing 10 years ago. It is a blast! I remember the 1/2 mile hike-in with wild orchids on the trees. A really great way to see the rain forest.

[Raxter54]

Book the Carnival Tabyana Beach Break excursion on Roatan. The coral is is only 25-30 yards off the beach. In addition, they have "guides" in kayaks that will, for a donation, tow you out to the far side of the reef and back so you won't get tired. Here's a couple photos I took while snorkeling there last February:

 

 

 

[mrsfuzzmo]

Grand Cayman and Roatan both have excellent snorkeling. Belize has the cave tubing but they also have the snorkeling with the sharks, which is a pretty cool experience.

 

I'd do Stingrays in Cayman, snorkeling in Roatan and Cave Tubing in Belize.

[golfb4cruzing]

Coz has been the best hands down. Grand Cayman was okay but did shipwreck near the shore. I believe Belize has the Blue Hole. We have not done Honduras yet.

[GradUT]

We had a fabulous time snorkeling with Radical Catamaran Adventures in Roatan. The owners and their staff are super-friendly and accommodating and the outstanding food for lunch was freshly prepared on board. I can't say enough good things about the day we spent on this excursion.

 

See their reviews on Trip Advisor!

Edited July 5, 2016 by GradUT

[Rock_Dr]

Book the Carnival Tabyana Beach Break excursion on Roatan.

 

I agree!!

 

Roatoan was way better than Coz in my opinion. Walk in from the beach at Tabyana. The reef is right there,maybe 50 feet from the waterline. If you walk up the beach a little from Tabyana there is a break in the reef so you can swim out to the seaward side of the reef.

 

[fivemonkeysplus1]

All have great snorkeling but Belize actually has the second largest coral reef system in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. We did cave tubing last time and it was okay. We are making sure to snorkel there this time! Heading to Hol Chan Reserve!

[bailey57]

(Just fyi, I avoid cruise line excursions; too crowded and expensive for my tastes. Can almost always find something better online, or worst case, when I get to a port. Never had a problem.)

 

In Cayman, highly recommend Stingray Sailing. They take a limited # of people, beautiful boat. You'll get to stingray city to swim with the stingrays before anyone else gets there (this is a very cool experience), then a few snorkel stops and a nice sail back. They provide a superior experience to the cruise line offerings. You can see more great reviews on trip advisor. If you email them to book, tell Michelle that Peg sent you. She knows me well. :)

[watchdiva]

Without question snorkel in Roatan which is located on the Meso-American Barrier Reef. We lived in Roatan for 4 years and the snorkeling cannot be beat!! Go on a snorkel trip with Free Radical or Raya Aguila (sp?) catamarans for an outstanding day!!

 

 

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[finoky]

Roatan, Tabyana Beach, excellent snorkeling right off the beach. No need for a boat.

[OCruisers]

As others have mentioned, you can go to the Meso-America Barrier Reef (2nd largest in the world) from Roatan & Belize.

Not to be missed by those who love to snorkel. :)

[evandbob]

I agree!!

 

Roatoan was way better than Coz in my opinion. Walk in from the beach at Tabyana. The reef is right there,maybe 50 feet from the waterline. If you walk up the beach a little from Tabyana there is a break in the reef so you can swim out to the seaward side of the reef.

 

 

Great pic of the reef! I liked Roatan so much as a port stop that I went back for 2 different land vacations and stayed at Infinity Bay, the hotel with the red roofs right next to Tabayana.

 

Funny, as a hotel goer, I avoided the heavy cruise traffic and couldn't wait until they went back to their ships and things quieted down. Returned as a cruise stop just like week!

[evandbob]

Book the Carnival Tabyana Beach Break excursion on Roatan. The coral is is only 25-30 yards off the beach. In addition, they have "guides" in kayaks that will, for a donation, tow you out to the far side of the reef and back so you won't get tired. Here's a couple photos I took while snorkeling there last February:

 

 

 

 

 

Great pics and good advice!

[smurfm69]

We always try to avoid the excursions from the cruise line but the Tabyana Beach Break from Carnival is an exception. It's not very expensive and you can snorkel just a few yards from the beach. Best snorkeling we have ever done!

[erinmarie424]

We've snorkeled several times with a few different vendors in Cozumel and always enjoy ourselves. Did it once in Grand Cayman and it was OK. The best snorkeling and one of the best excursions of any kind was when we booked the snorkel tour in Roatan with Upachaya. I highly recommend them!

[scottsgal]

Another vote for Radical Catamaran Adventures - we had a great day with them. There were only us and 3 other couples and we had a great time sailing and snorkeling.

[Rock_Dr]

The thing I liked about the Carnival Ecursion to Tabyana was that there was no set times. They had a shuttle go back and forth about every half hour. You are not restricted to how long you are wherever you go.

 

You can get an early shuttle there, then sit on the beach, go snorkling, have something eat or drink, relax, snorkle more, relax, ... Whenever you get tired of the beach (hard to do at this location) take the shuttle back to the port.

 

Bery little restrictions. With other excirsions I lways feel rushed, not here.

[CozGurl]

Thanks for the help. We really like a boat snorkel. Maybe we'll do that in Coz and be more flexible for a beach thing in Roatan and Belize. Would we have time to cave tube AND snorkel somewhere?

[vwrestler171]

Roatan and Grand Cayman have been the best snorkeling when I've went.

[Courtmatt]

What camera do you have? Awesome pictures!

[Courtmatt]

Evandbob-What camera do you have? Awesome pictures!

[Raxter54]

What camera do you have? Awesome pictures!

 

 

I have a LUMIX DMC TS-6 camera. 16.1 megapixel, shock proof, waterproof down to 43 feet. Has a couple special settings for snorkeling at different depths. Works great above the water, too...

 

 

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[beachbum6264]

We've been to Maya Key in Roatan 3 times - the snorkeling there is amazing. There is a drop-off where the water turns from turquoise to cobalt, one of the most beautiful sights I've seen snorkeling. Lunch is included (you need to book through the ship), some of the best fish ever.

In Belize we've done a reef snorkel where they pick you up right from the ship. One we did had rum punch and a beach break after the snorkel time. We liked that one so much we did it again the next trip to Belize! Let's just say they were not stingy with the punch (or the rum in there!) In fact, I think the guys running the excursion must have thought DH and I hadn't had quite enough punch last time because they gave us a full bottle to take back on the ship with us!! Let's just say we had a very good time on that one!