Snorkeling recommendations

[asilbey]

I am cruising in November on Carnival Triumph and wanting to snorkel but not book with the ship. It's my boyfriend's first time snorkeling and the excursions through the ship seem like they go to sites already crowded with tourists and I want him to have a good experience. Any suggestions for private tour companies? Do they guarentee getting you back to the ship in time?

Edited June 19, 2017 by asilbey

[crewsweeper]

Look for a half day type snorkel, if you're concerned about getting back to the ship. Viator offers some 1/2 day excursions to off shore reefs via glass bottom boat.or catamaran.

 

However, as it's your BF's first time snorkeling, perhaps just doing something from shore on your own would be better. Money Bar, Sky Reef, or Corona Beach, offer the better shore snorkeling in Coz. All are PAYGO, and have snorkeling equipment for rent. But they all have small man made beaches and you'll need water shoes or snorkel socks when entering the water. Chankanaab national Park also has decent snorkeling at it's northern end plus lots of other things to do. There's an admission fee and then everything else is PAYGO. All of these are a short taxi ride from the piers and there will be plenty of taxis around to take you back when you are ready.

[JohninDC]

We were very happy with Eagle Ray for a snorkel tour a few years ago. Since then we have concentrated on snorkeling from the shore at the Money Bar (suggested above). Crewsweeper gives you a good run down of the options.

[az_2_nc2013]

CozumelH20 is great! Their tour is fun, professional, and informative. They work frequently with cruise ship guests and they were very aware of timing and brought us back several hours before we had to board. The tour is about 3-4 hours, and they take you to 4 different reefs quite a distance from the ships, so they are definitely not crowded at all! I highly recommend them.