Snorkeling in Coco Cay: a report

[Birdnutty]

I have also posted this in “Ports of call” under private islands, but not all people think of going there. This was a very important topic to me when I was researching our cruise under tight time restraints, so I decided to help others.  

 

Before our cruise, I went crazy trying to find info on the snorkeling here, and was never able to get a complete answer.  I was concerned that the re-work of the island had changed it significantly from the snorkeling perspective.  This way, you can hopefully concentrate on planning your cruise rather than chasing questions down blind alleys.

 

We brought our own gear. Having snorkeled there many years ago, we didn’t know if we could still access the areas we used to go to.

 

1). The snorkel area is the same.  Off Chill Beach.  There are three “rocky” areas at Chill Beach. The one in the center has the best selection of fish behind it.  

2)  GO EARLY!  The sand is so fine there that vision is severely impeded by suspended particles from people swimming, walking, hanging out in the water, etc.  Visibility by lunch time is quite bad. 

3) There’s no significant coral there anywhere, so set your expectations low and just be happy to see the fish

4). We saw mostly the usual suspects, including Sargent Majors, jacks, parrotfish, needlefish, clownfish, tangs, some butterfly fish. Some pretty big ones (over two feet) that I couldn’t identify and a bunch of all different sizes that I also couldn’t ID.  We saw a school just hanging there, right next to the rocks that had to have at least 200 fish in it, about 8” long.  

5) When we were there, the roped off area did not include the area that housed the sunken plane.  Maybe with the reduced amount of pax they find it easier to keep track of everyone in a smaller section. When you go, ask a lifeguard if the airplane is within the ropes or not.  Save yourself some time.  

 

Not everyone had a vest.  They didn’t seem to be monitoring it, either.  

 

If you have questions ABOUT SNORKELING THERE that I did not answer, feel free to ask!

[alyssamma]

51 minutes ago, Birdnutty said:

I have also posted this in “Ports of call” under private islands, but not all people think of going there. This was a very important topic to me when I was researching our cruise under tight time restraints, so I decided to help others.  

 

Before our cruise, I went crazy trying to find info on the snorkeling here, and was never able to get a complete answer.  I was concerned that the re-work of the island had changed it significantly from the snorkeling perspective.  This way, you can hopefully concentrate on planning your cruise rather than chasing questions down blind alleys.

 

We brought our own gear. Having snorkeled there many years ago, we didn’t know if we could still access the areas we used to go to.

 

1). The snorkel area is the same.  Off Chill Beach.  There are three “rocky” areas at Chill Beach. The one in the center has the best selection of fish behind it.  

2)  GO EARLY!  The sand is so fine there that vision is severely impeded by suspended particles from people swimming, walking, hanging out in the water, etc.  Visibility by lunch time is quite bad. 

3) There’s no significant coral there anywhere, so set your expectations low and just be happy to see the fish

4). We saw mostly the usual suspects, including Sargent Majors, jacks, parrotfish, needlefish, clownfish, tangs, some butterfly fish. Some pretty big ones (over two feet) that I couldn’t identify and a bunch of all different sizes that I also couldn’t ID.  We saw a school just hanging there, right next to the rocks that had to have at least 200 fish in it, about 8” long.  

5) When we were there, the roped off area did not include the area that housed the sunken plane.  Maybe with the reduced amount of pax they find it easier to keep track of everyone in a smaller section. When you go, ask a lifeguard if the airplane is within the ropes or not.  Save yourself some time.  

 

Not everyone had a vest.  They didn’t seem to be monitoring it, either.  

 

If you have questions ABOUT SNORKELING THERE that I did not answer, feel free to ask!

Thanks for this!

 

Did you see any sharks or rays?

[lovetotraveltx]

Is it a long swim out before you start seeing fish? Thank you

[zanydoc]

Thank you for your report! And you are right, not a lot of info out there about this topic and what is out there is basically “Don’t even try it, it sucks!” 

[Birdnutty]

1 hour ago, alyssamma said:

Did you see any sharks or rays?

I did not see any, but I heard some hearsay that there is a resident Eagle Ray that makes an occasional appearance.

46 minutes ago, lovetotraveltx said:

Is it a long swim out before you start seeing fish? Thank you

Not at all.  Very close to shore

 

15 minutes ago, zanydoc said:

Thank you for your report! And you are right, not a lot of info out there about this topic and what is out there is basically “Don’t even try it, it sucks!” 

That's exactly why I did this.  No, it's not the Great Barrier Reef, but it has its merits.  We've been snorkelling for 20 years or more, and still can appreciate the smaller natural displays.

[hp_slash]

Thank you for the report! My husband and I worry we were spoiled from our last snorkeling trip to Bonaire. But I think we will take the chance and see what it's like.

[PinkIce26]

On 10/31/2021 at 7:45 PM, Birdnutty said:

I have also posted this in “Ports of call” under private islands, but not all people think of going there. This was a very important topic to me when I was researching our cruise under tight time restraints, so I decided to help others.  

 

Before our cruise, I went crazy trying to find info on the snorkeling here, and was never able to get a complete answer.  I was concerned that the re-work of the island had changed it significantly from the snorkeling perspective.  This way, you can hopefully concentrate on planning your cruise rather than chasing questions down blind alleys.

 

We brought our own gear. Having snorkeled there many years ago, we didn’t know if we could still access the areas we used to go to.

 

1). The snorkel area is the same.  Off Chill Beach.  There are three “rocky” areas at Chill Beach. The one in the center has the best selection of fish behind it.  

2)  GO EARLY!  The sand is so fine there that vision is severely impeded by suspended particles from people swimming, walking, hanging out in the water, etc.  Visibility by lunch time is quite bad. 

3) There’s no significant coral there anywhere, so set your expectations low and just be happy to see the fish

4). We saw mostly the usual suspects, including Sargent Majors, jacks, parrotfish, needlefish, clownfish, tangs, some butterfly fish. Some pretty big ones (over two feet) that I couldn’t identify and a bunch of all different sizes that I also couldn’t ID.  We saw a school just hanging there, right next to the rocks that had to have at least 200 fish in it, about 8” long.  

5) When we were there, the roped off area did not include the area that housed the sunken plane.  Maybe with the reduced amount of pax they find it easier to keep track of everyone in a smaller section. When you go, ask a lifeguard if the airplane is within the ropes or not.  Save yourself some time.  

 

Not everyone had a vest.  They didn’t seem to be monitoring it, either.  

 

If you have questions ABOUT SNORKELING THERE that I did not answer, feel free to ask!

Do they provide a vest if you bring your own gear?

[swvlhead]

Thank you!!

[ellenh]

Thanks for this!  We were at CocoCay last week and ended up in precisely this spot purely by luck (we found good loungers there).  I was surprised that the snorkeling was pretty good since my expectations were quite low.  As you say, it was mostly the usual suspects as far as fish go but there were lots of them and there were many varieties.  It was very pleasant to just float around the rocks and see what swam by.  

 

Sure it's not a teeming tropical reef but we had our own snorkels so it was a free day and a nice addition to just sitting on the beach. We'll be back in a few months and I'm happy to hear that the spot we chose was probably the best place to be.   

[cindyscruise]

Thank you.  I too had been looking for this information.  

[Junkhouse]

Snorkeled there in early October, I believe I was in the same place.  Saw the big school of fish and a ray came in and then swam out.  Talked to someone who said an "associate" said you have to get out early because once the patrons hit the water the fish get more skittish and swim off. There are also fish around the lifeguard platforms, but it is a longer swim.

[IRMO12HD]

Thank you for the great review!  I snorkeled there in 2019 (before "Perfect Day"), and the Snorkel Shack had an orientation video that they asked snorkelers to view before they went out.  Do they still do that?  I will say that I found the Snorkel Shack folks very helpful; even "loaned" me some fins when my (ancient) fins broke while swimming out to the plane.

[ReneeFLL]

The plane is no longer there. It was removed.

[bonsai3s]

Approximately how deep is the water near the rocks? Thank you for the great info...much appreciated.

[Jasukkie]

Good info, thanks. I didn't bother trying because I had read such negative comments beforehand. Instead we went on a really bad snorkeling excursion in Cozumel. Some of my favorite snorkeling has been the free kind right off the beach, will give this a try next time.

[robtulipe]

On 10/31/2021 at 8:37 PM, alyssamma said:

Thanks for this!

 

Did you see any sharks or rays?

We've seen southern stingrays when snorkeling there and once a couple of nurse sharks near the tender pier when that was being done.

[snowbird1]

On 10/31/2021 at 6:45 PM, Birdnutty said:

I have also posted this in “Ports of call” under private islands, but not all people think of going there. This was a very important topic to me when I was researching our cruise under tight time restraints, so I decided to help others.  

 

Before our cruise, I went crazy trying to find info on the snorkeling here, and was never able to get a complete answer.  I was concerned that the re-work of the island had changed it significantly from the snorkeling perspective.  This way, you can hopefully concentrate on planning your cruise rather than chasing questions down blind alleys.

 

We brought our own gear. Having snorkeled there many years ago, we didn’t know if we could still access the areas we used to go to.

 

1). The snorkel area is the same.  Off Chill Beach.  There are three “rocky” areas at Chill Beach. The one in the center has the best selection of fish behind it.  

2)  GO EARLY!  The sand is so fine there that vision is severely impeded by suspended particles from people swimming, walking, hanging out in the water, etc.  Visibility by lunch time is quite bad. 

3) There’s no significant coral there anywhere, so set your expectations low and just be happy to see the fish

4). We saw mostly the usual suspects, including Sargent Majors, jacks, parrotfish, needlefish, clownfish, tangs, some butterfly fish. Some pretty big ones (over two feet) that I couldn’t identify and a bunch of all different sizes that I also couldn’t ID.  We saw a school just hanging there, right next to the rocks that had to have at least 200 fish in it, about 8” long.  

5) When we were there, the roped off area did not include the area that housed the sunken plane.  Maybe with the reduced amount of pax they find it easier to keep track of everyone in a smaller section. When you go, ask a lifeguard if the airplane is within the ropes or not.  Save yourself some time.  

 

Not everyone had a vest.  They didn’t seem to be monitoring it, either.  

 

If you have questions ABOUT SNORKELING THERE that I did not answer, feel free to ask!

My experience is, they have ruined the best snorkeling there, roped off now.  To be honest it upsets me a lot, as noted it is too sandy close it.  They need to create a new snorkel are on the other side of those rocks on the left.  I use to go over there.  The water is nice and clear there.

[snowbird1]

On 11/1/2021 at 6:21 PM, hp_slash said:

Thank you for the report! My husband and I worry we were spoiled from our last snorkeling trip to Bonaire. But I think we will take the chance and see what it's like.

Definitely spoiled!  Lol

[reallyitsmema]

On 10/31/2021 at 8:37 PM, alyssamma said:

Thanks for this!

 

Did you see any sharks or rays?

 

We have seen rays every time we have been at Coco Cay.  They have been right along the shore at Chill Island.  We have also seen lemon sharks multiple times over in the area that is now where the over the water cabanas are in.

[Birdnutty]

On 11/1/2021 at 10:06 PM, PinkIce26 said:

Do they provide a vest if you bring your own gear?

Sorry, I don't know.  We had our own.  

[Birdnutty]

On 11/6/2021 at 8:38 AM, bonsai3s said:

Approximately how deep is the water near the rocks? Thank you for the great info...much appreciated.

I wouldn't say it was very deep, but when I'm horizontal in the water following and looking for fish, I don't pay much attention.  But I think it was pretty shallow.  

[Birdnutty]

On 11/1/2021 at 7:21 PM, hp_slash said:

Thank you for the report! My husband and I worry we were spoiled from our last snorkeling trip to Bonaire. But I think we will take the chance and see what it's like.

We too have been very spoiled by some incredible snorkelling in many islands.  And severely disappointed by some truly awful experiences.  Knowing that there isn't any significant coral here, we set the bar pretty low, and just chilled out and watched what we could.  We always manage to enjoy most experiences, regardless of the conditions.  It's 250% better to be floating in the Caribbean looking at whatever we can see than being at home.  Just sayin'....

[mama-of-three]

On 11/6/2021 at 12:22 AM, ReneeFLL said:

The plane is no longer there. It was removed.

I heard recently from someone who was there that the plane is outside the allowable snorkel area. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

we were there last Saturday.

The kiddo and grandma went snorkeling behind the rocks on the Chill Island beach and enjoyed seeing many fish. DS was very excited! 

 

However, the water was freezing, the Chill Island lagoons were super crowded, and it was extremely windy on that side, so about an hour later we relocated to South Beach. The water was very calm, there was no wind, and there was a bunch of angel fish, tiny fish and one big boi about 1.5 feet long who ate pieces of the buns we brought from the snack shack.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

19 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

we relocated to South Beach

sorry, correction, Breezy Bay part of the Chill Island. I found this out after I looked at the map again. Turns out, we didn't make it as far as we thought (South Beach).