Snorkeling in Cozumel - several questions...

[Meagansbaydreamer]

I'm going in Sept. I've been snorkeling once in St. John and REALLY want to snorkel again! I'm cruising with my 81 yo grandma - just the 2 of us- and I would like to try to avoid paying for an excursion if I can (cause Nanny won't be snorkeling)!

 

1. Is there some place where we can take a taxi and I can snorkel?
   
2. Can I rent equipment?
   
3. Do I need to take an excursion because of the hurricane damage close to the shore?
   
4. If an excursion is best - who do you recommend?

Thanks!!

[golfer1966]

You may have heard of Paradise Beach on Cozumel from surfing this board, but its not an excursion from RCCL. We have gone here for a beach day and you can snorkel there, but its just so so. Your grandma can chill on a beach chair there while you snorkel. There is food there and clean bathrooms. I figure that would be good for your grandma. I think the cover charge is 5 bux, but that includes the chairs, the beach and floaty mats to swim. You can take a cab there too. I am not sure how much damage they had, so you may want to hit their website. I forget the web address...but its like paradisebeach.com or something like that.

[sicsinohio]

Chankanaab is a nature preserve on Cozumel. You take a cab, and I think it was about $8-10/pp. We went snorkeling there in 2004 and it was fantastic. At the time admission was $12/pp and snorkel gear was $6/pp. We have since bought our own masks and snorkels...well worth it if you will get to use them again. I understand Chankanaab was badly damaged in last year's hurricanes and am not sure what condition it is in now. We plan to go again in 2007 and hope it is recovering in the meantime. Anyone been there lately?

[cozgal]

There are many places for off shore snorkeling in czm although the best is from a boat. Many of the shallow water reefs were damaged but there is still plenty to see. Since you will have your grandmother with you consider Chankanaab, Palmar/DzulHa beach Clubs or Playa Uvas for her comfort and your snorkeling.

Paradise beach is very nice but the snorkeling is not so great there.

You can also spend some time at the Coral Princess Hotel. There is great snorkeling right there as well as nice beach chairs and pool for her. They welcome guests, just open a tab and have fun.

Hope this helps some.

[thehare]

My family and I (Dh, DD 16, and DS 15) are cruising into Cozumel on the Carnival Glory in a few weeks. We are all novice snorkelers. I don't want to pay the cruise line for a snorkeling excursion but would like the kids to go snorkeling. I was on the Dept of State travel website to day was aghast at all their warnings, especially those warning against poor scuba/snorkel outfits and lack of equipment upkeep and sanitization. Dh and I don't drink so excursions with open bar don't appeal to us. So can anyone recommend a reputable snorkel excursion for a bunch of novices?

 

Thanks!

[christineann]

I second the suggestion for Chankanaab. We went on our own in 2003 and had a great time. My son did the intro to scuba class there (half the price of the ship's excursion), and it was a wonderful experience. My daughter and I snorkelled while he did that, and we enjoyed the submerged statues. We saw many barracuda, which was pretty neat.

 

There is a nice park there (dolphins, too, I think), parrots, etc. There are also small thatch type canopies on the beach with chairs.

 

I would definitely go there again.

[cozgal]

My family and I (Dh, DD 16, and DS 15) are cruising into Cozumel on the Carnival Glory in a few weeks. We are all novice snorkelers. I don't want to pay the cruise line for a snorkeling excursion but would like the kids to go snorkeling. I was on the Dept of State travel website to day was aghast at all their warnings, especially those warning against poor scuba/snorkel outfits and lack of equipment upkeep and sanitization. Dh and I don't drink so excursions with open bar don't appeal to us. So can anyone recommend a reputable snorkel excursion for a bunch of novices?

 

Thanks!

 

While all clubs and tour operators clean snorkel equipment, I prefer to use my own no matter where we go. You can find resonably priced snorkel equipment on amazon.com and ebay...there also many websites such as snorkel-mart, snorkel city and snorkel direct. You may want to consider a mask too. The better the fit, the more fun you will have.

 

I have used Eagle Ray Divers for small group snorkeling when my family were down. Several had never snorkeled before. They were great, very attentive, patient and will instruct as to what you will see.You can go for 2 or 3 reef trips by boat. http://www.eagleraydivers.com/index.htm

you can also find other excellent operators at www.cozumelinsider.com

 

You may also want to consider just snorkeling from shore, where everyone can practice and go as shallow or deep as they are comfortable. Chankanaab is a good place for that.

Keep in mind that Chankanaab, while just reopened, is still recovering from Wilma's damage and not everything is operational.

No need to buy fins, the tour operator can supply them or you can rentthem at the park.

Hope this helps.

[Kev and Tam]

We were in Cozumel last August after Wilma had swept through and Paradise Beach was great! There are clean bathrooms (which are very important in Mexico) and good food that wasn't too expensive. They have a web site http://www.paradise-beach-cozumel.net/ which is exactly what you get. All of the taxi drivers know the location and the ride is fairly short, costing about $10 to get there (the drivers on the way back will up the price, but don't let them fool you, tell them you got there for $10 and they will probably take you back for the same).

There is a fee to get into the facility, it is minimal, and includes the use of their chairs, palapas, snorkel gear. They have a trampoline and an iceburg that you can climb.You can snorkel, which is not bad, really, the water is very clear. We had our snorkel gear with us, so we didn't use theirs.

All in all, we saved a lot of money on a shore excursion in Cozumel, and my family had a great time!

[Meagansbaydreamer]

IS the taxi ride $10 per person or $10 total?

 

Thanks!

[thehare]

I like the idea of the Paradise beach club since we could include our 3 year old daughter. Is the taxi cost per person and would 4 adults and a child fit in 1 taxi? I'll definitely check on purchasing masks and snorkels before cruising.

 

Thanks again for all the great advice!

[cozgal]

The taxi fares are quoted per cab...the fare from punta langosta pier is about $13...should be a little less from the international pier. The fares are usually for 2 persons and you may be charged $2-3 dollars more( a nice driver may not charge for your daughter). You can check the fares at the port to be sure.

There are larger sedans available and you will all fit comfortably. You could fit in the smaller but it would be tight and your daughter will have to sit on someone's lap.

The fee to use the beach toys etc at Paradise is $8.00. Paradise is great for families and is very popular so get there early.

The snorkeling is relative, compared with other from shore snorkeling spots, it's OK but there are better although They may not have all the other amenities that PB has.

Hope you all have a great day!

 

PS Hurricane Wilma hit cozumel Oct. 20, 2005, not August which I think was Emily. The damage from Wilma was much greater.

[DFW4]

Paradise Beach now offers a snorkel excursion tip for $35, and there is no cover charge for the beach - only if you want to use the floats/icebergs, etc...

 

Look on the Cozumel port page for lots of information on this...

[JMikeC]

I'm going in Sept. I've been snorkeling once in St. John and REALLY want to snorkel again! I'm cruising with my 81 yo grandma - just the 2 of us- and I would like to try to avoid paying for an excursion if I can (cause Nanny won't be snorkeling)!

 

1. Is there some place where we can take a taxi and I can snorkel?
   
2. Can I rent equipment?
   
3. Do I need to take an excursion because of the hurricane damage close to the shore?
   
4. If an excursion is best - who do you recommend?

Thanks!!

 

The beach next to Blue Angel dive shop has excellent snorkelling. About a $6 taxi from the cruise dock.

[idocdlw]

The beach next to Blue Angel dive shop has excellent

snorkelling. About a $6 taxi from the cruise dock.

 

Mike,

Did this particular beach have any restroom facilities, lockers, or food/drink service or is it just an ala cart beach?

[suited_jacks]

Where does everyone put your stuff while snorkling? We have a digital camera that we don't want to leave sitting around.

 

Thanks!

[KimStead]

I know at Chanakanaab Park they have lockers that you can rent, so they are safely stored away while you are snorkling.