Is Water Taxi in Cabo safe w/kids?

[jellj]

Is it safe to take a 3 and 6 yo on the water taxi in Cabo to Medano Beach? Do they have life preservers? How long is the trip?

[SDPadreFan]

The water taxi's are just little motor boats. To be honest, I can't remember if they had life preservers or not. They are just used for basic transportation, etc. If you plan to use one to either get over to Medano Beach or Lover's Beach and plan to get out of the boat, then you will be getting out into the water. The boats get close to the beach but you still have to jump into 2-3 feet of water. Normally there will be some locals there to help you but they will want a tip.

 

Tell us what you plan on using the water taxi's for and one of us (on this board) can give you recommendations/options.

[karatemom2]

We just took a water taxi in Cabo with our 8 and 14 year old. The boat we were on had life jackets in both adult and child sizes. They seem quite safe, but it is a little tricky jumping out in the surf on the beach. You would probably want one adult to jump out first and the other to help the kids down to the adult on the beach. That's what we did with my 8 year old.

[melika091900]

just be careful if you get off at lovers beach, ive seen people get hit with the boats,

im not trying to scare, but i would never take our daughter there,

medano might be ok as long as the water is calm,

ive never seen life jackets on any of the water taxis,

but from the pier to medano it isnt real far,

about 5 minutes or so,

[karatemom2]

I agree that Lovers Beach is not a great place for kids. There is absolutely nothing there as far as amenities. Medano Beach is where we went and it is lined with restaurants that offer a place to base yourself for beach activities, so much better for kids. The life jackets in our boat were contained in a netted holder suspended below the canopy of the boat so they would have been easy to miss unless you happened to look up, which I did. It was reassuring to know they were there, but if you don't see them you can always ask. I almost certain that any boat carrying passengers would be required to have them.

[cathyz]

Is it safe to take a 3 and 6 yo on the water taxi in Cabo to Medano Beach? Do they have life preservers? How long is the trip?

Carnival specifically states in their documentation to not take the water taxis because they are so dangerous and there have been accidents (even a fatal one).

[shawilson]

You can always take a regular land taxi to Medano. May be easier if you have kids and a bunch of stuff.

 

The water taxi is just fun, but probably not the best idea for a 3 year old. I wouldn't do it with a child that young. Only because you have to get off the skiff in a couple of feet of water. They will have fun once you get on the beach.

[jellj]

thanks everyone for your help. I was thinking of taking my daugthers to Medano Beach (Maybe the ME). Since I will be by myself it doesn't sound like a good idea to take the water taxi. However, with a land taxi I have the lack of car seat issue. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. The cruise has a beach/resort break but it is expensive and isn't for that long of a time. I prefer to make our own schedule.

[SDPadreFan]

Understand your concern with the car seat issue. The drive in a taxi is a fairly short one. I'm guessing maybe 2 miles. We go to Cabo every year for a week (at our timeshare) and over the years have seen very few auto accidents (even in town). There are plenty of cars, but normal traffic rules are seen as suggestions by the local population. What you end up with is a crazy disorderly mess, but because if it, everyone drives pretty cautiously and no one absolutely demands the right of way.

 

The bottom line is, I think you will be pretty safe in a cab for the short drive.

 

You have the right idea to go to the beach on your own instead of paying the expensive ship sponsored beach break. The ME is supposed to have some great pools. I've only walked by it the one year we stayed next door at Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos (aka: Pueblo Bonito Blanco) but it looked nice.

[perrycruiser]

Definately take the water taxi. Not sure about lifejackets, but your kids will love the trip. By the way I have a bad leg so I use a cane, and I got in and out of them ok. It's not that hard!:D

 

Have fun!!!

 

PC:)

[K&TsMom]

We went last Oct. 2007 and our 3 yr. old and 13 yr old were with us. Experienced both the water taxis and a cab ride - NO PROBLEMS with either.

 

The water taxis in Cabo had life jackets...but we had brought our own due to the fact that our son would need one to swim with anyway. Packed fine on the bottom of our suitcase - so no extra worries. The water taxi took us for a tour of Lands End and then dropped off at Medano Beach. The kids loved seeing the seals and the "Scooby Doo Rock". Had friends with us that had a 6 yr old...and we all made it on and off with no problems. One of the adults just jumped off first and helped the others off along with all the other belongings. On the way back he brought us right back up to the dock and helped all of us off the boat.

 

Took a taxi in PV to the Water Park and again...brought a traveling carseat with us. It folds flat and can be hung right on the back of a stroller or in my case fit perfectly in my backpack. I believe it was made by Eddie Bauer and you can find through eBay or Amazon if you search Eddie Bauer travel carseat or portable carseat. They are very convenient and can be used again and again. I believe it was less than $40. Very safe and we had no problems attaching in the cab.

 

It was definitely worth the little space it took to pack the extra items to know we had taken the extra safety measures for our young son. Better safe than...well you know!