The vest is required when on national protected areas (the reef), it's not only a way to protect the coral and prevent lawsuits, but it's the best way to make a snorkeler visible to passing boats. I am an extremely competent swimmer and snorkeler but in open water I would not want to go without a jacket. I've heard too many stories of hits and near misses of boats and snorkelers. If you snorkel without the jacket, make sure you have one of those large floating balls or flags so you can be seen. I've done a couple of trips where the guide will allow me to take off the jacket for a moment to dive down and get a picture, but it's federal law that you wear them and if the park guards catch you, they can shut down the tour operator or impose heavy fines. Remember that when in open water in unfamiliar territory, there are tides and currents that can take you away from the boat or your snorkeling partners too, best to wear a jacket when at sea, as much as we may hate it. The current is STRONG in Puerto Morelos too, doesn't matter how strong you are, the ocean is stronger and you'll appreciate the floatation, it's not like you are just bobbing around in calm waters, you are swimming HARD when out there, you'll appreciate the extra floatation. At first I found the vest to be very restrictive, but after many trips out, it no longer bothers me to wear it. Even in Half Moon Bay, a calm shallow area, there are kayakers out and about and it's difficult to see snorkelers from a kayak, I saw some very close calls and one good accident over there. It's for everyone's safety, not just the coral (though that's as good a reason as any). And yes, the only way to the Puerto Morelos reef is by boat, but the last couple of times we've gone it was just the three of us in our family and the guide, it's not like you're on a tour with a dozen other people. It's great to have a private guide, he found things for us that we wouldn't have noticed on our own and gave us an enhanced experience with his knowledge of that stretch of reef. Happy snorkels!
A friend of mine, a strong swimmer, swam out to the reef at Puerto Morelos minus life vest - it's about a mile or so offshore. A police patrol boat picked him up and dropped him at the centre of the town a mile or two away. He had to walk back to his stuff in his swimming gear and no shoes.
Sounds just like the beach police in Barcelona 40 years ago. A serious infraction, like crossing the street from the beach to the sidewalk in a bathing suit could get you a ride, along with the rest of the day's fashion felons, halfway to the French border, where you were dumped on the side of the highway, hopefully early enough so that you didn't freeze before hitching a ride back into the city. Franco thought bathing suits were for the beach and not the town. Also, a woman's bathing suit could not be white. Personally, I think we could use that rule (excluding the color restriction) in Cancun. The sweaty, half nude, broiled bright pink tourists stroling around Wal-Mart can really put you off your food. Ah, the good old days. Funny how some of the old customs seem to have migrated to the new world.
Vests I know what you mean about wearing a vest. I like to be able to diver under water too. We did a snorkel trip 2 years ago and had to wear them but they are more like big yellow belts. I could still dive about 10' underwater with fins. What did you find out about cave diving?
Having worked as a guide for many years (to I. Mujeres and I. Contoy), with snorkeling included, I can tell you why it is forbidden to snorkel without a life jacket. It IS forbidden by law and there are guards around to check, fine or cancel the company license. The reef around is the second in the world and they NEED to protect it. People going underwater touch or cut corals and other flore, and damage them. Also the currents are very very strong, even they don't appear so. Every tourist coming back told us "wow... we couldn't believe it". And the captain had to rescue some who couldn't come back to the boat. So there is to be a rule.
