Having stayed for 2 months in cancun and pdc, we were able to snorkle a few different areas. For anyone whos interested, I thought I'd share my favs and least fav spots. In playa del carmen I snorkeled a few times on the northern part of the town area where there is reef. Its not great but there is enough there to make it worth the swim out. The swim out to the reef takes only 5 minutes. It is shallow water snorkeling. Pumaal just south of pdc is also worth seeing. Its very shallow snorkeling. Not great snorkeling, but ok. Akumal was another place which is known for its snorkeling and for good reason. It is a great place to snorkel. Lots of reef to see and an easy swim out to it. This is also shallow snorkeling. There is also a place called half moon bay in the akumal area. Its more shallow with decent snorkeling. Also there is the park there where you can pay entrance to snorkel. Its only $6 entrance, but you can easily go in on your own without entering their park and paying entrance. The park area has decent snorkeling with a slightly different feel with some funny nooks and crannies to snorkel over. Lots of tame fish. I prefer the main Akumal beach area for snorkeling over all the other close by places. Tulum snorkeling was a tough go. The reef is a long way out to swim to get there. I did make the swim out but once I got there I found the current and waves to be very strong by the reef area and hard to snorkel. So this area I wouldnt choose to try snorkeling on your own from the shore. Isla mujeres does quite a few snorkeling tours in an area right in front of town. I did get to try it while on a booze cruise. If you're a beginning snorkeler its ok, but I'd rate it as not so great. Not really much of anything to see there. The only other area I've snorkeled in isla mujeres was at garrafon park. I thought that snorkeling was also not very good. Puerto Morelos was one of my fav places to snorkel. The reef is quite a ways out though. It took me around 20 minutes to swim out to it. Very few people swim out, as most people pay to go on the tours out to the reef. They are very strict about making people wear the life jackets around the reef, and they must be the big orange jackets and not the inflatable green ones. I got chased back in twice for not having the proper jacket on. The swim out to the reef is through water around 20 feet deep but is a fun swim since you can see conch and starfish on the swim out. Also lots and lots of baracuda there. Finally cancun snorkeling, south end behind club med. Before it got covered with sand it looked like it survived Wilma ok. I did get out to snorkel the deep side of the reef where the water drops off to 50 feet. I dont know what it looks like after the beach project has thrown so much sand its way. The shallow water part of the reef doesnt look so good anmore. The jungle tours have new markers placed all over around a section of the reef on the southern end of club med. Personally I think that area isnt very good for snorkeling and especially with them limiting how close you can get to the reef. The boat ride out is fun, but the snorkeling part of the tour isnt so great.
It's a drag with the life jackets, unfortunately it's the law now when snorkeling.....all for good reason though, the reason so much of the shore access reef has been destroyed is due to snorkelers touching the reef over the years,,,,,,,,,,,,,,in thirty years most have gone from sensational to marginal...............life jackets are a necessary evil
Robby, I have snorkled off Punta Nizuc near Club Med before and was planning on doing it again next week. I was not the best place I've ever snorkled, but there was still enough to see to make it worth the time. And, it was easy to get to and free. Plus, since it is not crowded, you could just bring your own ice chest and have a beach party and do what you want. That is a major plus over the overly-structured and expensive tours. Is the damage from the sand reclamation project so bad that its not even worth the bus ride? Or will we still enjoy it? Please let me know before I leave for Cancun this Friday (3/9/07) morning. Thanks
Snorkeling behind club med was just decent snorkeling if you stayed on the shore side of the reef. If you were able to get on the other side of the reef, it was an entirely different scene. The reef breaks off into 40'+ deep water and is really some beautiful snorkeling, way better than anything I've seen at isla mujeres or even cozumel shore snorkeling. We are returning to cancun this fall (2007) and I will be curious to see how the reef behind club med looks after the massive covering of sand with the beach project that took place post hurricane. I still think that the beach replacement project probably damaged that reef way more than the hurricane ever did. I guess I'll find out for sure in November.
snorkling in Cancun We just got back from Cancun and the snorkeling was a little disappointing. We took the Jungle Tour (no jungle involved) and the jet ski look-a-like boats were a big disappointment. It took forever to get them up to speed and once there, fast would not be a word I would use to describe them. They use a 15 horsepower motor on something that looks like a jet ski, just as you get up to speed (takes a couple minutes to get up to speed) the guide slows down so everyone can catch up. Actual jet skis would have been a lot more fun. The snorkeling was ok but nothing great. There were a lot of people there and the time spent on the reef seemed like fifteen minutes. The one thing I will say the fish were much larger then I have seen on other snorkeling trips. That was a nice surprise. You couldn't get close to the reef because it was roped off. It was a lot of money to spend for 15-30 minutes snorkeling. I wish I had known where it was before. It would make a great day trip to take the bus or even a taxi to the beach. the reef is only 50-100yds off the jetty, an easy safe swim if you have your own equipment. I would have needed a life vest, but I had everything else. For the cost of a bus ride and a picnic lunch it could have been a great afternoon. My wife doesn't care to snorkel so she could have relaxed on the beach while I swam with the fishes. If/when I go back that is exactly what I will do. For those interested the National Park (which is where the reef is located) is at the end of the Island before all the hotels and right off the main drag. You pass it on your right coming in from the airport. Look for a large round building by the beach. I assume they have restrooms because there was a large building there that looked like a visitor center. It could have been my best day in Cancun but as it turned out it was an expensive, disappointing trip with Jungle Tours. I wouldn't have been so disappointed if we spent a little more time there. It was towards late afternoon and I think the guide wanted to go home early. There was a lot more reef to explore so take a picnic lunch and make a day of it!
snorkling in Cancun We just got back from Cancun and the snorkeling was a little disappointing. We took the Jungle Tour (no jungle involved) and the jet ski look-a-like boats were a big disappointment. It took forever to get them up to speed and once there, fast would not be a word I would use to describe them. They use a 15 horsepower motor on something that looks like a jet ski, just as you get up to speed (takes a couple minutes to get up to speed) the guide slows down so everyone can catch up. Actual jet skis would have been a lot more fun. The snorkeling was ok but nothing great. There were a lot of people there and the time spent on the reef seemed like fifteen minutes. The one thing I will say the fish were much larger then I have seen on other snorkeling trips. That was a nice surprise. You couldn't get close to the reef because it was roped off. It was a lot of money to spend for 15-30 minutes snorkeling. I wish I had known where it was before. It would make a great day trip to take the bus or even a taxi to the beach. the reef is only 50-100yds off the jetty, an easy safe swim if you have your own equipment. I would have needed a life vest, but I had everything else. For the cost of a bus ride and a picnic lunch it could have been a great afternoon. My wife doesn't care to snorkel so she could have relaxed on the beach while I swam with the fishes. If/when I go back that is exactly what I will do. For those interested the National Park (which is where the reef is located) is at the end of the Island before all the hotels and right off the main drag. You pass it on your right coming in from the airport. Look for a large round building by the beach. I assume they have restrooms because there was a large building there that looked like a visitor center. It could have been my best day in Cancun but as it turned out it was an expensive, disappointing trip with Jungle Tours. I wouldn't have been so disappointed if we spent a little more time there. It was towards late afternoon and I think the guide wanted to go home early. There was a lot more reef to explore so take a picnic lunch and make a day of it!
snorkling in Cancun We just got back from Cancun and the snorkeling was a little disappointing. We took the Jungle Tour (no jungle involved) and the jet ski look-a-like boats were a big disappointment. It took forever to get them up to speed and once there, fast would not be a word I would use to describe them. They use a 15 horsepower motor on something that looks like a jet ski, just as you get up to speed (takes a couple minutes to get up to speed) the guide slows down so everyone can catch up. Actual jet skis would have been a lot more fun. The snorkeling was ok but nothing great. There were a lot of people there and the time spent on the reef seemed like fifteen minutes. The one thing I will say the fish were much larger then I have seen on other snorkeling trips. That was a nice surprise. You couldn't get close to the reef because it was roped off. It was a lot of money to spend for 15-30 minutes snorkeling. I wish I had known where it was before. It would make a great day trip to take the bus or even a taxi to the beach. the reef is only 50-100yds off the jetty, an easy safe swim if you have your own equipment. I would have needed a life vest, but I had everything else. For the cost of a bus ride and a picnic lunch it could have been a great afternoon. My wife doesn't care to snorkel so she could have relaxed on the beach while I swam with the fishes. If/when I go back that is exactly what I will do. For those interested the National Park (which is where the reef is located) is at the end of the Island before all the hotels and right off the main drag. You pass it on your right coming in from the airport. Look for a large round building by the beach. I assume they have restrooms because there was a large building there that looked like a visitor center. It could have been my best day in Cancun but as it turned out it was an expensive, disappointing trip with Jungle Tours. I wouldn't have been so disappointed if we spent a little more time there. It was towards late afternoon and I think the guide wanted to go home early. There was a lot more reef to explore so take a picnic lunch and make a day of it!
