I´m planning a trip to Mexico in April 2006. I´ve chosen Cancun mainly for the beautiful coralreef and the great snorkeling I´ve heard so much about. Now I´ve heard that Wilma did a lot of damage along the reef and I would like to know how bad it is. I´m traveling all the way from Sweden so I really need to know if it´s worth the distance and the money if I want good snorkeling. Could anyone help me out with some info?
first off...Cozumel has the most beautiful reefs...not Cancun....but its only an hour ride (from cancun to playa then ferry over to cozumel island) or a long boat ride to a reef from cancun which are pretty pricey. If you want beautifule snorkeling, definitely visit Cozumel...the experienced divers on here will also tell you the same....there is NO comparison between cancun diving and cozumel diving.
also....note that cozumel hotels are older...and not as nice as cancun's...also there really isn't a beach at the MAJORITY of cozumel's hotels....just concrete/iron bulkhead with a manmade beach/sand...HOWEVER...because of Wilma....a lot of the hotels are remodeling and they should improve greatly because of it. Cancun also has a MUCH more lively nightlife than Cozumel. So you need to consider all of those facts when deciding where to spend most of your time
Great info. But I didn´t really get an answer to the question I asked: How much damage has been done to the reef outside Cancun? I´ve been told that the reef outside Cozumel is still intact but since I would be staying in Cancun I´m more interested in that.
I personally wouldn't waste my time or money on any part of the reef that is just a short boat ride away from cancun...not near as many lifeforms as cozumel...and that was before the hurricane....who knows now... see, from what I was told, the reef nearest to cancun were unprotected for a long time, and were damaged by tourists over the years....and my husband did a dive this july, prior to wilma, just after emily (a week after) and he said it was very crappy. The only reason he did it was because he went to a wreck dive and that was the 2nd dive on a reef close to cancun...
Cancun diving crappy??? I think you're being a little harsh. Not sure what you are used to, but I find 100 ft viz,85 degree water, waters teaming with dozens of species of fish and coral reefs pretty interesting. We all have our own opinions and thresholds, but to say all the Cancun diving is crappy is ridiculous. I have dove in Cancun at least half a dozen times and love it.
But don't forget that the quality of reef that you see differs between diving and snorkelling. Personally I don't think the shallow reefs in Cozumel (where you snorkel) are very impressive - but then I've only been to two reef sites to snorkel - and yes the diving was 200% better as you can go deeper where the better sites are. The snorkelling is great in Cancun and Punta Nizuc is a good place to visit. I've never been to a bad snorkel site in Cancun. Isla Mujeres is also another great place to snorkel. I'm told that whilst the reefs were damaged slightly in the hurricane, Cancun is still a good place to snorkel. There is also an abundance of fish and sea life to be see. It would take more than a hurricane to completely damage 100s of years of coral reef - don't worry you will have a great experience.
Cancun diving I would say that any dive you do a week after a hurricane would be crappy including Cozumel the week after Wilma. Lots of trees, pool furniture and broken coral on the shallow reefs. I know Cancun snorkeling is way better then Cozumel since everyone takes you to a pile of rocks over there. Cozumel does have a wall but Cancun has more sea life by far, since we dive both Cancun and Cozumel everyday of the year!
so which reef and which company should we snorkel with ?? last time we went with aquaworld and they had a boat anchored and we could stay and snorkel all we wanted to... we spent about 3 hours and went on 3 or 4 "trips" i thought that was good....
My turn, Nobody has mentioned the difference between boat snorkeling and shore snorkeling. Cozumel has by far the best shore snorkeling,we like Dzul -Ha beach area,remember rocky coral shore equals sea -life. Cancun Punta Nizuc is pretty nice and is the only place worth bothering with for SHORE snorkeling in Cancun. Since 99% of Cancun beach is sandy the shore snorkeling is limited to Punta Nizuc.Asd far as boat snorkeling Cancun has a very nice area at Chiitalles or sandwich reef only reachable by boat,depth about 15- 20 ft and incredible sea life and visibility, MANTA DIVERS has a great afternoon trip to these sites book with them.
