We're coming back to Cancun again at the beginning of April and want to know where would be a good place to snorkel. Last time we were in the area we went to Xel-Ha and had a wonderful time. We would like to go somewhere closer to Cancun this time though instead of taking the ENTIRE day and evening. I was looking into Isla Mujeres and Cozumel but I've seen some of you post on here for other local places that are less commercialized.
The best skindiving on Isla Mujeres is so uncommercialized I doubt you will be able to get to it. Let me recommend, not Garrafon Park--which is vastly over-priced--but the little Garrafon Castilla Beach Club next door to it. For $4 a day you can hang out in their grassy lounge areas. $2 more for snorkle setup if you don't have one. You can get a locker to leave your stuff while you go in. There's a snack bar. There are fish and underwater stuff right there when you walk in. Swim south and you're in the park, by the reef. You can continue along the shore to South Point, but stay clear of the last 100 yards because of very strong currents. Another place is the "kiddy pool" inside the bridge to Avalon Reef. A beautiful little beach, with a great (if a little pricy--don't EVEN order coffee) bar at Na Balam right there. This is a "wading pool", but has rocks out by the reef with interesting fish and tide pools to poke around in. Then you can walk down North Beach. Worth hitting for the area, then bombing down to Garrafon Castilla in a taxi or your golf cart or whatever.
