Cozumel snorkeling?

[pigletfish]

Has anyone done any snorkeling from the shore while on Cozumel -- do such sites exist? If so, how would you rate them? I am looking for sites with clear, calm, shallow water (<5 feet deep) and lots of critters, where I can take good underwater photos. My husband and I are planning a February vacation, and unfortunately I cannot dive right now because I have just finished chemotherapy treatments -- 2 months will not be quite long enough to recover my diving staminia. Mostly this vacation will be a long-deserved rest from months of illness, and we would probably stay in Playa del Carmen and take the ferry over to Coz a few times during the week. We vacationed in the same area 3 years ago, and, while we liked PDC and its access to topside activities, we were not that impressed with the snorkeling and preferred the diving over on Cozumel. Many thanks for your tips and advice!

 

[halocline]

This might be a little more difficult since Wilma; the shallower sites really got blasted. Depending on when you're going, there might be some new sites, or rather, some newly populated shallow areas...I'm thinking maybe some of the destroyed piers will grow into reef areas. Hopefully, someone who's been to Coz since the hurricane can offer better advice than I can. Have fun and have a good recuperation!

 

[D_O_H]

You might want to think about Bonaire. Some of the best diving we did there was in less than 15' of water on our safety stops. They took some hurricane damage a few years before our trip down there, so the coral was far from perfect in the shallows, but there were still tons and tons of fish and other cool stuff to see.

It's a very relaxing island in my opinion too. Not a lot of traditional touristy things to do, but lots of great restaruants and nice people.

Good luck w/the recovery!

 

[Photocoz]

You might want to contact Chellie at Eagle Ray Divers ( www.eagleraydivers.com ) - she runs a lot of snorkel trips and would have some great information for you!

 

[mnj1233]

If your there be sure to visit the ECO Park at the end of the Isle. Nice snorkeling and very few cruise ship tourists venture there. Beats Chankanab hands down.

 

[J75]

Snorkeling is easily found at any of the beach resorts and at the parks. From my experience, I saw some pretty neat things right off of the shore, including a huge sea star. You won't be disappointed.