Iberostar Cozumel snorkeling????

[mtxe]

Has anyone actually stayed here?? I read great things and they say the snorkeling is very good. Just wondering if anyone has first hand info on resort and such?

[bruce-r]

I have read that the resort itself is pretty good, but the on-site dive operator is to be avoided by experienced divers as they are very restrictive. The shore diving there is supposed to be pretty poor. The resort is located on a nice sandy beach, so I can not imagine that the snorkeling is very good because generally nice sandy beaches do not have the right kind of underwater structure for coral. Generally, the better snorkeling is found where the shore is rocky. This isn't always true since the El Presidente which has a fantastic beach is also supposed to have decent shore diving. The Fiesta Americana does have fun snorkeling and since it is just a very short walk from Dzu Ha, you can walk there and drift back to the resort. I stayed there in December and enjoyed it very much.

[silkismom]

We've stayed there 2 times, once just after 9-11, place was empty & we were treated like kings. Second time was last Jan, would go back again, the main thing that bugged us was all the smokers, including cigars, who light up all over & pollute my air space (yes, I'm really upset when that happens). The food was very good, expecially in the Mexican specialty restaurant. We dove with a different company-Paradise Divers at the Occidental next door-and will go to a different company the next time. We did 2 morning dives each day--very short distance to many good spots. In the pm we sat around the pool, read & enjoyed libations. I spent alot of time tracking down the iguanas, peacocks and other critters to take photos, got many excellent ones. We've also stayed at the Fiesta Americana and liked their dive operation better, but liked Iberostar food & atmosphere much better. At the time it was all-inclusive optional so we had to sign for everything which was a royal pain.

[mtxe]

silkismom..........I understand and from pictures that the beach area is norrow and somewhat rocky??? This would make for good snorkeling offshore correct?The pictures show many piers sticking out into the water where they say snorkeling is great.

[girasol]

Iberostar snorkeling is not considered good snorkeling. As Bruce mentioned, snorkeling is not typically good where there is nothing but sand.

 

All of the southern beaches (Playa Mia - Playa Palancar including everything in between) is sandy beach, therefore not good snorkeling.

 

Bruce, Presidente only has one small area that slopes into the water, the rest is ironshore which is why they have good snorkeling.

 

Silkiesmom, if you dove with the dive shop at the Occidental, that was Dive Palancar, not Dive Paradise. Dive Paradise is another operation all together and are known to be a cattleboat operator.

 

Best snorkeling areas in Cozumel that you can access are Dzul-Ha, Playa Corona, in front of Fiesta Americana, in front of Playa Azul in the north.

[bruce-r]

Bruce, Presidente only has one small area that slopes into the water, the rest is ironshore which is why they have good snorkeling.

I wasn't sure. From the water it does look like they have a very large sand area, but it makes sense that only a small area goes into the water.

 

Best snorkeling areas in Cozumel that you can access are Dzul-Ha, Playa Corona, in front of Fiesta Americana, in front of Playa Azul in the north.

It is a nice slow drift from Dzul Ha down to Fiesta Americana. The area in front of the FA has plenty to see. My DD and I did an hour of surface scuba snorkeling. I don't like snorkels and since I had all my gear, I rented a tank from Divehouse and we swam around on the surface. I have a 7ft hose on my octo, so DD could swim along easily. It easier than using a snorkel.