Cozumel snorkeling and diving?

[TMJJS]

My family is taking a cruise and we are stopping at Cozumel. My wife, oldest (14) son and I are certifiied for scuba diving. However, my youngest (9) son is not. I would like to go somewhere where there is good snorkeling and diving available. It would be ideal if the snorkeling is from the shore. Diving could be too, but a boat trip is ok. We would like to stay as a family as much as possible while my wife and I each go out with the 14 year old scuba diving and the other stays back and snorkels with the 9 year old. We have our own snorkeling gear, but not diving.

 

My wife and I don't drink, but my sons and I can eat a lot, so some food options might be nice to consider in all this. However, I'm not sure an AI would be ideal for the non-drinking, but maybe ok with the food?

 

Any ideas or suggestions?

 

Thanks in advance for any and all help!

[Sailfish]

Shore diving in Cozumel is not great - besides having to battle the current on the swim back, I don't think it's anywhere near as good as what you would do off of a boat - I would recommend going shore diving in Grand Cayman. That said, if you still insist on diving from shore in Cozumel, you can do so from Chankanaab - you'll find a nice beach, facilities, food, etc. here, but you'll pay an entry fee to get in and like I said, the diving won't be great. But you can easily have one parent go diving with one child while the other snorkels. It's got a resort feel to it, and the snorkeling is very close to shore, so easy in, easy out. You can also rent tanks and equipment there.

 

The best shore diving, IMO, is at Turtle Reef by the Cracked Conch restaurant in Grand Cayman - it's rated the best shore dive on the island - skip the sites closer to town. I am taking my dive group here in June. Feel free to stop by our scuba cruise group forum - I have lots of useful information for divers heading to the Western Caribbean. The message board is closed up now, as our cruise is but a few weeks away, but you are welcome to stop by and visit.

 

Good luck!!

[bruce-r]

Playa Palancar in Cozumel is a good choice. You're family can do a boat snorkel & dive trip there with their on-site dive shop.

[dirvin0500]

Eagle Ray Divers also do a snorkel and dive trip you guys could do seperately at the same time.

[cccole]

We always have divers and snorkelers in our group and in Cozumel have gone out with Alison. Both trips were great for both. We can highly recommend her. Cherie

[dirvin0500]

We went with Alison in January and throughly enjoyed our time with them also.

[Friscorays]

I'm diving with Alison. My wife likes to snorkel but often snorkeling and diving the same site does not mix so well. For those who have snorkeled with Alison while others dove, did you enjoy the experience?

[cccole]

Absolutely enjoyed it. We have done a combined scuba/snorkel trip twice with her. On our last trip we asked her to drop us at a beach restaurant on our way back. We had time for a great lunch, played in the water and took a taxi back to the ship. I don't remember which beach club it was but it was her favorite. Cherie

[Friscorays]

Thank you Cherie. I'll ask my wife if she might want to do the same.

[timeoutforcruisin]

My husband (certified), myself (snorkler) and my daughter(discovery dive) used eagle ray and we had a wonderful time. We were all together and I could see them below me as I snorkled. Their price was also very reasonable.

 

I have also been to Chakanaab because my daughter did the swim with the dolphins there and it was a beautiful place, but we did not try snorkeling or diving there.

[Friscorays]

My wife and I just got back from our scuba and snorkel trip with Scuba with Alison in Cozumel on June 23, 2010. It was a great day and I can recomend her without reservation.

 

The nice thing about diving with her is that she allows you to dive your own tank. As divers got to 700 PSI, she would go up with them for their 3 minute safety stop and then rejoin the other divers once that diver had completed the safety stop and got back on the dive boat. Depth for both dives we did were in the 60 to 70 foot range with bottom times of just over one hour.

 

My wife really enjoyed her snorkel experience as well. There were two other snorkelers in addition to my wife and the snorkel guide which Alison provides. Alison picked spots on the reef that were both good for snorkelers and divers: specifically on this day Palencar horseshoe and La Francesa.

 

The surface interval was spent at Palencar beach which was a beautiful place as well.

 

I also dove in Grand Cayman, Roatan and Costa Maya on this trip. Although I enjoyed the diving at each stop and diving experience can vary day to day, Cozumel and Alison's dive operation were the clear highlights of the trip for me.

[cccole]

I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed your scuba/snorkel day with Alison, it has been 3 years since our last trip with her. Having a guide for the snorkelers was something I really liked. I have been on some combination boats where the snorkelers were on their own. Thank you for reporting back. Cherie