Playa del Carmen Snorkeling from beach???

[bmiller1234]

Anyone know any good areas off beach in playa? I will be going in Feb and will be taking a boat out of cozumel but was wondering if there are any decent areas i can just swim off shore to while the wife laying in the sun?

Anyone that gives tips on spots gets to see pics first!!!

 

[6-line]

Not sure about Playa de carmen but we were down in Puertas adventuras a few miles further south at the Barcelo complex and they have great snorkeling right off the Beach. What resort are you staying? The reef runs along the coast there but it's better in some places than others. That's what I did: while my wife sunbathed and drank I snorkeled (and drank--a little!--mojitos and saltwater a nice mixture)...I'd snorkel for a while and see the greatest things and race back to shore and up the beach to tell her :"that's nice, Honey" and then I'd race all the way back and dive in./ There were some reef areas right next to the dive pier that you could see eels and purple porities from the shore (more like large tidepools).
Great times, I missed it this year because of the swine flu scare....

 

[WarmWaterWuss]

I like the snorkeling off of the beach in Puerto Aventuras too, I even saw an eagle ray one day - snorkeling. I am not sure about the snorkeling around PDC but I'm guessing it'll be good, I would ask at the dive shop on site. That is what we did and they told us exactly where to find the good spots.
Akumal has good snorkeling too, saw a lot of turtles there.

 

[ibanezgfx]

I'm planning on going to one of these places for my honeymoon. I found 2 resorts that look nice. One in PDC and one in PA. I'm really beginning to look forward to it.

 

[6-line]

The Paladium complex and the Barcelo complexes both have nice snorkeling right off the beach. Another is the Grand Sirenis resort. Playa de doesn't have as many options because of the beach errosion from the hurrican some years back and also the beaches as a whole aren't that great as further south. My recommendations would be the check out the barcelo if you can. They have 5 resorts in one complex and the beach is pristine and rock free on one end and down the other end is rocky and with reef within feet off the beach (turtles and corals and rays oh my!). I would chose closer to PA than PDC for better snorkeling and of course if you can venutre down towards Akumal because half moon bay and the other locations down there have the best...don't pay for the eco parks that offer snorkeling if you want to see the real reef because they aren't as nice as the off beach snorkeling as th aforementioned resorts.

Just some thoughts because i spent months researching and checking because i wanted snorkeling off the beach and this is what I found and experienced...

 

[TWallace]

Definitely take a trip south to Akumal while there. The wife can sun on the beach there while you snorkel with giant turtles and tons of blue tangs. I saw a big grouper in the main bay there, hiding in the shade of a boat anchor. He was 4-5 feet long. Many of the turtles there are 4'+ as well.

To get to Akumal, you can take the colectivo for $2 per person each way, no tip necessary. The colectivo is a big white van that seats 14 people. They travel up and down the main highway all day long. They start in the south end of PDC, a few blocks west of the ferry terminal. The drivers wait until a van is full or nearly full, then they take off. On the way back, just walk from the beach to the highway (in Akumal, that's about 3/4 of a mile, but there's a nice sidewalk) and wait for a colectivo. I never waited more than about 2 minutes for a colectivo heading north to PDC.

In Akumal there are 2 main bays. The second one is a bit north of town and is called Half Moon Bay. It's known for having more turtles, although I saw none. I was later informed that the turtles were in a different part of the bay.

 

[corigan]

Xel Ha has some snorkeling and is a pretty cool place.

 

[6-line]

Xel Ha is one of the eco parks you would probably find expensive and disappointing if you were looking for huge varieties of reef fish and cora (any coral at all)l--I would avoid it unless you just want to take young kids and were inexperienced at snorkeling...JMO

 

[jbryks]

the wife and i just got back from there....i never really got to go snorkling but when we went over to cozumel we rented a scooter for the day....they have two highways that go around the island the old highway they now use for scooters and walking so you can go at your own speed....the back half of the island had some of the nicest beaches that i seen and there wasent that many people....there are bars along the way and well worth the trip.....all the other beaches that we went to were overcrowded...just my 2 cents...


jordan

 

[ari5736]

Have you been to puerto morelos, wondering how it compares to these more southernly spots?

The Paladium complex and the Barcelo complexes both have nice snorkeling right off the beach. Another is the Grand Sirenis resort. Playa de doesn't have as many options because of the beach errosion from the hurrican some years back and also the beaches as a whole aren't that great as further south. My recommendations would be the check out the barcelo if you can. They have 5 resorts in one complex and the beach is pristine and rock free on one end and down the other end is rocky and with reef within feet off the beach (turtles and corals and rays oh my!). I would chose closer to PA than PDC for better snorkeling and of course if you can venutre down towards Akumal because half moon bay and the other locations down there have the best...don't pay for the eco parks that offer snorkeling if you want to see the real reef because they aren't as nice as the off beach snorkeling as th aforementioned resorts.

Just some thoughts because i spent months researching and checking because i wanted snorkeling off the beach and this is what I found and experienced...

 

[6-line]

Hi--No I haven't been. I know it's down there somewhere and I heard there is good snorkeling--I'm not for sure if it has many resorts, however...

 

[smsreefer]

Diving/ Snorkeling AT Cozumel can be incredible if you know where to go.
Hurricane Wilma messed up Channa Canob[sp?] Park,but in July ,there where still Aqua Blue Zoas at the steps going in .Just South of the park a couple hundred yards ,[when the criuse ships are not in] ,is a great reef to snorkle . Nice and shallow coral heads with a heck of a drop off wall.
Scooter or rental car to Punta Sur will get you $50.00 lobster dinner for two ,on the beach,nothing fancy ,but 7 or 8 lobster tails ,fruit,HOT salsa and Cold beer.[used to be $22.00]
Ask for Whilly,[tell him David and Angela said hello]
Off three blocks back from El Centro is a restaurant called Casa Denis.It is the first restaurant in Cozumel .[tell Baltizar we said hello]
Coral Princess Hotel, north of El Centro is a great place to stay . We used to go there 4 or 5 times a year.
Any way, get off the beaten path and talk to the locals,they really will help you out .

 

[6-line]

all this talk of mexico, snorkeling, beaches and cervesa(Modelo!) is making me antcy to get out of this cold and snow and head back down!

 

[bmiller1234]

Yeah, I am getting very excited, 25 and snowy here again, but feb 20 i will be in ol mexico.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions, I have been there a few times prior but never made it snorkeling, def going this trip. I am actually just staying in an apartment in PDC, got tired of the resort thing, try to do things a little more local...

I am going to try to make the trip to akumal one day and then cozumel another day. I will def snap plenty of pics and update the thread of my findings when I get back.

Puerto morelos is an awesome little town, went there 2 years ago and it was awesome, very village esque with a couple great bars on the beach and a few shops. Would highly reccomend a visit if youe in the area.

 

[mayjong]

there is a cenote (freshwater river)that empties (underwater in about 20' deep)into the bay at puerto morales (ask the dive shop there, they can tell you exactly where to park, enter and snorkle) it's not TOO hard to find, you can feel the cold water when you get within 30 yards or so. neat stuff around that hole, including eagle rays and resident squid. it's a decent snorkle, with several nice large coral heads...
that being said, it does not compare to akumal for snorkling. we saw rays, turtle, tons of fish, 'cuda , permit and on and on and on...
depending on how good of a swimmer (daring?) you are , you can snorkle to where the pangas(boats) come in and out of akumal bay. stay on the right side (facing the ocean) of the channel (you can't miss the channel, it's deeper, with no coral)(( WATCH FOR BOATS)) anyway, when you get out near the bay entrance, in the rocks there are several caverns at about 10' deep that sharks sleep in. really easy to see once you get there...
if you can only do 1 spot, do akumal. if you can do both, hit morales and check the "hole"... most of all --- have fun!
snorkling AT playa is pretty non-existant...

 

[6-line]

However staying at playa is better than not being there at all and as you've read, plenty of nearby places to take the taxi down to and such. We also did a catamaran cruise called the Catamaya that we snorkeled off of with steak and lobster...it was cool and the deeper water reef we snorkeled at had a huge VW size acropora (elkhorn) the only one I've seen down there (don't see them right offshore)...

 

[6-line]

and a pic of the beach at Barcelo maya Beach Resort close to the snorkeling areas...look how calm and placid that water is--that's where it was extremely shallow and you could see the multicolored porities from the shore...

 

[dominga]

Go to Akumal and look for the dive shop, not the first one. there is a paved road that leads to a subdivison look a like. You can snorkel there and there is a restaurant i think is viva la vida. You can continue the road and look for the lagoon Yal-Ku.
Puerto Morelos is a small village that you can take a short boat ride to the reefs or 1Km swimming, this is a beautiful site you can see (early morning) Turtles eating, Sting rays two kinds sppoted and eagle ray, many softies and gorgonias. boulder size brain corals.
Many of the resorts and large turistic boats will take you to damaged parts of the reef, and I will nor recomended. You will see aquatic life but nothing compare to these two places. Depending of your time and where you are located. From puerto morelos to Akumal is about 1 hr drive, and from Playa to akumal maybe 30 minutes. Do not speed up if you are driving fron cancun towards playa or viceversa, they have police and Army checking, just be aware.
Any questions just let me know. My Brother lives in Puerto Morelos so I know the area a little bit.
Good luck and enjoy

 

[diver07]

Heya, the best snorkeling from shore in Playa is way up at the north end at Coco Beach. You will see boats moored here and just south of them you should see a small wave break ~50-100yards or so offshore - the waves are breaking on the reef. It's just in front of the Zabul Beach bar (great palapa bar btw). It's not as good as Akumal but it's not bad if you're just hopping in from lounging on the beach (which is way less crowded than it is farther south). I'm hoping to get there in March myself for some diving and relaxing :bounce3:

Do pay attention to surf conditions and the drift - I recall it running to the north - there is always a current S-N between Playa and COZ. Nothing to be scared of, just aware of. I believe the outside of the reef is also better than the inside.

also check out:http://www.playa.info/playa-del-carmen-forum/33483-snorkeling-playa.html
Good site for all things Playa.

Aaron

 

[6-line]

here's another site I visit when I want to see a webcam and get info for the area:
http://www.locogringo.com/Upload/akumal-beach-cam.html

The other site linked in previous post has a webcam on their site too...love staring at the beach and sea while snow and temperature falls outside...