Playa del Carmen Snorkeling from beach???

[mayjong]

oh yeah , i fporgot about Yal-Kul - it is worth the snorkle too
would also be remiss to mention the cenote snorkles available. snorkling a cave is cool!

 

[summitwynds]

Secrets Maroma Beach just north of Playa del Carmen is super nice, and you can get a boat to take you out to the reefs. Maroma Beach was voted best beach for 4 years in a row by Travel Channel. Secrets is an all inclusive, food, drinks, non motorized water sports (including snorkel gear). This is adults only, no one under 18

A little further north is Dreams Riviera Cancun, just opened this past October. Just beautiful. All Inclusive and offers the same amenities as Secrets. Owned by the same company as Secrets. Great for families or off season it would be great for adults.

I stayed at both this past October and can highly recommend both as a great place to go snorkeling or scuba diving. The 2nd largest reef is just off the coast (1/4 mile from Dreams Riviera Cancun). Im a travel agent (Travelocity partner), so if you need any help give me a shout.

 

[ibanezgfx]

How is this place? The little lady seems to really like it and it is quite affordable.
http://www.bookit.com/mexico/cancun/hotels/grand-sunset-princess-resort-all-inclusive/?pt=hf&fl=CMH&flightTo=&tl=CUN&ptl=CUN&flight_selected=0&tripType=package&fsId=12062732&areaId=318&fd=2010-09-06&td=2010-09-13&rm=1&ap1=2&mp1=0&hotelId=GSP&hotelVendorId=PA&roomId=GSRJSTE

It looks really nice, but reallllly big. Anyone have experience with it?

 

[keegoaz]

The A KU Lagoon not sure how its spelled exactly but went their this past summer and rented a house on the mouth of the lagoon. the further into the lagoon the less corals you will see but their are some amazing caves to swim in and out of and out towards the ocean their is about a 75-100yrd stretch of sand underwater where green sea turtles and loggerheads come in to feed also massive sting rays. Once you pass that you see small patches of reef and then you will rin into a wall leading up to the crest of the reef, absolutely amazing corals there and if your lucky like i was you will get to swim around by some of the nurse sharks if the come in to the lagoon 3 out of 5 days i saw em and their were 6-9ft.

 

[keegoaz]

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

beat me to it this is the place i stayed at do not take the tour just go and search for a place to cut threw the houses into the lagoon and you wont have to pay or wear a life jaket haha. the tour will not take you to the most interesting placed like the little rock island out in the middle of the lagoon where you can swim threw one of 4 15 trenches cut under the rock.

 

[keegoaz]

here are a few pics

 

[ari5736]

Do you think puerto ad venturas is better corals than offshore snorkeling spots in cozumel?

 

[ari5736]

Is there a way to get to the beaches of the all-inclusive hotels w/o being a guest?

 

[6-line]

ari, I answered your question in response to your PM. Insofar as your other question, I cannot answer because I've never been to Coz...but I believe the beach snorekling in some after the aforementioned resorts are probably as good as the resorts in Coz

 

[plancton]

Get a snorkeling trip to Puerto Madero, the place is packed with softies, fish, LR, yellow mantarays, etc. That place is packed with aqua life.

 

[robertgoldsmith]

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....

Which hotel would you recommend out of the barceo resorts there are 5 in the complex and I herd the beach is 2 mile long which resort in the complex is closest to the part of the beach where the good snorkel is ? Thanks ?

 

[6-line]

Hi--
Hopefully I'll be back down to the Barcelo in May or June. The best snorkeling is found on the north end of the pier more towards the Palace resort but also in front of the Colonial and Tropical. There are plenty of spots in those areas and directly in front of the palace there is a spot where plenty of turtles hang. In front of the caribe and beach (the less expensive of the 5 resorts) the beach is just beautiful white sand and very little rock or reef. Walk about 2 hundred yards to the pier and there is peltny of tide pools and shallow water refs with purple porites and other corals but it des get almost too shallow to snorkel there. Just continue north and you'll see the dark patches about 20-30 yards or les offshare (past where the have jet skis) and you'll see the reef. You'll love it. My fave thing was snorkel for 20 minutes, come out and suck down some Mojita or negro Especial and then back to the reef!

 

[sbeason]

+1 for Puerto Morales. Just north of Playa. Supposedly the 2nd largest reef in the world. Snorkled it twice in Oct '09 and was pretty impressed. It is a national park, so it is protected. -Steve

 

[6-line]

We'll be heading down to the Palladium in June and hope to take short trip down to Akumal to snorkel. From what I hear snorkeling at palladium beaches just as good as the Barcelo.

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