Where to snokel on the Western?

[cruisnfamily]

We've decided to do the stringrays on Grand Cayman so now we want to pick another place to snorkel and see the fishies!

We're leaning towards Key West and doing some kind of "sub" thing in Cozumel but we're open to input.

If you could only do one Catamaran/Snorkel tour, would you do it in Key West or in Cozumel? Where would you see prettier fish? Which of the two is a "funner" excursion?

Thanks!

 

[kshabare]

When we cruised last year we did not snorkel in Key West, We did Capt. Marvins in Grand Cayman and loved it, they take you to 2 different spots, 1 was the coral reef and the other was Stingray City, both very enjoyable, beautiful fish. When we went to Cozumel, we went to Mr. Sanchos and tried snorkeling there but it was real quiet, not too many fish, but someone had told us about Chaakanaab park,that the snorkeling was worth the price of admission. Do not know what the admission price was.


Hope this helps,
Norm

 

[csbenedict]

We went to Chankanaab in Cozumel. We did it on our own and it was very easy! It was a $10 cab ride each way (4 people) and it was $10 per person to enter the park. Children 7 and under are free. We had our own snorkel equipment so I'm not sure how much it was to rent the equipment.
We also did Capt. Marvin's in Grand Cayman and would highly recommend them. Very nice and clean--we only had 15 people on our boat so there was more personal service! And it saved us quite a bit of money over DCL's excursion
If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask!

 

[Cruzin1st]

In June we did the Jungle Tours mini-speedboats tour. I would NOT recommend it. Way over-priced for what you got. The mini-speedboats were fun, but they took us to a place to snorkel that was murky and their idea of refreshements was a paper cup with powdered lemonade. I would do the Captain Marvin tour. They take you to a BEAUTIFUL place to snorkel. My husband and kids said it was like snorkeling in an aquarium. I hear Cozumel has good snorkeling, too, but I wouldn't waste time trying to snorkel in Key West.

 

[jazzbran]

Csbenedict,

My family and I will be on the 8/2/03 Western and I'm trying to decide on a Cozumel excursion.

Would you do Chankanaab again? Was there enough marine life?
Are you taken out on a boat or do you snorkel from shore?
We have our own snorkel gear.

Last year, we did Capt. Marvin and it was fantastic. We're doing this excursion again.

Thanks for the input.

Jackie

 

[cruisnfamily]

OK, let me clarify.

We're going to do a DCL excursion. Probably one of the Catamaran/Snorkel things. My question is "Which place (Cozumel or Key West) would be the best place to do this? Where would we see more fish? Where would we have more fun?

Thanks so much for all the replies so far!

 

[RellingTwin]

I have booked a trip with Eagle Ray Divers. They do snorkling trip or dive trips or a combonation of the two. There is a max of 10 people to a boat. A 6 hour trip incluing lunch and beverages is very reasonable (about 50.00 per person, 1/2 price for kids). All equipment is provided. They do request a deposit, but it will be refunded if the ship is unable to make the port.
The web site is
http://www.eagleraydivers.com

 

[csbenedict]

Jazzbran--
Yes we would do it again! There was plenty of marine life and the park was very clean. The snorkeling is done right from the beach. They also have a small walk-thru section that has some reproductions of archeological sites, a typical Mayan village. There is a sea lion and bird show--$5 per person in addition to admission to the park. This is also where they do the dolphin swim but it was a little pricey for us in addition to reservations needing to be done way in advance!! There is also a restaurant on the premises but we did not go there--we waited and had lunch back on the ship!

 

[Michelle]

The Fury Catamaran excursion in Cozumel is AWESOME! Very well-run boat, great crew, you go to TWO snorkeling spots and it is a total blast. If you want to do a catamaran excursion I highly recommend it.

 

[jazzbran]

Thank you Csbenedict and Webmaster Michelle for your response.

Both sound great. I'll show this to my family and hopefully everyone can actually agree on one. (Wishfull thinking)

Personally, I don't know which to choose but that just makes it even more exciting.

I'm now looking forward to Cozumel.

 

[cruisnfamily]

Michelle,
I remembered that you highly recommended one of the catamaran trips but I didn't remember in which port. I'm glad you responded to this thread!

Thanks all! Now to decide between this trip and the undersea sub thing DH wants to do in Cozumel.

We appreciate all the help!

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

DH & DS did the DCL snorkeling excursion to Chankanaab. Said it was great. Photos they took showed LOTS of fish. Also some interesting underwater statuary.

I asked DH if he'd do it again - his response was probably not only because there were other options he'd like to try. He felt it was a great excursion and worth the price.

Deb

 

[Kabuli1]

We did the catamaran snorkle in Key West and the 1/2 day snorkle w/ Capt Marvin's in Grand Cayman. While they were both good snorkle experiences - Our experience in Key West was much more difficult for snorkling. The surge was quite strong and it was very exhausting - also the water on both trips was quite deep - ok for me, but you need to be happy with snorkling in fairly deep water. There was alot to see on both trips. I would not do the Key West excursion again because my DH was not comfortable with the amount of surge - it really was hard work! I enjoy snorkling where ever and when ever! Captain Marvin's was just super! Next time I'd do the full day excursion.

Karyn

 

[cruisnfamily]

Thanks Kabuli1....just the kind of info I'm looking for. Can anybody tell me if this is typical for Key West or was it a fluke?

Also, Kabuli1, did you see lots of fish in Key west?

Thansk!

 

[Kabuli1]

I was surprised at how good the snorkeling was at Key West. We saw lots of fish. but of the 4 of us (DH, DD17, DN14, and me) I was the only one comfortable with the condition of the seas! And I got completely exhausted as well. It was a lovely smooth day it was not rough seas - this was just normal currents and surge - may have been the time of year or tidal conditions) My DH got very seasick on the way back -I think mostly because of the exhaustion and because when you're fighting surge you seem to get more saltwater in your mask! The only other time I've snorkeled with so much surge was at Molikini off Maui. OTOH the reef area off Key West where we were snorkeling was interesting and quite varied and there weren't many (if any) other boats to contend with. There was lots to see - it was a huge area to explore - if you were willing to venture out. I'd go back, but I couldn't get my DH or DD back there again for anything. Again, the issues were: surge, currents and depth.

 

[nicurnc]

I can give another recommendation for Eagle Ray Divers in Cozumel. They have an awesome operation! Chellie, one of the owners is a "little baptist girl from Arkansas". Very sweet and very efficient.

On our boat there were my DH and one other experienced diver that did a total of three dives, a couple that did a two reef snorkel for half a day, two couples from another ship that did all day with lunch included, and me. I got to snorkel at twoo reefs, but my big event was the discover scuba! I had my own instructor, and it was truly a most incredible experience!! Ihad lunch afterwards while my DH completed his last dive of the day.

They are very reasonably priced, the equipment was in good shape and the staff knowledgable and friendly

Loretta