By Emily
I’m wondering if folks have recent snorkeling experience and can compare snorkeling in Akumal and Cancun with Cozumel in Mexico?
We are planning a trip to Akumal to take a freediving class (recommended to us by one of our guides on our recent trip to Indonesia with this website’s partner). After having experienced Indonesia we are well aware this will NOT even come close to comparing but money precludes us going back anytime soon.
That said, we have two weeks vacation and will start in Akumal. Should we also snorkel in Cancun and/or Cozumel?
Thanks!
We’ve spent several weeks snorkeling the reefs around Cozumel and it has some great snorkeling if you know how to freedive. Most of the reefs are in 20-30 feet of water with some going on down 50 feet plus. It is not Indonesia, but it is much better than Cancun.
We’ve seen lots of rays (even really large spotted eagle rays), a couple small sharks (Cozumel seems to have very few sharks), eels, lots of fish, large crabs/lobsters, sea stars, corals, an octopus, and more.
You will need a guide as most of the reefs are offshore and require a boat for access – we’ve been with Cozumel H2O many times and would highly recommend. If you are feeling adventurous, join them for a night snorkel as well – it is an other worldly experience.
We snorkel often in Cozumel. It is one of our favorites and we have snorkeled extensively in Hawaii and still think Cozumel has some pluses over the Big Island.
The shore snorkeling is actually better than the outer reef. Areas near Puerto Abrigo to the start of town are fantastic wall reef. We try to stay close to that area. Typically in a condo just north of town.
We also like to snorkel all around (north and south) of Money Barand Punta Sur. We’ve snorkeled with eagle rays, turtles, tons of rays, nurse sharks, beautiful fish, soft corals, cuttlefish, etc.
The people there are amazing and we almost consider Cozumel our second home. Cancun and much of the mainland is super rough and the snorkeling is not great.
Agree that the northern end of Coz has some really good shore snorkeling and the water is much clearer than Akumal. You can drop in near Buccano’s and drift all the way down to El Cozumeleno. We stayed at Playa Azul so we were able to just walk back.
We went to Cozumel in April 2024. Stayed at the Iberostar Cozumel (towards the south end of the island). We have also stayed at Akumal Beach Resort twice and a few other Mayan Riviera resorts.
Water clarity was much better on Cozumel then our last few trips on the mainland side. There was no sargassum sea weed on Cozumel, while on the Cancun side it has gotten steadily worse.
As others noted, most of the reefs are offshore and require a boat trip on Cozumel. I found this disappointing having only gone to places with shore snorkeling before. (I didn’t like the limited time and the rigidity of the boat schedules). Reading reviews afterwards we should have rented a car and gone up Island for some of the shore snorkeling.
Something to note about Cozumel is that in certain weather conditions there are Port closures. This means there is no boat traffic allowed… So no snorkeling or diving trips. At the Iberostar it also meant that we weren’t able to swim in the ocean. This was really frustrating because when the port is open there is too much boat traffic to swim out to the reef and the day when there was no traffic we weren’t allowed to swim out to the reef!
Choosing between Akumal and Cozumel, I would choose Cozumel and rent a car. This will allow you to travel to multiple snorkel spots for variety. Crowds are also much smaller than Akumal Bay.
I’m off to Akumal in a few weeks and have just read what others have said regarding Mexico snorkeling. I won’t be renting a car. What or where is the best snorkeling I can do there with limited mobility? Thanks for any help.
I had been to Akumal several times including before they roped off the large section with the turtles. Good memories from that era. Visited Akumal Beach Resort after the rope-off and found the snorkeling much more limited, perhaps I just did not venture out far enough. Akumal Bay has a sargassum float barrier.
I haven’t heard anyone think Cancun itself has good snorkeling. Nearby Puerto Morelos has a good surface snorkeling reef but requires an excursion and rigid rules for wearing a safety vest.
We have done some limited snorkeling on Isla Mujeres. We tried beachfront snorkeling on Cozumel, steady current to fight and limited fish and coral. I never did get on an excursion there, that may be the key as its diving excursions are well established.
It seems anywhere south of Playa del Carmen can have reasonably good beach snorkeling, we have stayed at Barcelo Maya Palace twice, it is nice but looking for something new, might try Grand Sirenis, the wife appreciates the larger resort amenities, try to keep everyone happy.
I would agree with the first two posters. If you stay in a hotel or a condominium on the shore on the north side of the island of Cozumel, great snorkeling is a few footsteps away. The south part of the island requires a boat and is much more cumbersome and I think less rewarding. Cancun has fairly poor snorkeling giving that the snorkeling in Cozumel is right across the street. I think the same is true for Tulum and Playa del Carmen.
Akumal, make sure you go to the lagoon.
Thank you
Are you staying right on Akumal Bay? If so, you will see things there. I’d suggest you plan to go early in the day (sunset to about 8am) if you want to snorkel the north end of the bay where the turtles are most concentrated. During the day there are large crowds of snorkel tours and the monitors may insist that you be with a guide. However, you can still snorkel the rest of the bay during the day without any crowds.
You can also walk the shoreline Akumal Trail to the south to Jade Bay and snorkel off the beach there. Jade Bay seemed less protected than Akumal Bay, so best to go there on a calmer day. People also go to Yal-ku Lagoon to snorkel (entrance fee) but I’ve not done it.
Venture just a bit away from the places you mention. Isla Mujeres, a ferry ride north of Cancun has great boat snorkeling. Puerto Aventures in south Akumal has great shore snorkeling, as do Solomon Bay and Tulum. Both are a short car ride from Akumal. And be sure to snorkel some cenotes while you’re in the area. Some of them are other-worldly, like snorkeling in a cave with blind fish. Pretty fascinating area. And don’t miss the statues at the lagoon in Akumal.
Thanks
Thank you ALL!