Snorkel equip. in Playa del Carmen, and cenote rec.
Apr 10th, 2011, 06:29 AM
#1
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Snorkel equip. in Playa del Carmen, and cenote rec.
We are heading to Playa del Carmen for the 1st time next wk.
Plan to snorkel at Akumal and at a cenote. Not sure what cenote, but somewhere that fits in w/a day trip to Tulum and Coba (we'll have a car).
Since we will snorkel at least twice and probably can't rent equipment at a cenote, perhaps we should buy snorkeling equipment?
If so, where can we buy it?
And do you have any recommendations for a good cenote to snorkel that fits in w/a Tulum and Coba trip?
Thanks!
Plan to snorkel at Akumal and at a cenote. Not sure what cenote, but somewhere that fits in w/a day trip to Tulum and Coba (we'll have a car).
Since we will snorkel at least twice and probably can't rent equipment at a cenote, perhaps we should buy snorkeling equipment?
If so, where can we buy it?
And do you have any recommendations for a good cenote to snorkel that fits in w/a Tulum and Coba trip?
Thanks!
Apr 10th, 2011, 07:22 AM
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I'd buy snorkel equipment before you go and ideally try it out for fit in a pool or even just your bath tub.
Snorkelmart has been recommended here. It's an online site that I used to get prescription masks. Very pleased with them... but you might not have enough time.
I've only seen basic equipment sold in supermarkets near Playa (mainly kid's stuff) but maybe a regular can help more... or check Tripadvisor or Locogringo forums.
Grand cenote would be good for a first time experience. Go early if you can because it's a tour favourite.
I also highly recommend Yal-Ku lagoon and this would easily fit in with your day trip to Tulum/akumal ... again go early!
Don't miss snorkeling with turtles at Akumal Bay.
I've just booked flights and we'll be there next week too! Our 4th visit to the area.
Have a great trip!
Snorkelmart has been recommended here. It's an online site that I used to get prescription masks. Very pleased with them... but you might not have enough time.
I've only seen basic equipment sold in supermarkets near Playa (mainly kid's stuff) but maybe a regular can help more... or check Tripadvisor or Locogringo forums.
Grand cenote would be good for a first time experience. Go early if you can because it's a tour favourite.
I also highly recommend Yal-Ku lagoon and this would easily fit in with your day trip to Tulum/akumal ... again go early!
Don't miss snorkeling with turtles at Akumal Bay.
I've just booked flights and we'll be there next week too! Our 4th visit to the area.
Have a great trip!
Apr 10th, 2011, 07:46 AM
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We always take our own, at least the mask and snorkel. There will be rental stuff at the cenotes but you can't predict quality, fit, or cleanliness. The blogs from my 2010 México trips have add'l ideas along with lots of photo sets. Happy trails!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections
Apr 10th, 2011, 08:02 AM
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Thank you both for the recs! I will check out Grand Cenote and Yal-Ku lagoon. Hopefulist, I checked out your pics, very nice, makes me look forward to Akumal.
sassy, I went to that Snorkelmart website and they will Fed Ex Ground free for orders over $100. There are 4 of us, so the mask,fin, snorkel sets wil come to over $100 and I will have it by end of this coming wk. We leave next Sun. a wk from today so this is a good option.
Does anyone have experiecne w/the quality of their lower priced sets? They have a set for $29.95 that lists for $59.95, called the Del Sol/Riviera Combo. I don't think we will be going back to snorkel too many times, as this trip is the last one before daughter (and her friend, who is coming w/us) go off to college next fall, so I want to keep the price down. But I have rented snorkel masks that leak and that is a bummer, I want a good seal.
sassy, I went to that Snorkelmart website and they will Fed Ex Ground free for orders over $100. There are 4 of us, so the mask,fin, snorkel sets wil come to over $100 and I will have it by end of this coming wk. We leave next Sun. a wk from today so this is a good option.
Does anyone have experiecne w/the quality of their lower priced sets? They have a set for $29.95 that lists for $59.95, called the Del Sol/Riviera Combo. I don't think we will be going back to snorkel too many times, as this trip is the last one before daughter (and her friend, who is coming w/us) go off to college next fall, so I want to keep the price down. But I have rented snorkel masks that leak and that is a bummer, I want a good seal.
Apr 10th, 2011, 08:36 AM
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Sassy, when did you last go to Yal-Ku? I am seeing some recent postings on tripadvisor that say there are concerns about sewage being dumped into the lagoon and resulting high e. coli levels...anyone know anything more about that.
Apr 10th, 2011, 09:46 AM
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You could just buy the mask or mask and snorkel and rent fins and a snorkel vest (highly recommended for Akumal) from either Akumal Dive Center or Akumal Dive Shop when you get to Akumal, although the price sounds good for a whole set.
Akumal snorkeling is good, go early to avoid the tour groups, the same with Yal-Ku although heard over on Locogringo that the tours to Yal-Ku are not as bad as they used to be. Only saw that one post on TA about Yal-Ku, was not too concerned. There are a lot of cenotes on the road from PDC to Akumal, especially if driving, like Cristalino, El Eden, etc.
When going to Coba and Tulum, there is Gran Cenote and Carwash Cenote to snorkel on the way back from Coba ruins, they will be on your right hand side returning toward Tulum. Lots of places to eat on the beach road in Tulum, or you could drive a short distance north to Tankah Tres and snorkel in Manatee Cenote and have lunch across the way at Casa Cenote restaurant. This beach also has good snorkeling but has some rocks so be careful entering or wear water shoes.
Akumal snorkeling is good, go early to avoid the tour groups, the same with Yal-Ku although heard over on Locogringo that the tours to Yal-Ku are not as bad as they used to be. Only saw that one post on TA about Yal-Ku, was not too concerned. There are a lot of cenotes on the road from PDC to Akumal, especially if driving, like Cristalino, El Eden, etc.
When going to Coba and Tulum, there is Gran Cenote and Carwash Cenote to snorkel on the way back from Coba ruins, they will be on your right hand side returning toward Tulum. Lots of places to eat on the beach road in Tulum, or you could drive a short distance north to Tankah Tres and snorkel in Manatee Cenote and have lunch across the way at Casa Cenote restaurant. This beach also has good snorkeling but has some rocks so be careful entering or wear water shoes.
Apr 10th, 2011, 10:22 AM
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Out of curiosity I checked out the set you mention:
http://www.snorkel-mart.com/detail.c...dProductID=539
If the masks are really silicone as stated, that's a really impressive price and the masks would likely be comfortable and provide a good fit. Most cheaper masks are not silicone, so you might want to call to be sure they're not just using the word silicone generically.
http://www.snorkel-mart.com/detail.c...dProductID=539
If the masks are really silicone as stated, that's a really impressive price and the masks would likely be comfortable and provide a good fit. Most cheaper masks are not silicone, so you might want to call to be sure they're not just using the word silicone generically.
Apr 10th, 2011, 11:12 AM
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I went ahead and ordered those sets based on many reviews other different forums. I also ordered their inflatable snorkel vests, as i googled and now realize why we will need them for Akumal- didn't realize the turtles are pretty far out and not just off-shore. Apparently the vests are required for Yal-Ku now also.
Apr 10th, 2011, 11:48 AM
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The turtles are not always that far out in Akumal Bay - we saw a few, especially babies, in a few feet of water. We also used a vest though - just felt safe for when we did go out far.
While Yal-kul was nice, and the cenotes were interesting (we loved a few of them, actually, just not for snorkeling), we returned to Akumal Bay almost daily! There's just something about swimming with those turtles! Saw a huge barracuda there as well! Have fun.
While Yal-kul was nice, and the cenotes were interesting (we loved a few of them, actually, just not for snorkeling), we returned to Akumal Bay almost daily! There's just something about swimming with those turtles! Saw a huge barracuda there as well! Have fun.
Apr 10th, 2011, 12:10 PM
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We went to Yal-Kul and Akumal Bay in December. Nice snorkeling. We went with a tour and the guide was great with showing us where the fish/turtles were located. There was just DHand I and another couple in our group.
We also went to the Sian Ka'an Biosphere. The snorkeling there was awesome. Better than Yal-Kul or Akumal. Tons of fish and healthy coral. We also saw turtles and dolphins swimming in their natural habitiat. We did a tour there also. It is quite a distance past Tulum down a long and bumpy dirt road.
We have previously been to the Grand Cenote and Azul. Both were nice. You might check out Yucca-Treks. It's a tour company for people that don't do tours. They have great day trips and small groups.
http://www.playa.info/tours-anna-james-tulum.html
If your interested we have our pictures at
http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn
We also went to the Sian Ka'an Biosphere. The snorkeling there was awesome. Better than Yal-Kul or Akumal. Tons of fish and healthy coral. We also saw turtles and dolphins swimming in their natural habitiat. We did a tour there also. It is quite a distance past Tulum down a long and bumpy dirt road.
We have previously been to the Grand Cenote and Azul. Both were nice. You might check out Yucca-Treks. It's a tour company for people that don't do tours. They have great day trips and small groups.
http://www.playa.info/tours-anna-james-tulum.html
If your interested we have our pictures at
http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn
Apr 10th, 2011, 03:06 PM
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The snorkel sets look great. I'd recommend a neoprene strap for the mask if you have long hair (helps avoid tangles).
Last time we went to Akumal was Nov 09 and we saw plenty of turtles close to the shore.
Great snorkeling out from Half moon bay too but very rocky entry so wear reef shoes.
Hope the e.coli isn't an issue... keep your mouth shut!?
Turtle Bay Cafe across the road from the Lo Ha in Akumal is another great place to eat. My DD highly recommends the smoothies too.
KVR, Nice photos.. love the turtles!
Last time we went to Akumal was Nov 09 and we saw plenty of turtles close to the shore.
Great snorkeling out from Half moon bay too but very rocky entry so wear reef shoes.
Hope the e.coli isn't an issue... keep your mouth shut!?
Turtle Bay Cafe across the road from the Lo Ha in Akumal is another great place to eat. My DD highly recommends the smoothies too.
KVR, Nice photos.. love the turtles!
Apr 11th, 2011, 03:48 AM
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KVR, did you take the jeep on the tour to get to Sian Ka'an Biosphere? I have read the reports on tripadvisor of that very long jeep ride on a very rutted road (some say almost 3 hrs each way!) and that part sounds awful. There are complaints of little time to snorkel. What was your experience w/that?
sassy, thanks for the dining rec. Will check it out.
sassy, thanks for the dining rec. Will check it out.
Apr 11th, 2011, 06:57 AM
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Wow, the people at snorkelmart.com are good. They called me this morning and said that since I ordered 4 of those combo mask-fin-snorkel sets AND the snorkel vasts, they issued me a $20 credit on my card as a discount for buying the vests along w/the sets! And indeed, the masks are silicone. Good deal.
Apr 11th, 2011, 07:01 AM
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sassy_cat, Thanks, but I can not take credit for some of those pictures of the turtles. I gave my digital underwater camera to our guide and he dove down and got the upclose shots.
emd3, we did not take the jeep tour. We were in a shuttle van. Yes, the road to get there is very long and bumpy on a dirt road. It's about 1 1/2 hours each way on that bumpy road. The road is several miles past Tulum, so I can say it was probably about a 2 1/2 - 3 hour drive from the time they picked us up from our hotel until we finally got to the water. The van can only go about 40mph on that bumpy road, which is why is takes to long. A jeep might had been better. Though the ride was a bit of pain, it was so worth it in the end and we were so glad we did it.
Once we got there we went in a boat and were taken to see turtles, dolphins, birds and starfish in thier natural habitat. Then we were taken to this private Island and we placed our dinner order at the restaurant and just rested for a little while. Then we got back on the boat and they took us snorkeling. We snorkeled for about an hour at a reef. The best reef I have seen in my 10 trips to that area. Plenty of time to see a lot and get very tired. Back on the boats again and we were taken to the shallow area for swimming. Then back to the Island for dinner. After dinner we headed back. We had several in our tour group so it took about an hour to drop everyone off. Of course, we had to be the last to be dropped off. It was about a 14 hour day. The tour groups won't go unless they have a certain amount of people since it is a very long way to get there and back and a full day.
Here's the tour we did:
http://www.playadelcarmentours.com/sian-kaan-tour.htm
emd3, we did not take the jeep tour. We were in a shuttle van. Yes, the road to get there is very long and bumpy on a dirt road. It's about 1 1/2 hours each way on that bumpy road. The road is several miles past Tulum, so I can say it was probably about a 2 1/2 - 3 hour drive from the time they picked us up from our hotel until we finally got to the water. The van can only go about 40mph on that bumpy road, which is why is takes to long. A jeep might had been better. Though the ride was a bit of pain, it was so worth it in the end and we were so glad we did it.
Once we got there we went in a boat and were taken to see turtles, dolphins, birds and starfish in thier natural habitat. Then we were taken to this private Island and we placed our dinner order at the restaurant and just rested for a little while. Then we got back on the boat and they took us snorkeling. We snorkeled for about an hour at a reef. The best reef I have seen in my 10 trips to that area. Plenty of time to see a lot and get very tired. Back on the boats again and we were taken to the shallow area for swimming. Then back to the Island for dinner. After dinner we headed back. We had several in our tour group so it took about an hour to drop everyone off. Of course, we had to be the last to be dropped off. It was about a 14 hour day. The tour groups won't go unless they have a certain amount of people since it is a very long way to get there and back and a full day.
Here's the tour we did:
http://www.playadelcarmentours.com/sian-kaan-tour.htm
Apr 11th, 2011, 08:04 AM
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The Sian Kaan trip sounds nice. Last drove that road in 2009 in a rental car, took awhile and since I was driving solo had to also be the navigator. Have driven down there several times but never stopped to try snorkeling.
emd - Glad you got all your gear including the vests. Many times you can see turtles close in, and indeed the reef is fairly close compared to say Tulum, but still aways out, especially if you are not a strong swimmer or experienced snorkeler. Easy enough to deflate the vest all or part of the way if you want to dive down. Half Moon Bay is also good but check the conditions of the wind and currents (can have a rip sometimes). Great price on the gear!
emd - Glad you got all your gear including the vests. Many times you can see turtles close in, and indeed the reef is fairly close compared to say Tulum, but still aways out, especially if you are not a strong swimmer or experienced snorkeler. Easy enough to deflate the vest all or part of the way if you want to dive down. Half Moon Bay is also good but check the conditions of the wind and currents (can have a rip sometimes). Great price on the gear!
Apr 11th, 2011, 09:00 AM
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Wow, a 14 hr day sounds like too much of our vacation, esp. in the jeep or van or whatever we'd be in. My daughter is not ht emost patient and she's be crawling out of her skin. It does sound like a great place though. It's to obad the storms have set back the reefs in the Yucatan area. I recall going to Cozumel many (like 35) yrs ago and the snorkeling was incredible. But the storms have done away w/ so much of the underwater ecology in the area.
I think we will go to Akumal and Yal-Kul and a few cenotes (not so great for snorkeling but they sure look cool to swin in). And see if we get recs for any other snorkeling places we can get to on our own since we will have a car and really do not want to pay for tours, as we have kind of hit our limit for this trip.
Thank you all so much. Really glad I got the snorkel gear taken care of before we leave, thanks for all the input.
We are going to the spider monkey place (jungle place)one morning too, that is a big surprise for everyone but me (who of course planned it months ahead).
I am happy for any further recommendations! I need to keep these two 18 yr old girls engaged in some activities aside from beach and pool so they don't whine about wanting to wander off into PDC by themselves.
I think we will go to Akumal and Yal-Kul and a few cenotes (not so great for snorkeling but they sure look cool to swin in). And see if we get recs for any other snorkeling places we can get to on our own since we will have a car and really do not want to pay for tours, as we have kind of hit our limit for this trip.
Thank you all so much. Really glad I got the snorkel gear taken care of before we leave, thanks for all the input.
We are going to the spider monkey place (jungle place)one morning too, that is a big surprise for everyone but me (who of course planned it months ahead).
I am happy for any further recommendations! I need to keep these two 18 yr old girls engaged in some activities aside from beach and pool so they don't whine about wanting to wander off into PDC by themselves.
