We are leaving for Playa Del Carmen in a few weeks and would like to hear the best places to snorkel in the area.
Thanks!!

aKUMAL AND cOBA BOTH HAVE GREAT SNORKELING.

We liked Maroma Beach and the cenotes. Xcaret wasn't bad, but haven't been recently. We didn't care for Xel-Ha, but we went right after hurricane Dean, so that was probably the reason. I agree with Akumel, but we haven't made it there for first hand knowledge.

Puerto Morelos Snorkeling
The reef that runs along the coast is the 2nd largest coral reef in the world, the portion of this reef that runs in front of Puerto Morelos is a National ...
www.puertomorelossnorkeling.com

if you go to akumal find yak-ku lagoon. gin clear water on a good day and huge fish. the beach at akumal is good too.
here's the beach from lol-ha restaurant on akumal beach: http://www.locogringo.com/Upload/akumal-beach-cam.html

schmerl - coba?? in the nearby lakes??

cOBA? or Coba? Where exactly do you snorkel in a cenote?

Akumal is great. Yal-Ku Lagoon feels artificial because it's so clear and there are so many fish. It's an aquarium! We liked the beach at Akumal as even a few feet from the shore (very rocky so wear shoes)we found huge rays and many varieties of fish. We also saw a turtle while scuba diving in the area.

We were in Playa Dec. 5-12 and snorkeled at Puerto Morelos. The reef was full of colorful fish, also saw turles, stingrays, eels, large grouper..plenty of parrot fish. After the 2 hrs of snorkeling, we stayed on the very nice beach there. The bus trip from Playa was about 30-40 mintues and very cheap. After we got off the bus, we took a cab for about $4 to the dock and got a guide there.