Can anyone suggest the best snorkeling along the mexican riveria. Planning to stay in the area of playa del carmen.

My vote is for Half Moon Bay in Akumal.

I would definitely recommend Yal Ku in Akumal. We stumbled upon this during a recent stay in Tulum and had the best day of snorkeling. There's a nominal fee at the entrance to the park - I think around $3US. The park is a giant series of connected lagoons with benches throughout where you can leave your belongings and jump in the water. Just follow the road into Akumal to the end. Enjoy!

hi tara, yal-ku is fabulous. try to go as early in the am as possible for best clarity. watch the steps as they can be really slick! afterwards try lol-ha for a nice lunch on akumal beach or la buena vida for more fun atmosphere and slightly spicier lunch. you'll see them both on your way into yal-ku.
also try xel-ha eco/water park. a really cool place. not like disney. pick a day when it has been calm for best fish viewing.
you might look at hidden world or dos ojos cenotes.
check out www.locogringo.com for all the info you could ever want on this area.

Xel-ha is awesome also. You can pay an all inclusive fee when you go into the park which covers all your food and drink (alcoholic or otherwise). xel-ha.com

gecko,
Will be in Akumal in a couple of weeks, and wonder about snorkling read it's too rocky to enter without shoes. Where's the best place to enter, and what do you do with your shoes while you're snorkling?
Lucy

This isn't specific to that area (my snorkeling has been in Belize and Honduras) but I have a small dry-bag, barely big enough to hold my towel, important documents, and camera, that I take with me snorkeling. It just floats there by me and hasn't been irritating, though I though it might be before I tried it. To keep hands free I can tie it around my waist and I just string my flipflops or Keens on the string. Just a thought. I have a separate dry-bag for my camera so I can use it underwater - great fun.