Riko

Hi. We are both females planning to visit Cancun/Cozumel area for 10 days in October. (Please, God, don't let any hurricanes come while we're there! PLEASE!!) Anyway, we both have scuba diving licenses and plan to make between 7 and 10 dives in Cozumel. Every place we've seen while researching that area say that the snorkeling is great there. My question is: if we scuba dive, is it worth it to also snorkel or should we dive then enjoy Mayan ruins and jungle tours? We sincerely appreciate ANY answers or advice anyone can give us. Are there any other divers out there who have gone diving near Cozumel?

cybor

Hi Riko,
Although I haven't dived in Cozumel I've been told that it's fabulous. Your right in saying that the snorkeling is great and not to be missed but get out early as some of the more popular places get a bit cloudy from bottom/debris being kicked up.
I'm told that the difference between diving and snorkeling there is that you'll not only see more creatures/caves and coral but there's other cool stuff like sunken boats and planes that you can check out. If/when I go back I'll add diving (now that I'm cert.) to my agenda.

As for the ruins - which one's are you talking about - the one's in Cozumel are ok if you happen to be there. If you have time, Chichen Itza is a worth see. Tulum is ok, again if you happen to be there. I've driven across Mexico a few times and can tell you about others, if interested.
good luck!

Riko

Cybor, thanks for the prompt reply. I was happy to get it so soon!! If we dive there, do you think we should go snorkeling, too, or is just diving enough?

We plan to stay at a hotel within a short walking distance of Chichen Itza so we can be there when they open and stay until they close. Actually, even after they close Chichen Itza, there is a music and light show that seems good, so we'll stay for the 45 minutes that takes (starting from 8pm).

We tentatively plan to spend a short time (an hour or two perhaps) at Tulum, but we're thinking we can bypass Coba. What do you think?

StanKase

The diving I have done on 2 trips to Cozemal was about eqivalent to the best snorkel spots, by small motor/sail boats that take 10-12 people. The larger boats are too crowded and go to places where many other boats go.A little research will be able to give youu the best dive and snorkel areas and choose a boat that goes there. I must admit it has been 5-6 years since our last visit so the names of the spots are a blir. I would spend 2 day diving (2 tank dives), 1 or 2 snorkeling. The snorkel outings should stop at 3 reef outcroppings in 4-5 hours at a cost of $75/person by 2006 costs. The dive boats likely are $90 for a 3-4 hour 2 tank dive. asyou know cancum is almost a zero for diving or snorkeling, in my 1 experience, but if you rent a car for 1-2 days in Cancun a trip of 45-50 miles on a good road to Tulum is also are interesting Mayan ruin and there is a spot Xumal (spelling?) just before Tulum has very good snorkeling. It was getting crowded back in 2002 by late morning so if you go I would leave Cancun at 8 AM and snorkel from 9-10:30 then go a bit further to Tulum for 2 hours and visit the ruins and you can be back in Cancun by 2:30-3PM.

Riko

StanKase, thanks for the reply and the advice. Much of it was helpful, but the bit about driving around and snorkeling at various locations might not work for us, since we are not planning to rent a car or to drive there. We will go on some tours to see different Mayan ruins, but I don't think they include snorkeling. We'll do some more checking. Thanks again.