Snorkelling in Playa del Carmen area
 

Ive heard various areas that are best for beginner snorklers...would like to snorkel with the turtles...relatively shallow waters...staying in the Playa area end of February. Any suggestions?

Akumal bay, , Yal-Ku, Puerto Morelos all good and easy. We saw different things at all three.

We used Edventures for Yal-Ky and Akumal (as well as cenote snorkeling), and Ecab Explorers for Puerto Morelos, and as first-time snorkelers we had an absolutely fantastic time.

http://www.edventuretours.com.mx/

http://ekaabts.spaces.live.com/

All three are great sites to snorkel but no need to use tour operators. They are all easily accessible by bus,cab or Colectivo and there are shops to rent gear if you need. Akumal and Yal ku can be done right from the shore and there are always Tortuga's around. Some very good places to grab lunch also are available and Akumal in particular is a really nice day trip as the beach is really pretty, generally calm and not jammed with people.

For beginners, Yal-ku is hard to beat. A protected, calm lagoon, with steps leading into the water, and thousands of amazing fish (no turtles). Akumal Bay is a nice sandy beach where you can snorkel out about 500' to see turtles and some fish. Fairly safe here, but you really should wear a vest - the water is about 10' deep where the turtles are. You can easily drive to both places on your own, but there are many van tours that go there also. Puerto Morelos is a little fishing village with a wide sandy beach. It may have some good snorkeling as the water is fairly calm, and there is lots of sea grass.

Is the snorkeling really good in these places? I used to snorkel years ago on Cozumel and it was fantastic, lots of varieites of bright fish everywhere, but on our last trip there 2.5 yrs ago the snokeling right off-shore was not good. Few fish and far between. I was told it was due to a hurricaince (Wilma, in 2005 I believe) and that so much coral was devastated that it will take a long time for the ecology to get back to what it was.

I am going to Playa this spring for a wk. and did not think of snorkeling after that experience in Cozumel a few yrs ago. Is the snorkeling really good again now? If so, I will reconsider and add that activity to the list.

Coz was very hard hit by Wilma particularly the off shore reefs. Playa/Akumal and PM were not nearly as hard hit and the reefs saw little to no damage. Snorkeling in Akumal is a must do IMO!

Yes, snorkeling is quite good there but please do not touch or harass the turtles. There is a steep fine for doing so in addition to it just not being ok. In Dec I saw turtles, sting ray and barracuda off the beach in Akumal.

Though I agree with Yal-Ku and Akumal. The best snorkeling we found was at the Sian Ka'an Biosphere. Excellant. We saw turtles, dolphins, sting rays, starfish, tons of fish and healthy coral. It is long way and I would suggest going with a guide, but it was so worth it.

The reef off of Maroma Beach is good also and easier to get to.