Imagine floating in warm, crystal clear water, over a vibrant coral reef with hundreds if not thousands of reef fish swimming around you. Snorkel the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico and you can experience it not just imagine it. The Yucatán Peninsula in the Mexican State of Quintana Roo is the most visited international destination for American scuba divers. The conditions and sites that attract scuba divers, also make it some of the best sites to snorkel in the world as well. However, divers and snorkelers are not the only visitors to the area that includes the city of Cancún, the islands of Cozumel and Isla Mujeres, and the town of Playa del Carmen among others. Other vacationers come for the great beaches, water sports, marine life, jungle adventures, nightlife, ancient ruins, and great food.
"Matthew T Rader, MatthewTRader.com, License CC-BY-SA
The northern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula is the “boundary” between the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It also marks the northern reach of the Mesoamerican Reef, also called the Great Mayan Reef. The reef stretches over 700 miles (ca. 1,127 km) from Isla Contoy at the northern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula south to Belize, Guatemala, and the Bay Islands of Honduras. The Belize Barrier Reef is the world's second-largest barrier reef and is a component of the Mesoamerican Reef.
Snorkeling at an Art Museum?
Jason deCaires Taylor is an amazing and many ways unique sculptor. Over a thousand of his sculptures are on display at galleries around the world. One item that sets him above most artists is that there are 16 galleries devoted just to his work. The largest at nearly 500 statues is located between Cancun and the Isla Mujeres. Another item that sets him apart is that this location, like many of the others, is underwater.
The Cancún Underwater Museum (Spanish: Museo Subacuático de Arte, known as MUSA) was created to relieve pressure on nearby reefs. The reefs around Isla Mujeres were bringing over 500,000 divers and snorkels each year. Such a large number of people led to the degradation of the reefs. The local authorities started closing off sections of the reefs to allow them to recover. The process showed it would be a success, however, to make a significant impact large sections of the reef would need to be closed. That would cause a financial impact on those depending on tourism as well as increase the pressure on the reefs still open.
Jason Taylor was approached to create an underwater art gallery on a section of the ocean floor that had no coral growth. He had previously been involved with a similar project to help repair a coral reef that was destroyed by a hurricane. The project was started in 2009 and the first underwater exhibit was opened in 2010.
The project was an immediate success and has become the highlight of local snorkeling and scuba diving. The original site, named Salon Machones, is adjacent to the Machones reef one of the most popular scuba diving and snorkeling sites in the area. It is only about half of a mile offshore of Isla Mujeres. The site has over 470 statues about 400 of them of people and are located in waters from 15 feet (ca 4.5 m) to 25 feet (ca. 8 m) deep.
A second site, Salon Nizuc, is just offshore of the hotel zone of Cancun. This site is smaller with 33 sculptures, furthermore, it showcases the efforts of 6 artists. This site was designed for snorkeling with a depth of 14 feet (ca 4 m).
Artists are now working on a new section to be called the Enchanted Forest of MUSA.
Snorkeling in a Cenote
Cenote Saama lPhotograph by Sonny Abesamis creative commons image
Snorkeling in a Cenote is an incredible experience. Cenote is a regional term to describe a sinkhole, and there is an estimated 6,000 of them in the Yucatán Peninsula, of course not all of them can be used for snorkeling. The Yucatán Peninsula is primarily formed from limestone, the remains of coral reefs established when the entire area was underwater. After sea levels lowered and the land formed, Water from the surface penetrated down into the limestone and over centuries erodes some of it away forming caves that fill with water.
Over time, the limestone can not support the weight of the soil above it and the roof of the cave gives away and everything comes crashing down. In some cases, these underground caves become linked and form an underground river and some even link to the ocean.
The water in a cenote is generally very pure and crystal clear as it has percolated through the limestone. It is also cool, but not cold. Cenotes that are formed as part of a salt underground river will have fresh water above the salt water. Snorkelers will find cenotes that are completely open to the surface and others where you are in a cavern under the roof of a cave. Scuba divers can experience water-filled caverns. Advance divers with cave certification have additional options available to them.
In Mayan times, Cenotes were the only reliable source of fresh water. As such, many important towns and temples were built around large cenotes. Many tours to these historical sites feature snorkeling.
Snorkeling from the Beach
Colorful Corals Paradise Reef Cozumel Mexico Creative Common Photograph by Amanda
You can easily snorkel off any of the wonderful beaches. To be honest, the beaches of the Cancan hotel zone will provide some nice exercise but not much of a great experience. There are just too many people and too much boat traffic, so no marine life. However, the beaches between Cancun and Playa del Carmen and in Playa del Carmen itself provide a much nice experience.
The winner for snorkeling from shore is clearly Cozumel. Cozumel is an island off the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula and is one of the top snorkeling and scuba diving destinations in the world. The west coast of the island is near the Mesoamerican Reef and is just a short swim from many of the beaches. The island also protects the shoreline from the waves and winds of the open ocean. There are miles and miles of beaches waiting for you with a number of parks, beach clubs, and restaurants to help you enjoy your stay. A few of these will have a modest cover charge or minimum purchase to use their facilities.
Many snorkelers prefer the shoreline close to the main town of San Miguel and to the south. Some of the best snorkeling is towards the southern tip of the island, however, the reefs are further offshore here and generally reached by boats. If you are an experienced snorkeler, the area to the north has great drifts available. However, the currents may be too strong for beginners.
Close to San Miguel, you will find these outstanding shore snorkeling areas that are great for snorkelers of all levels.
Villa Blanca Reef
Chankanaab Park
Dzul Ha Reef
Punta Sur Shallow reef
As I mention in the next section, thousands of cruise ship passengers visit Cozumel every day. The beaches are a prime destination for them. However, the beaches start emptying out in the early afternoon as the passengers head back to their ships before it departs.
Cruise Ship Snorkeling Experiences
My first snorkeling experiences were shore excursions from cruise ships. I still enjoy cruises and while I do not scuba dive on every cruise, I do frequently snorkel. You will frequently hear Miami called the cruise ship capital in the world. It is a title earned for having more cruise ships embarking and debarking than anywhere else in the world. The three major cruise ports in Florida: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Port Carnival account for almost 50% of all cruises worldwide and 60% of those from the US.
However, Miami is not the busiest cruise port. That honor, or maybe horror, belongs to Cozumel. Cozumel has more cruise passenger visits than anywhere else with up to 35 ships a week in peak season. If you take a cruise that stops here, try to include some time for snorkeling.
Many of the ships will also stop in Costa Maya (Mahahual) about 220 miles (ca. 354 km) south of Cancun. Most of the passengers visiting here will take shore excursions to local ruins or visit the new water park. The reefs here are spectacular and there are many boat and snorkeling excursions as well. Before you go, do some research and you will find that there are a number of beaches and beach clubs that are great for snorkeling from the shore.
Bring Your Own Snorkeling Gear
While most of the tours and some beach club packages will include snorkeling gear, it may be better to bring your own. It is not uncommon for them to include an hour of gear rental, however, once you experience the snorkeling you will likely want to do it again. It will only take a few days of renting snorkeling gear to exceed the purchase price of having your own gear. Also, it is more convenient to have your own gear.
As a long-time scuba diver, I have my own dive gear. I also have my own snorkeling gear separate from my diving gear. While the function of snorkeling gear and scuba gear has many of the same traits, there are some differences, some of which I will admit are personal preferences. While diving, I have a folding snorkel but while snorkeling I use a closed-top snorkel. My diving fins are stiffer and heavier than my snorkeling fins. They are better underwater, but not as good near the surface.
When planning your next vacation, check out the snorkeling possibilities.
