Snorkeling Cozumel vs. Grand Cayman

[Hobbitmomma]

So we are going on a 7 day Western and wondering where the better snorkeling will be. There are so many great excursions, we are having trouble deciding. (Even though we have tons of time to think about it.) The kids will be 9 and 11 at the time of sailing and snorkeled once before. Any preferences?

 

[pooh_mania]

In Grand Cayman I definitely recommend a tour that includes stingray city. You can only get there by boat. We did the 1/2 day tour on our own with Captain Marvins and we were very happy. We saw lots of fish at the 2 snorkeling stops. My DD7 was able to snorkel, even in semi-rough waters. It's nice because you hop off the boat right into deep water.

In Cozumel we opted for Chakanaab park on our own. We just took a taxi there from the pier ($11 for our family of 4). There we went snorkeling off the coast, which is a little rocky and slippery. We did see some nice fish, but not as many as Grand Cayman.

With all that said, seeing how you have to take a boat tour in Grand Cayman to see the stingrays, I would make that my snorkel excursion.

Have fun!!

 

[Mickeyhugger]

Having been to both places twice my vote goes to Grand Cayman. Better yet do both

Rob

 

[trimix]

So we are going on a 7 day Western and wondering where the better snorkeling will be. There are so many great excursions, we are having trouble deciding. (Even though we have tons of time to think about it.) The kids will be 9 and 11 at the time of sailing and snorkeled once before. Any preferences?

As a scuba diver with a fair bit of Cozumel experience, I would strongly recommend Grand Cayman.
In Cozumel the really good reefs are at least 50 or 60 feet deep - not good for snorkeling.

I have read several stories from other divers about reefs so shallow off Grand Cayman that snorkelers were regularly killing tens of thousands of coral polyps by standing on the reef, thinking it is just a colorful rock. These stories are meant to tell divers which operators let snorkelers kill large portions of the reef, so we know what operators to avoid. But the important thing for you is that it describes reefs shallow enough to stand on, which are obviously shallow enough to easily see from the surface.

 

[Hobbitmomma]

As a scuba diver with a fair bit of Cozumel experience, I would strongly recommend Grand Cayman.
In Cozumel the really good reefs are at least 50 or 60 feet deep - not good for snorkeling.

I have read several stories from other divers about reefs so shallow off Grand Cayman that snorkelers were regularly killing tens of thousands of coral polyps by standing on the reef, thinking it is just a colorful rock. These stories are meant to tell divers which operators let snorkelers kill large portions of the reef, so we know what operators to avoid. But the important thing for you is that it describes reefs shallow enough to stand on, which are obviously shallow enough to easily see from the surface.

Wow, that's good to know. Thank you!

 

[poohkinandpiglet]

I agree with the other posters. Grand Cayman is great and Stingray City a must.

We snorkeled in Cozumel in December and didn't see anything more than the same old gray school of fish swimming around. It was a little disappointing. We did however love the Fury Cat sail, beach stop, and sail party portion of our excursion. It was the perfect mix of activity.

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

We did the Rays, Reef and Rum excursion through NativeWay in Grand Cayman and loved it. Got in a snorkle stop, but my boys loved the stingrays the most. It included lunch at Rum Point. Nice trip!

Cozumel was our kick back day and we went to Paradise Beach. The "playground" in the water was great for the kids, and my hubby and I loved just sitting back enjoying the guacamole!

Have Fun!

 

[emtee63]

Grand Cayman and Sting Ray City is the way to go!