Barbara and Jose are both professional and hard at work in making sure that our family had an awesome and memorable time together. Snorkel mask and tube; vest; water: and light refreshments are included.
I gave them 5 star ???? because they deserve it and they also:
+ Made our experience really custom to what we wanted
+ Brought and showed us the difference between natural and man-made side of the fishes and reefs..beautiful, what a wonderful experience
+ Knowledgeable with all info about the water, fishes, and Cozumel.
+ Guided us so, we feel comfortble with the water
+ Introduced a fruit that is home-grown to Cozumel. Huaya, green outside like an olive, the meat is sweet, juicy, and sour with a big round seed. Super juicy.
+ Fishes are amazing and some I have never seen before
This excursion was outstanding! I spent a lot of time comparing excursions for me and my two 13 year old boys. This was the best value and the service, accommodations and value we actually received were second to none!
We got into a taxi near the port (about $15 American). We gave the driver the address (snorkeling trip was prepaid via Viator) and he took us straight to the dock. There were other boats there and was not much signage but the young couple (Barbara and Jose), who own and operate the boat, quickly approached us and introduced themselves in clear English!
We boarded the boat, went through safety instructions, reviewed the day's agenda, and started our adventure.
As we traveled to the first dive location, we could clearly see everything beneath us: fish, seaweed, coral, etc. through the boat's glass bottom. It was a comfortable and thrilling ride. My boys excitedly kept noticing the different fish and coral as we passed above.
At our first dive site, instructions were reviewed and into the water we went! The ladder to get into the water was wide and steady. I'm a big guy and had no problems! The boat drifted away from the dive area, so it was just us and our guide. A life ring was provided to hold onto if desired. We floated (the water has a higher salt content so floating was effortless!), swam around and dove down exploring a world we had never seen before! As fish came up to us to check us out, Barbara was swimming UPSIDE down beneath us taking a ton of pictures! Large schools of different species swam around us! We saw eels, starfish, and many different varieties of aquatic plant life as well as natural and man-made reefs! We did not encounter any sharks, barracuda or other predatory sea life and that was great for us!
We stopped at another reef then returned back to the dock. In-between stops and on the way back, delicious fresh cut fruit was served and beverages were provided the entire trip!
Back at the dock, we shared our email with them to get the pictures of our trip (free of charge!) and Barbara offered to arrange transportation to downtown San Miguel de Cozumel. She informed us that it would be at least a 20 minute wait for a taxi and offered us a ride. We told her that we were looking for midday tacos for lunch (tacos are a dinner item apparently). She made a few calls and found us a restaurant. We then all piled into her and her husband's car and were taken to the restaurant!
Cozumel has the world's largest reef next to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. We had a memorable, exciting, carefree adventure! We were so pleased with the value and the trip, that next time we are on the island, this will be at the top of our list. Everything, I mean everything, far exceeded anything we thought we might expect!
Tips: Put sunscreen on before at home/ship because it is not allowed on the reef.
Have the boat's address and exact change (around $15) for the trip there.
Obviously, if you've read this far, I highly recommend this excursion/trip/adventure to everyone of all ages. I am very happy that I chose this local operation over the cruise line's recommendations. We wanted to snorkel,
not snorkel and beach/lunch/tour/etc. --SNORKEL! That's exactly what we got! No fuss, no troubles, only pure delight! When you go, say hi to Barbara and Jose from Mitch, Aidan and Matthew!