Posted May 16, 2018 by travelaroundthegalaxy1 Comment

Snorkeling at Punta Sur

We had been planning an afternoon adventure for Punta Sur since we arrived on Cozumel – we were told there were beautiful beaches and a great reef for snorkeling. Whoever gave us this advice was 100% correct, and we were rewarded with an amazing afternoon of exploration. Snorkeling at Punta Sur – and specifically at the Chankanab Reef – was one of the best things we’ve done on the island so far.

The reef is part of the Cozumel Reefs National reserve and is part of a greater reef system that stretches from Cancun to Honduras – it is the second longest reef system in the world, behind only the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

It costs about 200 pesos to enter the park, which includes a small Mayan temple, a large lagoon with crocodiles, a lighthouse and the aforementioned beach and reef. It is definitely worth spending a whole afternoon exploring the park. When we visited we didn’t give ourselves enough time to climb the lighthouse for the panoramic views. The beach was beautiful, with an endless stretch of white sand and several shades of blue and turquoise water. What we enjoyed most was the underwater experience, as this is one of the best places we have ever seen under the sea!

This snorkeling excursion is not for everyone – we would definitely recommend being an above average swimmer. You must be prepared to swim a long way out to get out to the start of the reef. It is mandatory to use a life jacket when swimming here (and are given out for free at the beach club), and once we finished swimming we realized why.

It takes about 20 minutes to swim out to the start of the reef, marked by a white buoy floating in the distance. Once you get there, you can float along with the current which follows the reef from start to finish. We spent close to an hour in the water and were rewarded with some amazing underwater scenes.

The water here is crystal clear and has some of the best visibility we’ve seen in this area. There are lots of fish and some really amazing coral. It is beautiful, with so many different colours and a variety of sea life. Towards the “end” of the reef is where it gets really beautiful, with purple sea fan coral everywhere. To say this was an amazing experience is an understatement.

If you haven’t been on a snorkeling adventure before, we hope this will help you experience this like we did. We made a short video with some of the highlights of our excursion, and we hope this motivates everyone to hop on a plane and head to Cozumel.

Snorkeling on Cozumel – Punta Sur:

Punta Sur (and the Chakanab Reef) is one of the most beautiful underwater places we have ever been. It takes a while to swim out to the start of the reef, but once you make it to the white buoy, you are rewarded with one of the most spectacular scenes imaginable.

The water here is crystal clear allowing for some amazing visibility. We spent about an hour floating with the current, enjoying the scenery. Towards the end of this excursion is where it gets really spectacular, with hundreds of colourful fan corals dancing to the waves and current. This is definitely one of the best places you can snorkel on Cozumel.