Cozumel: El Cielo Private Snorkel Boat, Food & Drinks

4.96

(133 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

Sun hits the water so hard in Cozumel it almost stings your eyes when you first look out from Playa San Francisco. We’d barely stepped onto the sand before someone from the crew waved us over — I think his name was Javier — and handed us gear with this easy smile like we were old friends. The salt in the air mixed with sunscreen and something fried drifting from a beach shack. I was still fumbling with my mask when we climbed into the boat, kind of nervous honestly (I’m not a strong swimmer), but no one made a big deal about it.

The ride out to Palancar Reef felt longer than I expected — maybe because I kept scanning for dolphins instead of looking at my phone. Our guide pointed out little changes in the water color as we went; he said that’s how you know where the coral starts. When I finally slid into the water, it was cooler than I thought, but not cold. There were so many fish darting around that I forgot to be nervous. Colombia reef came next, even brighter somehow, and then El Cielo — which really does look like its name once you see all those starfish scattered across the sand. Someone shouted “tortuga!” and everyone’s heads popped up at once, but it turned out to be just a big ray gliding by (still cool).

I didn’t realize how hungry snorkeling makes you until we stopped at El Cielito. The crew set up guacamole and ceviche right there on the boat — honestly, that first bite of limey fish after swimming is something I still think about. Cold beer hit differently after all that saltwater too. There were manta rays drifting under our feet in the shallow water while we ate; they looked unbothered by us completely. The sun started to dip but nobody seemed in any rush to head back, least of all me.