Shared Snorkeling Tour Playa El Cielo in Cozumel

I highly recommend booking this tour! Would like to thank Javi and Francisco for the great experience! They always showed genuine care about our safety and provided guidelines to protect the reef. We went with our 4 year old and she had a great time! I really appreciated they carried life jackets of all sizes. We got to spot turtles, lots of fish, stingrays, starfish and even a lobster! We had a great time and will def book again when we are back in Cozumel.

I'll give you exactly what you're looking for from a review. But, in short, this snorkeling trip was incredible and would do it again in a heartbeat. (Just went yesterday!) - We have a family of 4, with two teenage daughters. All can swim, but no one is an amazing swimmer. 2 are somewhat weak swimmers. None of us are experienced, hard-core snorkelers (though we've all done it in super shallow areas before). We needed something relatively easy, and this seemed to provide that. (But you obviously do need to be able to swim OK.) - Booked through TripAdvisor at what initially seemed like a somewhat higher rate than others. But, the reviews were 3K+ 5 star reviews, and I didn't want to take any chances. Plus, other vendors add a seemingly sneaky $25–$30 fee at the dock for "dock tax" per person, while this one was only $3/person. (So, bring some cash with you to pay that upon arrival.) - Arrived on a Carnival cruise ship. Took a $10 taxi to the "Marina Caleta" (which is where the tour operator tells you to meet). (The taxi system is set rate to different locations and very efficient.) At the marina we were supposed to ask to be dropped off at "Konecta Cozumel Tours", but our driver had no idea where that was. So, he just dropped us off at a random location. Fortunately, the marina is not that large and after asking a couple people they pointed us in the right direction for what was a 5 min. walk over. - The lady that greeted us at the meeting place was super sweet and collected the $3/person dock fee as expected. The meeting location itself was a bit run down, and I might have felt nervous if I didn't know anything about the tour operator. But, with so many 5 star reviews, I felt at ease. (Separately, bathroom use at the marina costs 5–8 pesos.) - Our tour guide was Jonathan who was FANTASTIC. Incredibly friendly, clear communicator (spoke English very well), was clearly very experienced, emphasized key rules, had a very caring posture towards the customers, really showed some consideration to one family that had younger kids, swam every location with us (you basically follow him around at each site). Very professional and personable all around. Our boat driver was a nice but quiet guy named Francisco (I believe). He did a great job for his part. - We had 4–5 snorkeling stops. At each site, you basically just sit on the edge of the boat and jump in! Amazingly clear and warm water. To get back into the boat you climb a ladder. Spent maybe 15–25 min. at each stop (which doesn't seem like a long time, but honestly, it was fine if not great for most of us, especially as each stop adds up energy-wise). Jonathan is always the first to jump in, then once everyone is in, you basically follow wherever Jonathan leads, who is looking for things to see for the group. The swimming is relatively easy, and you go with the currents. But you can't just float along. You have to put some effort in to stay with the group. - Summary of stops: STOP 1: coral reefs plus a smattering of fish. The deepest location at ~25 feet. (I don't like deep water at all, but once in I actually felt OK, esp. with the life jackets on.) STOP 2: an area with sea grass that we we were hoping to see sea turtles at. Only saw one and only from a distance. Not much else to see. But, Jonathan makes up for it! He's determined to have us see sea turtles so he says he's taking us to another nearby location (see Stop 3 next). STOP 3: saw 2 sea turtles (including one that literally swam right up to my face! Best video recording ever!), tons of fish (not the brightest colors overall, except a few here and there, but was cool to see literally schools of hundreds of fish right underneath you), and a couple of nurse sharks just tucked away between rocks. STOP 4: the famous place you go to see starfish. I've heard in years past the floor was just covered with them. Now, not so much. But, still, we saw several of them which was cool. STOP 5: the famous El Cielito, which is a large, waist deep, ultra-clear aquamarine water area within the larger El Cielo, full of large sting rays! We had numerous rays swimming all around us, including (if you can believe this) right between our legs! At this stop, you spend a longer amount of time, just relaxing and eating the great fresh chips and guacamole + fish ceviche they prepare for you on the spot and that they serve on a small floatation device. If the prior stops weren't amazing enough, this is absolutely the place where you're constantly asking yourself, "Is this place for real?" Honestly, just the last stop alone would nearly be worth the price of admission for me, personally. - After returning to the marina (solid 4+ hour experience from beginning to end), the company has complimentary taxis ready and waiting to take you back to the cruise port (at least to ours). Super awesome. Have some cash ready to tip. They aren't high pressure at all about it, but man do they deserve it. (Honestly, this was the best value-for-the-money excursion I might have ever been on.) - Some miscellaneous things to be aware of: 1) Everyone must wear a life jacket on board the boat, but you have the option to remove it while snorkeling. (In our group of about 15, everyone but 2 kept theirs on the whole time.) 2) They provide basic snorkel mask + breathing tube. We brought our own, but what I saw looked like standard but decent and clean equipment. But, if you're bringing younger kids (under 12), you may want to bring your own equipment as they didn't have anything that small. 3) Apply sunblock liberally at the meeting site, or earlier. (Use reef-friendly please!) Once you get on the boat, they let you know that you are not allowed to apply any more for the rest of the trip. 4) As noted, one family brought younger kids, including a girl that was maybe 4–5. Jonathan provided her a donut-shaped life preserver to just hang on to throughout the swims. I myself would have felt pretty nervous about taking her (I think they thought she'd likely just stay on the boat, but she wanted to go in!), but she did great. Still, I wouldn't go thinking that this is a trip for super young kids, at least ones that don't have snorkeling experience (and their own gear). 5) One of my daughters did get a bit seasick with all the motion on what is a medium-sized speedboat. She sat out a few of the snorkeling stops, feeling queasy. But. she still enjoyed it overall, especially the last stop at El Cielto. Hope this was helpful! (The type of review I would like to read myself that covers all the key essentials.) Again, amazing time!!

We changed our plans last minute while docked in Cozumel. Originally we were going to book an all-inclusive beach club that offered snorkeling off their pier. Boy am I glad we switched and booked this event! It was super easy to get a taxi to the marina. Cost us $20 for our family or 7 and we were there within 5-10 minutes. We waited in a shady area for our boat to arrive with about 6 other people. A representative from Konecta Tours was there to greet us and collect the marina fee. Captain Andres, Carlos, and Tristan arrived and explained our day and how it would go. We then ventured off to our first snorkeling spot after a 40 minute boat ride. They provided us all with life vests and snorkel equipment. Spot one was crystal clear water with sea life all around us. The second spot Carlos was searching for a sea turtle and my boys spotted one! It swam around for us before swimming off. In the third spot we were able to see starfish all over! We ended in a sandbar to swim while the crew prepared fresh ceviche, guacamole, and fruit. They provided us with Mexican beers, water, and soda. Sting rays swam all around us as we swam and snacked. The food was delicious and they were generous with the beer! It was finally time to return to our cruise port and on the trip back they came around with tequila shots! Our family had the best day and will remember it for long time. The crew was amazing and the day could not have gone any better. For $55 a person (plus I had a 10% off coupon), it was an incredible value. When we arrived back at the marina, the tour representative was there to greet us again and see how our day was. They provided complimentary transportation back to the port and the van was ready and waiting for us. Thank you so much for such an amazing day in Cozumel. I would recommend this to everyone!

It was a great experience. The snorkel stops, the crew were wonderful, the food and the boat. I loved the variety of sea life that we encountered was great. I can’t say enough good about this experience. Would recommend them 100 percent

Most excellent tour- Javier was excellent guide- he made sure all were safe- knowledgeable-we saw many fishes- turtles- starfishes and sting ray

We had a great time. Really enjoyed the tour and will definitely recommend to others. Our guide Javier was amazing.

Trip was ok. Stops were pretty decent but at the end of the trip the photographer wanted 150 USD for the photos or $28 for 1. We tried to negotiate $60 for 4 and told, no. Ruined a great experience otherwise. Bring your own camera..

Great experience! Enough time at each stop, but not so long that it got boring. The boat was big, nice and fast enough for our purpose. Andrea was a competent captain. Carlos got in the water with us and helped make sure no one missed any of the fish, turtles or rays. Their young assistant also kept checking in to be sure we had everything we needed. Would happily recommend this tour. Btw, it was overcast and the beaches were clogged with seaweed... But the conditions were perfect for our trip.

Absolutely Amazing Snorkeling Excursion in Cozumel! This was hands down one of the best excursions we’ve ever done! The snorkeling experience in Cozumel was absolutely amazing, and having only three families total made it feel very personal and relaxed. The workers were incredibly friendly, helpful, and genuinely did their best to make sure everyone had a great experience and got to see as much sea life as possible. We saw so many beautiful fish, and the highlight was definitely seeing a huge sea turtle eating while we were snorkeling. It was an unforgettable experience. After snorkeling, we landed on a beautiful sandbar where we enjoyed some of the best ceviche and guacamole. To make it even more incredible, stingrays were swimming right around the sandbar while we relaxed and enjoyed the food. It felt like something straight out of a postcard. The small group, amazing crew, incredible marine life, beautiful sandbar, and delicious food made this excursion truly special. If you’re visiting Cozumel on a cruise, I highly recommend booking this excursion. You won’t regret it!

My girlfriend and I couldn’t be happier: we snorkeled with turtles, nurse and black tip sharks, lots of stingrays! Thanks to the guide Jonathan, the capitàn Francisco and the second guide Tristan!