Cozumel Clearboat Adventure With Snorkeling

Joshua and José were both amazing guides! Very fun and informative Clearboat experience! Would highly reccomend!

We had a great time! The guides were knowledgeable and entertaining! They even made a special stop for our bathroom needs!

Incredibly friendly staff, from the booking to the boat tour, snorkeling was great and took care of everyone! Beautiful clear boats.

I was a little concerned about the meeting place but it was easy to find and not far from the cruise port. Due to weather condition, we saw some fish but not a whole lot. The ship underwater was not that impressive. The snorkeling was short but long enough for us, the first timers.

I was unable to make this excursion as The tour operator told me that they would not be back until after my cruise ship departs. They told me that they would contact Viator and let them know that I couldn't make the excursion and the reasons why and that they would authorize a refund. Viator contacted me and let me know that they would not refund this excursion, as they spoke with the tour operator and the operator told them a completely different story. Dishonest tour operator! DO NOT BOOK WITH THEM!

The boat staff were friendly and professional, so this review is not a reflection on the crew themselves. Unfortunately, I found the tour description to be quite misleading. Most of the tour was spent sitting on the boat looking at the ruins, while the snorkeling portion lasted less than 15 minutes. What was particularly disappointing is that the very short snorkeling time was not communicated before or during the tour. When we asked about it afterward, we were told that the snorkeling was only supposed to be that long. If you are booking this tour primarily because you want to snorkel, I would not recommend it. The tour may be suitable for those mainly interested in seeing the ruins from the boat, but the snorkeling component was far too brief and, in my opinion, should have been clearly stated in the tour description.

There was definitely good and bad about this experience. First, the good.: 1. The boat was nice. The captain and the guide were very nice, very helpful, and explained everything well in Spanish and in English. 2. It was a pretty pleasant trip. And the clear boat worked well. It was easy to see through the boat and get pictures of starfish, reefs, and fishes. Now the bad: 1. boarding and getting off the boat were some of the most dangerous things I've seen. I have been around boats and boating and the way they do this is extremely dangerous for people who are not young and fit. Rather than lash the boat tightly to the dock on the front and the back, they attempt to simply hold the boat by a rope as it sways back and forth and goes up and down. And people are expected to step off the dock, down at least a foot or two onto the edge of the slick railing, and then step down another 18 inches or so onto the seat, which is made of clear plastic and very slippery. We saw a couple of near disasters with older people who were a little on the heavy side and probably not in good shape. There are metal bars in the way that are easy to hit your head on getting off and on the boat. My wife injured her knee getting on the boat. To get off the boat, you had to reverse the process and attempt to climb up. You step from the boat seat up onto the railing and then from the railing up onto the dock, which is at least another foot or 18 inches higher, while the boat sways back and forth and goes up and down because it isn't lashed to the pier. One woman nearly fell between the boat and the dock into the water, which could have caused a serious injury. This is an easy fix and needs to be fixed right away. Young and fit people are probably going to be fine, but anyone that's older and especially heavier and not able to pull themselves up from the boat to the dock is going to be a problem. They maybe even should have a hoist to wrap around people to help them on and off the boat from the dock. It could easily be fixed by building a lower platform on the dock that the boat would level up to and you would not have to climb a foot or foot and a half from the boat up to the dock. Issue number two is the actual place for snorkeling. Snorkeling is very far from the dock. And so once you get there, you only have a short amount of time to snorkel. Furthermore, they do not provide snorkel fins. They provide snorkel mask and a snorkel, but no fins. I was a little late getting off the boat because I was having issues getting my snorkel equipment on. By the time I got off the boat, the boat had drifted very far from the main group. I jumped in the water and immediately tried to swim to the main group, which was about 20 yards away. I did not have snorkel fins and the current in that water was very strong and was pushing me away from the group and had pushed the boat quite far from the group by the time I got in the water. I literally became so exhausted attempting to swim against the current without fins and get back to the main group who were ignoring me while they did their sightseeing. I finally became so exhausted I could no longer move and I had to signal for help and for the boat to come beside me and pick me up. I was so exhausted I barely had the strength to climb back into the boat. This was very dangerous. Thank God I had a life jacket or I probably would be dead. Probably no legal recourse for this kind of crap in Mexico. Look, I realized I was running late and I was the oldest one of the group attempting to snorkel and having a hard time getting all my gear on. But it would have been proper for the boat captain to keep the boat near the main group so when I jumped off in the water, The guide could have swam over and grabbed me with his snorkel fins and brought me to the main group so I could have enjoyed the sights that they enjoyed. Unfortunately, my snorkeling experience was an absolute disaster and terrifying. Because no one bothered to even pay attention to me where I got in the water, how far I was from the main group, and how far I drifted from the boat after I got in the water. It was very scary. I do think this experience could have turned out much better with a little bit more training in safety for the boat guide and captain. I don't think it would take much thought, consideration, and action to make sure my terrible experience never happened. Until this group improves their safety practices, no one should go on this excursion if they are not young and fit. The safety issues of embarking and disembarking the boat and making sure the snorkel group stays together and has fins could be easily remedied.

We had an exceptional time doing this activity! Our party consisted of 10 people, ranging in age from 4 to 82, and everyone was able to participate. Our tour guides were amazing. They helped my grandmother on and off the boat and made sure we all felt safe and comfortable while still allowing us to fully enjoy the history and culture. We chose this as one of our shore excursions while sailing on MSC World America, and my kids said it was the best part of the entire trip! That alone says a lot. 😊 This was truly a great experience for the whole family, and I would definitely recommend it to families traveling with multiple generations.

Very enjoyable clear boat ride along the shore of Cozumel. Got to see shipwrecks, starfish, etc. Guide was very knowledgeable and spoke English well. Water and soda provided. Short time snorkeling it felt like, and not close to the reef or fish, but the guide had fish food so some fish followed all time time. Good experience for new/beginners or those not wanting to go out farther. No large waves; very calm, clear water.

This was a fun excursion for my granddaughter and me. The process was smooth and the staff amazing. Our boat was crystal clear allowing us to see everything under the water. I recommend this 100%.

This was a nice experiencie in which the boat is small and our group was less than 10 on the boat. No loud music, very chill experience. Rodrigo and Diego did a great job of explaining what we were seeing and we were offered ice cold water or sodas. No alcohol on this trip. Very family friendly. I want to give a special note about how well Rodrigo interacted with a couple of small children, one of whom had her first experience swimming with Rodrigo’s assistance in the ocean. He was very patient and kind to her and the mom was relieved because she didn’t feel comfortable swimming. He was an exceptionally kind and educated guide. My friends and I are in our 50s and we felt very happy with this outing.

Our family had a fantastic time on this excursion!! The boat ride was so much fun. And the water was absolutely stunning. We were amazed how much we could see! The snorkeling was great! We saw so many fish! Our guide Emmanuel and Captain Diego were amazing. So friendly and knowledgeable. Emmanuel even helped us with lunch recommendations and directions. Warning: wear rash guards because sunscreen isn't allowed. The only negative was the bathroom in the office wasn't in great shape.

We had a great experience. The boat was very cool and everything was super fun. Arrive early to find the office. It’s upstairs above some shops. Go for the boat ride and adventure. The snorkeling time was short but I knew that going into it. I only wanted to go for a while anyway. Tell them no thank you when it comes to the photos so you have more time to swim.

Very cool experience with friendly staff. We toured around some ship wrecks and marine life hotspots before snorkeling for a short time. The office is hard to find. The address and google map search will lead the wrong direction. It is upstairs down an ally behind Fat Tuesdays across from the ferry station. The closest GPS coordinate is (20.5111813, -86.9493252).

Had a great pleasant experience with Juan and Caesar. Worth the book.

The experience was great, the crew was great with the kids and snorkeling was lots of fun. Definitely recommend it.

Road around for an hour and a half in the boat rocking. If you get sea sick i dont recommend. never got in the water once & it was HOT. Drove 30 mins in the boat just to pickup 6 more passengers looked at sunken ships & then back.

Experience was great! People were knowledgeable and kind! I felt very safe on the boat! The water is beautiful! You see all kinds of fish and stingray, etc. Thank you! I would definitely do this again!

Great to overall… just wish there was an easier way to get on and off the boat: It was very hard and uncomfortable even with the attendants help… especially getting out of water and with little ones.

The Invisible Boat was as described in the tour description. It is a clear boat that you can see through. They do take you to see a ship wreck and you can see fish swimming around. My frustration began with getting a taxi from the cruise port. The director of taxis wanted to send us to the downtown address that is listed at the top of the page, but right underneath that is the address where you are to go to the office to check in (which is much closer to the cruise port.) Our taxi driver stopped at the office first, confirming we were in the correct place, then stopped traffic so we could walk across the street. Our other group members ended up going downtown and then had to come back to where we were (which taxi ride was double the price.) We learned while checking in that our tour time had been pushed back. An email had been sent at 10:30 PM the night before informing us of the time change which I did not get since I did not have internet on the cruise ship. We did have an additional $10 pp charge for the park fee as described in the tour description. I personally think it would be better to simply roll that fee into the tour price (particularly since there was no indication that we were in a “marine park”). Unlike the tour description, we were asked to remove our shoes which were then put into a large container left on the dock. It was difficult for the 65 and 89 year old people in our group to get on the boat—needing to sit on the dock, put your bare feet on the edge of the boat, and then hands on the shoulder of the employee who helped them to step onto the seat . The employees were super helpful! Getting off the clear boat was even worse due to the discrepancy of where the boat was and how tall the dock was. The employees literally had to lift them up to the dock since they could not span the distance between the edge of the boat and the dock. Once again, the employees were so helpful!! The tour was as described but different than I had envisioned. I thought the reef would be like that seen in photos with lots of beautiful, colorful fish. That is not the case (no fault of the tour company.) The reef is not white, but dark. There was a school of fish, and once we did see a bright blue fish for a quick moment, and we saw a barracuda. It is nice to see through the bottom and sides of the boat, but there was not as much to see as I thought there would be.

This is a cute little excursion. The vessel is very unique, offering 360 degree views of underneath the water. There is a 15-min snorkeling session, too. The one downside is the captain spends about 15-20 mins taking modeling pictures that he tries to sell you. I wish we just spent that time riding. Otherwise, nice experience.

Instructions were very unclear. They have 2 pickup points. We wasted time by going to the second one which was far and we lost the boat. We were late 2 minutes. After lots of fighting and haggling, they put us on the next tour. Well... we were 30 minutes early this time, but it left 30 minutes late, so we were there for 1 hour. It went to the first pick up point (30 minutes) and we can back (another 30 minutes) to the exact same spot to snorkel. So, we wasted 2 hours.

The Invisible Boat Tour was great. The entire boat is made if plexiglass, so you can see all around and beneath the vessel while you're in the water. Some in our group did snorkeling off the coast of Cozumel which was excellent. The crew was very professional, friendly, and safety conscious which I really appreciated. If you have mobility issues, they can certainly accommodate you, but you might want to forego this excursion. I give the tour a 10 out of 10.

*Cruisers booking outside the ship* This was an amazing time, the boat captain and the snorkel guide were entertaining and very accommodating. My mother has limited mobility and brought a scooter, which we were concerned about. They kept it safe, very gently, and patiently helped her in the boat then they lifted her out at the end of the tour. They treated my mom like she was their own. We enjoyed snorkeling while those who stayed on board got to sail around and see other underwater sights. At the end, the pictures and videos they took of us underwater were outstanding and we will treasure them forever. 10/10 recommend!

It was mostly in the boat, and there was not much to see. Snorkelling was very underwhelming; we barely saw any fish. Kind of overpriced.

My boys loved snorkeling, we loved the boat and being able to see through to the bottom. The water was clear and we saw lots of sea life. Our guides and captain were great! Thanks to Jose and Cesar! and I think Isabel was the new guide.

Just 15 minutes snorkeling time on this 90 minute 'tour'. Poor snorkeling location close to the shore with very few fish to see. There's so much out there to see, so this was a shame. Boat occupants were 60/40 split in terms of Spanish speaking and English speaking, but the guide stuck to Spanish 95% of the time so we had to keep asking and got brief replies before he was back to focus on his Spanish speakers. They spent more time taking photos to upsell at the end than we spent snorkeling. At $85 USD for some grainy photos from a fake gopro.....no thanks! This could be a good trip IF they focused on what they've sold in the promise.

Best thing to do if you haven't experienced it. Definitely should give it a shot you won't regret it.

I would not recommend this experience based on the misleading information however the tour guides were great. The company lied on their website about several key parts of the service. First, the actual time spent snorkeling was much shorter than advertised. Instead of enjoying the activity we paid for, we wasted a huge chunk of time taking staged photos for an upsell at the end. It felt like the priority was to sell us pictures, not to deliver a great experience. They also claimed that beer would be provided but all they’d provide is one bottle of water or cheap sodas. This was a big part of what was advertised, and it just added to the disappointment. Overall, it felt like a bait-and-switch. We didn’t get what we paid for, and I wouldn’t trust this company again. Be careful before booking — the experience does not match what’s promised online.

Very nice way to see the sunken ships and reefs in Cozumel. The boat is a bit difficult to get in and out . Not disability equipped.

Never made it to the Clearboat!!! Due to unclear meet up locations and the RUDEST PERSON I GUESS RUNNING THE SCAM ALEX!! So nasty and so rude. Not accommodating after the directions left me and my daughter alone in the México streets!!

Don’t let the glass boat fool you!!! I booked this excursion instead of going through Carnival… Biggest MISTAKE AND IT COST ME $90 and no excursion. First of all, the directions were not clear and we ended up in n front of a store front in Mexico with no one to call. I had information desks trying to assist and then finally I received the RUDEST CALL FROM A MEXICAN NAMED ALEX. The way this person talked to me and did not try to accommodate me I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. Definitely put a sour taste in my mouth about Viator and glassboat!!!!! Would not recommend. BOOK WITH CARNIVAL!!

Our tour guides, Abel (the captain) and Adrian, were fantastic. Adrian’s tour was engaging, personable, informative, and genuinely funny. We booked this hoping to give our 5-year-old son a memorable reef experience since he’s too young to snorkel, and this was absolutely the way to go. The boat was very clear and the crew was very attentive, mopping it regularly to ensure a great experience for everyone. The snorkeling portion was enjoyable, though I’d say it’s more of a fun bonus than a top-tier snorkeling destination. If your main goal is to find Cozumel’s absolute best snorkeling, this may not fully satisfy that. But for a well-rounded, family-friendly outing, it hit the mark. The only slightly negative thing I could say was the experience with the woman who checked us in. Unlike our tour guides, she wasn’t particularly warm or welcoming. She also had a strict policy against applying any sunscreen, "reef-safe" or not, on the body, allowing it only on the face. We had bought an expensive certified reef-safe sunscreen (without harmful chemicals) specifically for this trip, hoping to protect our son’s fair skin from the intense June Cozumel sun. While I understand and respect the effort to preserve the marine environment, the lack of flexibility (especially with young kids) was a little frustrating, though they do have private bathroom stalls. Overall, the tour itself was great, especially for families. Abel and Adrian were the highlight, and we’re glad we did it.

Our guide Saidy is excellent great spanish and English as well as our captain went with friends, family and kids. We all had a great time, and the pictures taken by Saidy were incredibly

It was a great boat ride! I didn't like how they scared us into not going into the water!! The ones that did go in said it wasn't as bad as they said and the kids could have done it!! None the less it was a great ride!!

Great!!’ Stop thinking about it and just do it!!! You will love it . Family fun friends or just you you won’t have any regrets

Honestly, not a good experience. I feel bad because the guide was so nice, but we spent 30 min on the boat in idle while the guide took pictures of cringey tourists posing on the front of the boat. The snorkeling itself was bad - truly nothing to see in this beautiful water except for one type of fish. I will say the boat is really cool, and it’s pretty as you drive around! That said, it seems like there are way better places to snorkel in Cozumel based on pics from other tours.

Jessica and the captain were AMAZING! Learning about the history of the sunken ships and so forth was incredible! I didn’t snorkel because of the choppy waters but those who did it enjoyed it! Would definitely do this again next time I come.

Very late start. Hard to understand the English of our guide. Snorkeling was only 15 minutes. Wouldn't do it again.

Our tour was supposed to be at 2. They told us to wait until 2:15 then tried to put us in a cab to a different location. Then tried to offer us a later time. I’m not sure if it was a language barrier or if they were extra over booked but they wasted 2 hrs of my time and kept trying to negotiate something else.

The instructors were really nice and very knowledgeable. It was pretty wavy out so we declined on snorkeling, but we had a great time. I would definitely recommend it Great family fun.

The price for this tour was great, but like most things, you get what you pay for. I would not characterize this tour as a “snorkeling” tour. It is more an hour-long boat ride between the cruise ship docks to pick people up, and then 20 min of “snorkeling”. It is definitely not over spectacular reefs. Sure. You see some fish and some coral, but I guess I was expecting more. The description advertised snacks and non-alcoholic bevvys during the ride. No snacks, and everyone was given a bottle of water. It also said adults would get a beer after snorkeling. That was also not offered or provided. Overall, my kids had a nice time. But the actual experience absolutely did not match the description provided.

This provider was not able to accommodate us even after they confirmed reservation day before so we did not take this tour

You can’t wear sunscreen on the boat. You can’t wear your shoes or water socks and there is a dock fee 6.00 per person. Keep that all in mind when booking this. The staff on the boat was kind and everyone helped my Dad get off and on the boat. If you have any limitations health wise I would reconsider.

Guide was great! Spent too much time looking at sunken ships, picture taking and not enough snorkeling time. Description stated beer, but none offered.

The overall experience was very underwhelming and infuriating because of the following: 1. In Viator's description, it says that this tour will last for approximately 2 hours. However our tour was 1 hour. They asked us to reach at one address and then took us another pier, approx 30 minutes away, to add more passengers in the boat. So the actual tour started at 10:30 instead of 10:00 and it ended at 11:30. 2. The views from the boat were not as clear and beautiful as shown in pictures. You can see fish through the boat but it was not as clear as the in pictures 3. At the end of the tour, we went to purchase the pictures and requested all the pictures they had. They charged me for whole package and gave 5 pictures. After we came back to the port, I remembered that they took some underwater pictures as well. So I went back (obviously paid for the taxi round trip) and asked for the remaining pictures. Now they were asking me for another all pictures package for the pictures that they should have given me the first time. Out of 1 hour tour, we spent 20 mins looking at 2 sunken ships and marine life and then 15-20 mins snorkeling. Remaining time we were sailing between locations. Just so that those who are looking forward to book this tour can get a better idea. There are many other better ways to see underwater reefs at Cozumel like Seatrek, Snuba, Submarine, scuba and of course snorkeling.

This excursion was so much fun! We were arriving late and the tour company worked with us to get to an office near us. Snorklimg was so cool and the guides explained about the history of the ship wrecks and reefs. Highly recommend.

We loved every part of it! We went with 4 people in their 40s and a 12 year old in our group. Older people and small kids were on boat as well. Everyone appeared to have a great time. Even if you choose not to snorkel (you should though, even if you are new to it!) looking through the boat down in the water is worth the trip! We felt very safe and would recommend to anyone! Thanks!

Abel and Jose our tour guides were great. It’s a fun quick trip if you don’t want to do a full snorkelling tour.