Cozumel Snorkeling Tour: Palancar, Columbia And El Cielo Reefs

This 4-hour snorkelling excursion was a highlight of our trip. The marine life at the 3 reefs was amazing. We observed sharks, turtles and manta rays. Our guides Miguel and Noah were friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. We highly recommend this excursion to anyone visiting Cozumel.

Friends recommended and it did not disappoint! We had excellent guides! Easy to book! Highly recommend.

Awesome experience snorkling in Cozumel, our captain Noa and guide Miguel were welcoming and they provided us with a once in a life time time experience! We won't forget this excursion! ❤️

Second time in Cozumel and it doesnt get old! Watching marine life is great but seeing our family again was the best. We consider these guys as family. Great tour and great sites.

We truly enjoyed this snorkeling tríp, staff was great, locations were amazing and the water was beautiful it was better than Bahamas! Staff was friendly and very accomodating

Amazing time! Crew was great, very friendly and attentive.

We joined this Cozumel 3 reefs boat tour and had so much fun. Regularly we like to book private or solo tours however we ventured and decided to go on this one. The outcome was great, we truly enjoyed our time. The Captain and tour guide were great but my husband is an avid snorkeler and we were asked to keep life vest on while snorkeling which i thought wasnt necessary specially if you have been snorkeling for decades but we decided to follow the rules. The last stop was the best at playa el cielito where we had snacks and drinks. We really had a great time.

Tour guide was great, reefs were awesome and snorkeling was good. If you are coming off a cruise ship you gotta take a cab over to Marina Asipona which was very close to the cruise terminal- about 6 mins or so. They requested to apply sunscreen before actual tour started due to reef protection which was ok. Good crew, excellent locations, fantastic views. All in all it a was a great trip.

We had the greates time! Martin was funny and you can tell he truly love what he does. The best past was my kids spotted turtles and the starfish sandbar was beautiful. The ceviche we had at playa el cielito was top notch-just tasty! Heads off to the captain and Martin who made everything on their hands to make from this snorkel tour a wonderful experience for me and my family.

Finding a taxi wasn't difficult. Just make sure you know where you are going and give the driver the address. People out side the port will help you get a taxi. Water was warm and nice. First dive was great. A few things to know: The office overcharged me hoping I wouldn't notice. 18 pesos = 1 dollar. The reef charge is $11/person (198 pesos). For 5 people that is $55 or 990 pesos. They charged me around 1300 pesos ($72). The boat is small. There was 11 of us plus 3 crew members. Tightly packed. The first area is great (Columbia reef, I believe). Great reef, fish. However, you're there with like 7 other tour boats and our guide (nice guy) was always rushing us. I could have spent the whole day here. 2nd and 3rd spots were just grass reeds and an open sand bottom with starfish. Nothing too spectacular. We stopped at the end on a shallow area and had great snacks and drinks, but we were there with like seriously 11 other boats. Lots of stingrays to see, but we spent more time there than anywhere. No snorkeling, just wading around. The crew was nice and helpful. One incident though- the captain almost him my son with the propeller. We jumped off the boat and the current was strong that day. The boat pushed back into us. I don't think the captain knew where we were and he drove the boat forward not knowing we were at the back corner. I pushed off the boat and grabbed my son. I'll bet his fin was probably 1' away from the propeller. We just paid more attention after that when we jumped and never turned our back to the boat. All in all it was "OK". You do have to pay to use the bathroom back at the office. As for the overcharge, when it came to tip the crew at the end I gave them a little cash and told them their co-workers in the office had to rest of it with them that they had charged to my card.

The snorkel experience was fun and the locations were great. The guide Guerillmo was very good and the captains ability to stay with the snorkelers and his cerviche was terrific. The photographer took good pics of us, however, took our money in cash and then did not send the photos to us as agreed.

We had a fabulous time! Saw sharks, sea turtles, stingrays and lots of fish! Staff very friendly! Would definitely recommend

What an incredible experience! The snorkeling trip was absolutely amazing, with beautiful turquoise water, breathtaking views, and unforgettable memories. The crew made the experience unforgettable. They are amazing!! 💙

The tour is great and accurately as advertised. We were on a boat to 4 different places to snooker. We were able to see coral reef, lots of fish at the first 10m deep ocean. Then to the other 3m deep ocean, we saw starfish, stingray, turtle and some baby sharks. There was even 6 legs starfish. At the final beach where everyone can stand, we saw some stingray at very very close distance. Tour host also gave us some beverage and food to dine on the beach. Perfect memory

Great experience overall experience! We saw turtles, sharks, stingrays, starfish, and a million fish The only negative is that their boats are slow and other tours were passing us left and right, which meant they had more time at the destinations.

It was a great tour, Riki was an excellent guide we were able to see turtles, a shark, barracuda, moray eels and sting rays.

Absolutely amazing time snorkeling in Cozumel! Our guide was very knowledgeable about the places to go to have the best experience: fish of so many variety, sharks, starfish, lobsters, seaturtles and stingrays. I wish I had known they would pick us up at my hotel dock, but they did drop us off. Saved money on the taxi back, but I still spent $20 on the taxi and $22 on marina fee :( Besides that, everything made for a perfect day.

It was amazing! All staffs were nice and work hard for us. We can see lots of see animals and ceviche was good!

We booked a Cozumel snorkeling excursion through GetYourGuide, but unfortunately, we had a family emergency when both of my kids got sick and were throwing up non-stop after eating some food in Roatan the day before. I tried to cancel the excursion through the GetYourGuide website well before the 24-hour deadline, but the system kept giving me an "error, try again" message. By the time I was finally able to reach their chat support to report the glitch, the official cancellation window had just closed by 24 minutes, and the platform refused to help. Thankfully, the local tour operator stepped in and saved the day. I explained our situation to them directly, and they were incredibly understanding. Despite GetYourGuide's strict automated cutoff, the tour operator manually canceled the trip for us and issued a full refund without any hassle. I highly recommend this tour operator for their outstanding customer service and genuine empathy when things go wrong. They truly care about their guests!

The experience visiting these places was amazing. About the: 1. Place where you check-in. I tried to call the provided number because we needed to find the exact meeting location, however nobody answered. 2. Boat. It was ok for the tour. The shade was not enough for all people but not a problem. 2. Personel. The guide (Paulino) was awesome. Very kind, funny and helpful. So as the captain and the woman with the camera. 3. The snaks and drinks. Ceviche was great. Simple yet savory. Complaints. 1. The life "jackets" were some kind of pads that you thight around the belly, instead a life vest. 2. The other thing is that the ad says you are provided with a new tube for snorkeling, instead you are provided with an old one "cleaned" inside a bucket with water. Recomendations: 1. Music during the trip. 2. New tubes as advertised. 3. Life vests.

I came in low season in September, so we were a group of 10 people. Miguel and Francisco the captain were friendly. Miguel provided more insight about the type of wildlife in the ocean which were useful. All equipment was provided. Snacks was ceviche, beer and a lot of water. Really good. Do not use sunscreen, instead try to have a shirt with you in the water as it is needed to protect from the sun and protect the environment from toxic sunscreen. Tour was 10am. We finished 2 pm. We visited 3 reefs. All clear blue water. 40min distance in boat to get here. They are incredible. We were in a really sunny day so weather was amazing. The first one is the coral reef, I saw turtles, bull shark, a lot of different types of fish. Second one is "El cielito" and we saw a lot of starfish and the last one was the clear blue water where you can walk and LITERALLY friendly stingrays, bull sharks and a lot of fish are with you there. Snacks are provided at the end in this part. I saw with the diving equipment HUGE stingrays passing right next to me and nothing happened. It was an incredible experience. I will definitely recommend it.

You’re expected to jump out of catamaran. Was very difficult for us since we are older. No diet soft drinks and ran out of beer. Said it started at 2 but more like 2:30! Was due back at 6:00. Didn’t get back till 6:30.

We had an amazing day on this tour! It started off a bit difficult because the address shared with Viator is downtown near the Ferry terminals but it is really 10 minutes away by taxi ($10 USD). The team replied right away and was able to accommodate a date and time change on the activity for us. Once we connected via Whatsapp we found the marina and were able to go on the tour. The tour guide Miguel and the captain were both so sweet and informative as we headed to the first destination. They made us feel safe and secure, as we were first time snorkelers. The photographer was basically a third member of the team making our time in the ocean so pleasant. We cannot recommend this tour enough. At the end of the tour you stop in Cielito and have beer/sodas/water as well as a lovely ceviche as a snack. We felt we had more than enough time at each stop to chill and enjoy the views and each other. Animal spotting's included sea turtle, barracudas, baby shark, starfish, fish, lobster, and at the final stop two really friendly sting rays. We will be back again. Thank you so much to the team! Some tips Bring some cash to tip them at the end (optional but you will want to), cash for taxis, SHAVE YOUR MUSTACHE so your mask sits flat on your face, you can purchase your photos via CC and pay the marina fee with CC as well.

Great excursion from the cruise ship. Communication was clear and meeting location was easy to find. The boat took us to 4 different spots with different focus areas such as snorkeling, sea turtles, coral reefs, and the best spot was saved for last which was the beautiful and clear blue waters of the protected marine beach park.

Incredible tour! Swimming in El Cielo is something you have to do if you visit Cozumel the water looks like a giant swimming pool. The tour crew was very friendly, fun, and professional from the moment we got on the boat. We felt super safe the whole time and saw a lot of marine life in the reefs. We would definitely book it again!

The tour was advertised as a small group experience with no more than 12 people. There were 28 snorkelers on the boat. We made 2 stops on the way out to the reef to fit more on. There were not enough fins for everyone and the snorkel I had had nothing left to bite on to keep it on your mouth and it leaked. It was less annoying to go without the snorkel. They also wouldn’t let us apply reef friendly sunscreen. The water was warm and clear and the salsa and pico were very good. The guides were friendly and did their best to work with so many people who were unhappy about the false advertising. I would choose a different tour if I were to go back.

It was a fun trip and the crew was great. The only thing to note is that they do not provide fins. I brought fins on the trip but didn't bring them for this excursion as equipment was provided, but fins were not so that was a little disappointing

Our guide was fantastic! He showed us so many sea creatures in the reefs that we would have missed. He also shepherded the fish around the reefs so we can see them all. Well planned trip to 4 different locations. Water clarity was superb. Fish was abundant. I would do it again.

Our family had the best day! Our guide Memo and his captain were funny, informative and super helpful. My kids are still talking about swimming with sharks! Make sure you follow directions and have cash at the desk like it says when booking. Wear your bathing suit because there’s really no place to change. It’s a long and incredibly fun day. Highly recommend bringing a phone pouch so you can take pictures. The crew was so helpful getting our kids in and out of the boat at each snorkeling spot to make sure everyone had an amazing time.

The guide didn't provide the right life jacket for not good swimmers. Instead of doing his job he was busy cleaning his boat so crazy I have never witnessed that in my life. Then at the end it's inappropriate to pass around the tip jar because no everyone knows who tip and you didn't so not professional. I had the tip ready for him but he wasn't attentive or care so I didn't tip. Then the store is rip off.

Omar was our tour guide and he was excellent. Very helpful and friendly. Went above and beyond to make sure everyone had a great trip. We saw sting rays, turtles, fish, starfish and had a great trip! The marina is walkable from the cruise port as well. No need to pay for an overpriced taxi or shuttle if you don’t mind walking a bit.

Not very much snorkeling on the snorkel tour. We were rushed through two little reef spots, maybe 15 minutes max, then we were brought to a starfish/grass area for like 30 minutes, then we concluded the tour with like 1.5 hrs just standing on a sandbar baking in the sun. We didn't have sunscreen because of the rules for the reef, so I felt like we were just roasting out there. The expectations for how much each time was going to be spent in each spot were very unclear. I wish I'd been able to grab sunglasses or a hat before jumping in the water at the sandbar. Or, I wish I'd known that was the plan. The itinerary lists many more reefs than just the two we did on our tour.

Great experience— although there are some areas of improvement. The waters were kinda choppy at the first stop, and they do not provide fins— so it was harder to manage than expected. They provided floatation belts but I’m a petite woman and these were oversized for me so I didn’t feel all that secure in it. There are some other vests that are smaller though, but they’re intended for kids and I was told it wasn’t for me… even though it fit me better. That said, it was a great tour with beautiful stops and they provide drinks + freshly made ceviche. I’m confident that if you booked with them, you’ll have a wonderful time!

The reef we were taken to was not that great and the group size was way too big (22 - and you had to stay with your group). Boats everywhere!

Arrive early, they are little disorganized. Our captain and the guide were amazing. Wish we had been able to snorkel longer and be at the sand bar a kittle longer. But overall and fir the price well worth it!

Awesome Experience- Visited 3 Reefs ... Saw Various Marine Life . . A bit dissapointed that we only got fruit - And not ceviche for our Snacks . Fruit Water Beer . Soda . + Some tequila Shots !!! Great Tequika . .Abril Photographer was Great !! Lived Her .

It was great! The snorkeling was amazing! Although the boat captain did not say many words, I think he did a fabulous job, knowing the current direction and driving of the boat. I liked how we were dropped off with the tour guide and then basically floated/mini- swam across the water to be “picked up” by the boat vs. fighting the current to stay near the boat. The sights were awesome! Stingrays, turtles, baby shark, lobsters, and of course fish! The only suggestion for improvement would be communication as to exactly where to go when arriving for the excursion.

We had an amazing time. We saw so many sea creatures and had an excellent guide Omar! The only thing I would advise folks is to be aware that the marina charges a $11 fee per person on top of the tour price. So for a family of 5, the $55 fee before the tour was a little steep. They also wanted a dollar per person to use the bathroom before we left on the snorkel adventure. This was off-putting and disappointing. These both having nothing to do with the tour company, just something to be aware of.

Awful experience. We have been on multiple snorkeling tours and this had to be the worst. We went with Andy and Suemi. Andy (the guide) was very unfriendly and had no patience at all. He was visibly annoyed when I requested another life jacket for my child since the one he gave him was too loose. He got another one after I had to basically convince him that a too large life jacket is not safe. And then he got rough with my child and tried to stuff him in another smaller one! So much for safety. Also, we stopped at each of the reefs for like less than 10 minutes total. Andy barely guided us during these stops and did not point out any marine life. He was a little more friendly with the Spanish speaking customers so we definitely felt like it was not a tour for us. Also, the other family we were with had children who were struggling as it was their first time. He did not help them most of the time. The sandbar area was nice but very few sting rays. The ceviche was nice and fresh. That was probably the only good part.

To anyone doing this at beginner level, please beware. While this advertised as a beginner level activity, the lack of support and help from the tour guide really made this experience rather traumatic for us. You are taken into 3 spots for snorkel and you are to jump Off the ship filled with 20 others into the water in a hurry with little to no assistance. My 8 year old daughter was the youngest in the group and was almost alone with me while the boat was taken away atleast 500 feet away from the snorkel group. The tour guy Andy was least interested in any advice or guidance beyond the basics. If you are an experienced at snorkelling in the ocean you will enjoy, you may enjoy this but for less experienced folks, stay away from this. Also note that the 3.5 hour tour is comprised of almost 2 hours of an uncomfortable boat ride, some 15-20 min of snorkeling over 3 spots and lunch of chips and ceviche served standing in the ocean.

We enjoyed a trip with Maybe your today. Great people and perfect service. We got to see turtles, colourful fish, reefs, starfish and stingrays. The captain showed care and skill in driving the boat safely, and he was an outstanding chef. The trip comes highly recommended.

Our tour and captain were AMAZING! Christina the photographer was absolutely fantastic, she got us some professional pics that we didn’t think we’d have. The guide kept us close and safe. My husband thought he’d have to pretend to have fun but he said he’d do it again because it was such a great experience (and he didn’t use the breathing tube either). We love coming to Cozumel and this was the icing on the cake this time!!! Thank you!!

We really enjoyed this snorkeling tour. After exiting the Cozumel ferry boat area, you will need to take a taxi about seven kilometers to reach the boat's marina. The snorkeling experience was great with clear blue waters, good snorkel gear, and a fun crew. We particularly enjoyed the end spent on the sandbar where stingrays were all over the place. On the other hand, I do wish the boat had a bathroom since as you drink beer, you can't always make the next jump site so peeing in your swimsuit while sitting on the boat is a viable option. On the way back, near one of the cruise ship terminals, we found a newly opened Filipino restaurant buffet. The food was so good!

Wonderful trip. Amazing underwater experience. We saw turtles, stingrays and even a coral shark. The photografer Rafael capture all the best moments.

Great experience for the price! A Simple boat but takes you to the 3 sites for snorkeling. We have a lot of fun!

Look for May-Be tours. Covered Boat but expect it to be full. We had about 21 guests with 3 employees. It was a great experience. Omar was incredible! Super attentive, knowledgeable and made it fun. The trigger fish ceviche was excellent! I will say, the reefs made me sad. Loved seeing the fish but they are badly bleached, all brown little to NO color. We saw a barracuda, sea turtle, lots of curious fish. Several in our crew saw small sharks. Then took us to sea stars. Then to sting rays where we could stand in the water and that’s when we had the snack.

Pauline and Josue delivered an amazing experience, we booked a private tour and they listened to all our requests. They also prepared a fish device on the banks of the ocean. This is our 8th time booking them!

WOW, what an experience! This was my favorite day of our week long cruise, I will remember it forever. I found this trip on Viator, the reviews were great so I gave it a try. This was soooo much fun! We went to a big beautiful reef, shallows, a starfish sanctuary and a stingray hangout. We saw turtles, sharks, stingrays and lots of tropical fish. The water was insanely clear. Our guide Ricky was so nice and knowledgeable. Jorge was a fantastic captain. And I must say, Rafael took incredible pictures!!! We ended up buying the photos, they were 1000x better than the ones I took. He was so sweet to my two girls, as they kept following him around because he had the food for the fish. I have taken many snorkel trips throughout my life and this is up near the top! I would 100% join them again. Thank you for a fun time!

Awesome experience, the guides seemed excited to see the wild life too during the excursion. Highly recommend. Good time, good snacks, and a great memory was made.