SNORKELING EXCURSION: PALANCAR, COLUMBIA & EL CIELO SANDBAR
COZUMEL 8-5pm
After a lot of research, I remembered a place that came up on the boards years ago: El Cielo sandbar with the starfish. I guess the only way to reach it, which is located at the end of the island, it by boat and is a marine park. I started researching several vendors that went there and came across one that was a family owned business, for 20 years, and their description of the tour and their customer service just sounded fantastic. They claimed they would never pack in customer on a boat and took around 12 customers per boat. They do mention they pick up customers from ANYWHERE...including all the ports and they have their ground transportation license (which vendors can no longer get now) and I knew this was who I wanted to go with.
I thought the price of their tour was pretty reasonable as well. Only $50 per adult and $40 for kids. (I don't know what the ages of the "kids" are supposed to be and would find out before we got on the boat and had to pay that Sakari, at age 11, was considered an adult 🙄).
This price included all transportation, beer/liquor, soda/bottled water, freshly made guacamole, open bar, chips and dip, freshly cut fruits, and all equipment needed.
The snorkel destinations would include Palancar Reef and Colombia Reef and El Cielo Sandbar.
The time of the tour was for 4-4 1/2 hours and after the tour, they took you to a resort which you could use their amenities such as showers and so on.
It sounded perfect and we booked.
We were given instructions where to meet outside of the pier and that we needed to be there by 8:30 at the latest.
The hubby immediately went in for coffee (Starbucks, not Hooters 😉) and we sat down outside. It was hot and muggy and started to look like it might rain. Thank goodness we were doing a water activity if so.
A lady that was sitting at one of the tables outside came up and ask our names and confirmed that we were with her and we were going to wait for others to arrive. It was 8:15am.
We waited and waited and no one was showing up. I decided to walk over to the store in the area to get some pop. Then BOOM....downpour! Well, I guess I wasn't going anywhere for the time being. Once the rain let up somewhat, I played hopscotch across the walkways, trying to avoid all the puddles and staying under some of the umbrellas they had in the area and then I may a run for it. Pop was purchased and all was good.
So 8:30am was our "meet by" time...and look at what time it was already....
By now, there was only one other family of 3 there. We waited even longer...then finally everyone showed up. I thought it was strange that we HAD to be there at 8:30 but it was over an hour past that and they still waited. I know they want their money and don't want to walk away but why punish those that show up when they are supposed to by making us wait almost 1 1/2 hours??? If it would have been my family late, with the luck we have, they would have left without us.
Finally everyone had showed up...so I thought and the lady told us to follow her.
😝 to all you latecomers that can't follow directions that made us wait out in the heat and rain!
Then down the street we went.
We kept walking down the street and I kept wondering where our van/taxi was only to see that it never came...We went straight to the boat! Woo hoo
As soon as we all piled in, we were told we were waiting on another person. Seriously?
Then it started to rain again. Everyone started stripping off their clothes and sat in their bathing suits. This rain wasn't about to spoil our day.
The "other person" never showed up and we started pulling out.
This was a great opportunity to get pics of the ship as we passed by.
Now we are going to go up the coastline and it became a game with me to find each beach club we have visited in the past as we went by. It's a lot different to see them from an "ocean view" than while on land.
The first picture I took was of the Hotel Barracuda because we had planned on going around that area to hang out after this excursion (because the location of the resort they said they would be taking us to was next to the International pier and we planned on going back to our port and just walking over somewhere to find a place).
Also, a pic of our crew leader who passed out drinks...their "soda". I decided on the pineapple and it was yummy. Now when you book, they tell you that they have pop and drinks along the way and ask if you have any request. I did put my request in for diet pop...but there was none to be seen. So, I guess putting in a request doesn't matter. 😕
First up on the tour, from the ocean view, is The Money Bar. We went here last time we were in Cozumel.
Next would be Chankanaab. I found this place to be a little different than the last time we were here. It looks like they've added on to it out in the water with a few large huts I don't remember. It's been several years since we have been here and so many things have changed (like adding the zip line, alligator pit and so on). It used to be my favorite place. We've been here twice. I'll have to return again some day and see if it still is.
Next up would be Paradise Beach Club. You could definitely tell from all the water toys. We had a great day there last time we were in Cozumel and highly recommend this place.
Playa Mia is just one of those places you will never mistake for another beach club. The high pointed circus tent looking huts just makes it undeniable that that's what this place is no matter what direction you are looking at it from.
Then was Mr Sanchos. They have quite a few water toys as well.
Nachi Cocum...of course no water toys and all the adults seem to love this place. It's very beautiful there.
Meanwhile our guide was washing all the snorkels and getting the mask ready for everyone. Of course we brought our own mask but....gasp....I forgot the snorkel!!! Darnit! That meant I was going to have to use one of their CHEAP snorkels without the dry snorkel feature. Oh my word! How could I be so stupid! You would think that being in business for 20 years and generating this much money, they would at least upgrade their snorkels for a better experience for everyone. These things SUCKED!
We knew we were getting close when he started passing out mask, fins, and snorkels and my little mermaid morphed at that time.
Now I tried really hard to find Playa Palancar (another place we had been in the past) but couldn't locate it from the ocean. I knew we were close because we were snorkeling at Palancar.
During our ride there, I struck up a conversation with a family of 4. They were going diving that day with the same tour company as us. Wait what? This company also offers diving? I should have done that. The pit in my stomach knew I had made the wrong decision now. We started talking about discover scuba diving and the mom said she was just going along for the ride and wasn't diving this time but her husband and children (girl and boy twins I believe) were going to dive with dad. I was envious at this point.
We stopped and was told to stay close to the guide because the water was constantly moving. I knew from talking to previous divers on this board that it's a place (Cozumel) for drift diving. The guide would have a safety ring and we did not need to worry about getting away from the boat. The boat captain would keep a close eye on us and when we were done would come over to pick us up so we didn't have to struggle to get back to the boat. Now THAT'S my kinda snorkeling!
Anyone on here that has read my reviews or been in my "what to do this time around" snorkeling post knows I normally don't care for boat snorkeling. Boat snorkeling usually involves you being in deep water and in deep water, it's hard to get good pictures. You have to be up close to get the outstanding photos I usually get in the water. The greater the distance of the subject from the camera, the more off color and blurry it seems to be. I would get deep dark blue pictures from snorkeling this way and it's just not appealing to me. I need to be up close to my subject but I was going to make the most of it.
So I AM WARNING YOU...THESE SNORKELING PICTURES SUCK!! BIG TIME! I'm so unhappy with them that my skin crawls. Just saying...so beware. I'm only sharing such icky pictures to try to attempt to show you this reef and just how much there is to see there. It's pretty amazing.
I jumped into the water first. I had asked if it was ok to "roll backwards" off the side and was told I should probably "sit" and plop in instead. Darnit. I really wanted to roll like you do when diving. It's so much fun.
As soon as I got in and looked down...
PALANCAR REEF
Now at first when I got home and seen these pics, I thought maybe I had my flash on and that was showing all the stuff in the water but I didn't. A lot of pictures had it in there and I know at some point I would have discovered the flash was on.
Sakari was already in the water and the hubby was preparing this plop grand entrance. Then in he went.
But, the first thing I spotted was this....and I squealed with excitement...my very first!
Do you see it? Yea I didn't think so because of all the crap floating in the water (and by crap I mean bubbles and microorganisms not actual crap) and being so high up from the "subject".
But soon the guide also seen it and started point it out to everyone.
I took a bunch of pictures...I was so excited. I even took a video of it swimming by...but Sakari and I watched the video about 30 times last night and I tried everything to figure out how to adjust the video so that you would easily see what we were seeing...but it just didn't work. So, I decided to chuck the video and not put you all through watching it 30 times like we did and probably still not finding it.
So, I opted to take one of my many pictures of it and zoom in really close...now do you see it?
I spotted my very first spotted eagle ray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was amazing. Warmth came over me (and it wasn't from urinating...just saying). I was so excited and happy to have finally seen a spotted eagle ray! The grace and the beauty of it "floating" by was just amazing! Sakari had seen one and got pictures when we were in Bermuda last time and I was so upset that I hadn't got a chance to at least see one in person. I finally had my day!
My day was complete...even if I didn't see another fish the rest of the day!
Ok, on with the crappy pictures...
The reef was amazing as well and loaded with tons of fish, corals and sponges. It was just everywhere.
Then I spotted my mermaid zipping by...
I promise you there's probably tons of fish and neat things down there...you just can't tell from these UNamazing photos.
I met up with the hubby and manged to get a decent picture of us holding hands and snorkeling....awww, well yea awww because we were close up and the pictures would come out right!
Sakari is a very jealous child. When the hubs and I hug or kiss, she immediately runs in between us and wants her lovin's. Well in the water, this is what she would do instead to get our attention...she's such a loving and passionate child.
More dark blue photos...who woulda thought?
She acquired a nice tear in her fin and I guess this will mean that she wants yet another mermaid tail (child only has 6 of them after all but did try them all on prior to this cruise and has outgrown all but 2 😲 )
The reef really was nice and we seen a lot of things, but I obviously can't share them with you because of the quality of the pics. But it was pretty amazing and well worth a visit!
The entire snorkel lasted for around 30 minutes but it sure seemed longer for some reason. Maybe I just gave up taking pics at some point because the only thing I have to go by is the time stamp on all of my pics.
Here's a video of our first snorkeling session...We'll call it the mermaid snorkel because she was the life of the party that time around. I swear she's going to be a free diver some day and scare the crap outta me.
Back on the boat everyone was discussing what all they had seen. Not everyone had seen the spotted eagle ray I guess.
They passed around a tub of freshly sliced cantaloupe. It was so good and refreshing after that snorkel. The tub came around and around and around again. Everyone filled up and then handed Sakari the rest and she finished it all off.
Are you ready for some more blue pics? Can I get a "heck yea!" Show some enthusiasm. I know there bad but let's pretend they are not ok?
Up next was the next snorkeling spot. The guide said that this would be a better snorkeling spot for most because the water was not as deep and we would be closer to the coral. I was banking on that and hopeful that I might get better pictures.
Once again, no dropping off the boat backwards so when they wasn't looking, I jumped. LOL I have more of a chance getting hurt trying to sit and throwing my fins over the edge and get into position to try to plop into the water than just going for it and jumping...so jump I did.
Hubby decided he would follow my lead and stood up and jumped...
I noticed that he held the top of his snorkel as he jumped. Smart man. I wish I would have.
COLUMBIA REEF
I don't know if they planned it this way but the first thing that caught your eye when getting in was this at the bottom of the ocean floor
I immediately starting seeing this....
Now I knew where our divers went to and I was green (or maybe I should say blue) with envy.
I was seriously beating myself up about not doing diving here. The hubby and went up in the water several times to conversate and we both kept saying "we should have went diving here too!" However, do you see the distance they are down there? This as hardly more "shallow" than the last place! More blue pics coming right up.
This would be my view a lot of the time....eating the bubbles of the divers that was rubbing it in that they were down there close to everything and I wasn't.
Ok, you guys have to know just how bad these dark blue pictures are bothering me being the perfectionist that I am with my photography pics. Well, everyone always ask me what type of correction or processing I do with all of my pictures to get them to look so good and well...I don't. I honestly don't know "how" to make bad pics look good. The only thing I do to my pics is resize, put my logo on it and then I have an "action" I have saved and I hit that button and it sharpens it for web and saves it for me.
So, when I get crappy pictures like this and they are so off in color...I have no idea how to make them look "decent" and have tried. I just suck at it I guess. But, there is a button that has "auto color" and "auto tone" and for the following pictures (a lot of them) I decided that I would try to hit one or both of those buttons to see if I could get ANYTHING out of these crappy pics. So, the colors are WAY off but some of them will at least allow you to see more of what's down there...hopefully. I warn you, they are still crappy! LOL
See there is a lot of sponge and coral down there!
I am now thinking that maybe I should have gave the camera to Sakari and have her take all the pictures since she was constantly diving down close. I don't know why I didn't think of that.
Still having to stare at the divers down there and all of their bubbles.
The coral did seem to be getting closer to us though, so that was a good thing.
Can you just see all the bubbles and crap in the water? I wonder why it's like this? Because of the constant swift movement of the water in Cozumel?
There were a lot of little channels in this area and I kept day dreaming about the channel we dove in back in Roatan and wishing we were in these channels. They were so cool.
Well hello there big fella..you're kinda all up in my personal space don't ya think?
A large group of tangs
These Bermuda Chubs just don't care...they have no worries in the world and you don't scare them! They will follow right alongside of you everywhere you go.
I have a very memorable
picture of a Bermuda Chub
coming up out of the
water and looking at
Sakari right in the face when
she was 3 years old at
Chankanaab. I will never
forget this day!
Yea, she wasn't so sure about
it being all up in her personal
space at the time either! LOL
That group of tangs still hanging out down there beyond my reach
Then I spotted this....
Now I swear it looked like a remora to me. Flat surface on top with gills up there but the guide tried to say it was a barracuda....um no, no it's not.
Then my favorite fish...a trigger. This is a niger trigger and they are so beautiful. I just love their fins on the top and how they swim. My trigger died in my tank. 😞
Walking around and taking more pictures and finding more places I didn't know were there.
A whole lot of fishies
You can see when the coral getting closer to the surface because of the better picture quality.
A video of the second snorkeling spot...
This amazing snorkeling lasted for around another half hour or so and then we all piled into the boat again and we were off to the sandbar and looking forward to a little relaxation and seeing the starfish.
However, I would discover that the starfish and the sandbar were kinda 2 different things. We pulled up to an area, that was somewhat shallow but you couldn't stand in, and that was where the starfish are.
EL CIELO
Sakari and I jumped out and the hubby said he was going to stay on the boat this time around.
Immediately there were starfish EVERYWHERE...like tons. Everywhere you looked you would see them. It was exactly like it was for us in Aruba at one of our favorite beaches.
I spotted a huge white trigger hanging out in the water. It was really big! I have never seen a white one before. I tried looking it up online and I couldn't find many pictures and what I did find said they are really rare???
Then we started seeing some stingrays
Here's my capture of the day (if only it were clearer)...a stingray, triggerfish and starfish all in the same picture.
Then back to the boat we went after about 20 minutes.
SANDBAR
Here comes the sandbar
Oh, I wanted to mention that this company had these types of devices to wear during snorkeling. I absolutely LOVED them! I want one now! Better than trying to wear a snorkel vest and better than a life jacket. These went around your waist and worked great and wasn't bothersome. Anyone know what they are actually called?
There were already several boats here and people enjoying this area. But it was a huge area and plenty of room.
The sand was so soft and felt so good on your feet...and body. The guide mentioned the ??"type"?? of sand it was and stated that it was good for exfoliating your feet or whatever. I was dragging my feet around the sand because I sure could use it after our day walking around on the rough concrete in Costa Maya. I also decided to put it to the test and grabbed a handful and cleaned my rings with it. They actually did sparkle after that.
No clue what she's searching for but it's probably looking for some shells, which wasn't in this area.
I'm always the queen of flying/floating kids in my pictures at the beach...so even though we weren't on the beach, we decided to try some funny shots in the water. Sakari had a lot of fun and some of the facial expressions on some of the pictures I ended up with (some not shared on here) was hilarious and we had a good laugh at them last night when reviewing them for the first time.
We had a lot of fun doing them and Sakari was laughing so hard it took a bunch of tries just to get one of them in a certain pose. LOL
More huge triggers
Ah ha! I noticed my camera was on the wrong setting after one picture.
Here comes a stingray, right close to where Sakari is (to the left of the pic). They were just everywhere.
Then our guide asked us if we wanted drinks...so how he made margaritas was to use the Limonada drinks they brought with them, add tequila, and then shake them up. It was super yummy too!! I had my fair share of them.
The hubby has a few and then moved on to whatever type of beer they had brought along (I know it was not Modelo).
It doesn't get any better than this...soaking up the sun (that was now out), sitting on a sandbar in the ocean, and having a cold drink.
It wasn't too much longer that I noticed they were passing out food. Freshly made pica de gallo and guacamole that the captain had been making since we first arrived at this spot. It was SO GOOD! There was plenty of it and plenty enough for seconds...don't mind if I do. They cranked up the music and it was a blast.
When the guide was done with his food, he swooped the plate down into the water to clean it and the fish came swimming on a mad frenzy. The stingrays were interested as well.
I spotted a huge spotted trunk fish and wished that I was down in the water with it to get a better picture.
Titanic reenactment...
Now we were in this area for quite some time. They didn't rush us or anything. They just let us hang out, drink, eat, listen to music and watch the rays and fish. We were there from 12:45-2:10 so 1 hour and 25 minutes. It was awesome.
A small video of snorkeling with the starfish and rays and then the fish frenzy
Off we went and headed back to the port
It was a long ride back, the same as getting there. This boat is not a speed boat. They go pretty slow. I don't know if it's because the boat is slow or because they are just taking their time enjoying the coast line. We had a blast. It is about 1 hour one way.
Coming up on the ships: Carnival Freedom, Carnival Miracle, RC Liberty of the Seas
Then the Breakaway and MSC Armonia
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I have to say we had a wonderful day with a wonderful guide and captain. Although it's not my "thing" to do snorkeling from a boat (only because of the picture problems), it was well worth it and the reef was amazing! Hopefully we can go back some day and do the scuba diving there. The reef was beautiful and healthy and plenty of fish. It was more than what I had expected out of the reef and the drinks and food was delish! The sail along the coastline was a little slower than I'd like, but we enjoyed our time on the boat and conversation and the wonderful views of the shore and beaches we had been to in the past. I would highly recommend this excursion and this company. They were nothing but professional (other than the little bump in the beginning with having to wait so long to leave) and very pleasant. Our entire trip, from beginning to end, was around 5 1/2 hours. At least an hour over the estimated time (and I'm not including our waiting time, I'm only counting from the start of it until we walked off the dock). Definitely worth the money for sure. Also, the communication with this organization was top notch as well and multiple emails and questions answered prior to booking. They required a $18 deposit pp via paypal to book.