does anyone know if there are any places to go snorkeling with out getting on a boat near csa. i did see some pictures of a ship wreck and it looks like you can easily swim to it. my wife does not like boats but likes to go snorkeling.
Printable View
does anyone know if there are any places to go snorkeling with out getting on a boat near csa. i did see some pictures of a ship wreck and it looks like you can easily swim to it. my wife does not like boats but likes to go snorkeling.
We decided to bring our own snorkling gear this year, the roped off swim area is rather big and we always see a lot of cool stuff just in that area. Last year we saw a sting ray and the year before we saw a really big beautiful pink star fish.
The ship wreck isnt in the swim area, not sure if they will allow you to swim out to it or not. But the boat ride to the snorkle area is not real far, its really close if that is what you are concerned about.
Not much to see within swimming distance at CSA, also wouldn't advise swimming outside of the ropes due to all the traffic - might not turn out well!
We were there a few days after the ship wrecked and unless it moved, it is in front of the Beaches next door. They did allow us to swim out to it but it was almost completely filled with sand. I'm surprised it's still there. On our last day or two there they put caution tape on it but still allowed people to swim out there.Quote:
Originally Posted by markjennwedding
We haven't really seen much at CSA since the because is just sand. There have been a few rays and small fish milling about. There were also a bunch of star fish but you don't really need a mask to see those. The boat ride is quite short because the sites are close by, if that helps. The views are a million times better than at the beach too.
As has been posted, the boat ride is short and not a high-speed run. The snorkeling is good as long as the water is calm - hint: go early!
The roped in swim area near CSA is soft sand; no rocks, seagrass, coral, or anything else that would normally attract different types of fish. So while you may see the occasional stingray or starfish, they are definitely not hanging out there on a routine basis. And the jet ski guys come very close to the rope, so you don't want to be swimming with your head down outside the roped off area. The snorkel boat goes out 3 times a day. If her problem is seasickness, book the 11:00 trip which has the best chance of encountering calm seas.
There are three(3) snorkelling destinations (all very close). The resort sports staff guys refer to these locations as: Bahamas, Mexico, and Cuba. Mexico and Cuba both have very shallow reefs, some shallow enough it's challenging to swim over them (3 feet deep). But both locations make for excellent underwater pictures! The other location (Bahamas) is also beautiful, but much deeper. While snorkelling, I had to dive 10-20 feet deep to get great underwater shots.
So, just let the boat driver know you want to visit Mexico or Cuba. : )
The boat ride out to the reefs is only about 5-10 minutes and well worth it if you go to the Mexico site. That is the best of the three. When you look to the north west you see an island and the sites are before that. The boat you see off shore is a sailboat that sank last year in a hurricane and has no attraction to fish as a reef would. The Caribbean floor in front of the resorts is a slow tapering sandy bottom with little to no sea weed or rocks so not really any fish. There are starfish on the bottom that you can see when you walk around in water about waist to chest deep. Do not venture beyond the ropes of the swimming area as several boats and wave runners shoot up and down that area. They do have life jacket floats for people who want the extra buoyancy so ask to put one on for the trip if that is the concern. If it is a sea sickness thing just take something for that ahead of time. Hopefully you will also be able to work up the nerve (and medication) to go on the included catamaran booze cruse down the coast. A great time to be had.
Just to clarify, there are more than just three sites that the snorkel boat can go to. We snorkel every day when we are at CSA and there are at least 3 others that they can go to, depending on the weather and water conditions.
The three snorkel sights we went to were wonderful. The only regret we had was not going for a night snorkel. (It is an additional cost, and a minimum number of people to go out at night) The boat ride is short, approximately 5 minutes max. And even with rough seas visible on the horizon, the boat ride was easy. However, if your wife is nervous, I would ask if she can get a life preserver on before the boat gets underway. Here are a couple of pics from the underwater snorkel world.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5224/...960da5a2cd.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/...0f50490601.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5109/...e3428c179d.jpg
The rest of my wife's and I's photographic adventure to CSA is here...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/5263668...7626271611459/
Enjoy your stay and safe travels!
PS. Book with the water sports hut early as the spots do fill up fast. They went out twice daily, once in the morning around 11 and once in the afternoon around 1 or 2.