snorkel vacation for the moderately disabled

Ambergris Key in Belize has good easy snorkeling from a boat. Shark Ray
alley is only a 5 minute boat ride from town. All the operators do this
trip. All of the roads in town, with one exception, are sand. Most people
simply walk along the beach to get to the restaurants.

In Cozumel, if you want to stay in town, ocean view-but not ocean front and
no beach, we stayed at Vista Del Mar. About $75/night. There are several
snorkeling places and snorkeling operators. Places to snorkel are near
Plaza las Glorias, north of the new cruise terminal. Chankanab (sp?) Park
is also a very nice place to go and snorkel. It's a federal park with
beaches, beer, sand, exhibits, etc. It's about 5 miles south of town.



"Dave C" <dcalderbank@top.monad.net> wrote in message
news:1119366130.491019.98040@g44g2000cwa.googlegro ups.com...
>
>
> designtaco@gmail.com wrote:
> > My wife and I are planning to take a vacation in the last week of July
> > and we'd like to go someplace warm, with some good snorkeling. I
> > realize this is a scuba list but I assume many of you know of
> > snorkeling locations. I used to be an avid spearfisher, surfer,
> > windsurfer and now I've had some back problems that have taken me out
> > of all the games I used to play. I think I can go snorkeling however,
> > if I play it smart.
> SNIP
> > I've read a little about Bonaire (but it always seems like a local biz
> > owner's opinion) Cozumel, St. John, Roatan, FL keys. Any suggestions
> > anyone could give us would be greatly appreciated!
>
> You might find snorkelling in Bonaire feasible for your condition, if
> you can walk carefully and slowly across gently sloping broken coral,
> perhaps with a collapsible walking stick of some sort. You wouldn't
> have far to walk, since quite a few of the dozens of shore dive sites
> allow bringing a vehicle to within 50' of the water's edge. Also, waves
> are minimal or absent at most sites.
>
> Since Bonaire was my only Caribbean dive trip, I don't know how the
> snorkelling compares with other places. However, my wife, an absolute
> newbie to snorkelling, enjoyed it immensely. She was able to see quite
> a bit of coral and fish, and even saw a turtle at one site. I enjoyed
> the snorkelling, too, even if it offered much less than my dives. It
> was easy to see a hundred or more fish from several different species
> in an hour of snorkelling. 8^)
>
> HTH.
>
> Dave C
>

>
>Some of the best snorkelling I've ever done was in the Cook Islands. Not
>exactly the Caribbean, but it was very beautiful.
>
>(snip)
>

Can you please give a few more details?

Gery
Regards Gery

Tanks for any reply

"Gery" <gprdataNO@SPAMMMMMzip.com.au> wrote in message
news:44bcc1t79juu0qn8plc9i9p0m2p8cd18e3@4ax.com...
> >
> >Some of the best snorkelling I've ever done was in the Cook Islands. Not
> >exactly the Caribbean, but it was very beautiful.
> >
> >(snip)
> >
>
> Can you please give a few more details?

What kind of details? Details about the Cook Islands in general or just the
snorkelling?

>
> Gery
> Regards Gery
>
> Tanks for any reply

Tanks? I thought you inquiring about snorkelling? ;^)

>> Can you please give a few more details?
>
>What kind of details? Details about the Cook Islands in general or just the
>snorkelling?
>
>
Mostly the good places to snorkel and if a boot is needed to get out
there, and also type and kost of accommodation nearby, how to get
there aso.

I haven't been in Cook Islands before. I was a few Years back in Bali,
Lovina and Manjangang Island and found it from ok to very good and
cheap.
Regards Gery

Tanks for any reply

"mslf500" <mslf500@netzero.(remove)com> wrote in message
news:1119709128.250609b786199b023bf3c62a8fff5a04@t eranews...
> Ambergris Key in Belize has good easy snorkeling from a boat. Shark Ray
> alley is only a 5 minute boat ride from town. All the operators do this
> trip. All of the roads in town, with one exception, are sand. Most
people
> simply walk along the beach to get to the restaurants.

Our original poster said he can't take rough boat rides. Ambergris Caye is
about the last place I'd recommend for someone who can't take rough boat
rides.

>
> In Cozumel, if you want to stay in town, ocean view-but not ocean front
and
> no beach, we stayed at Vista Del Mar. About $75/night. There are several
> snorkeling places and snorkeling operators. Places to snorkel are near
> Plaza las Glorias, north of the new cruise terminal. Chankanab (sp?) Park
> is also a very nice place to go and snorkel. It's a federal park with
> beaches, beer, sand, exhibits, etc. It's about 5 miles south of town.
>
>
>
> "Dave C" <dcalderbank@top.monad.net> wrote in message
> news:1119366130.491019.98040@g44g2000cwa.googlegro ups.com...
> >
> >
> > designtaco@gmail.com wrote:
> > > My wife and I are planning to take a vacation in the last week of July
> > > and we'd like to go someplace warm, with some good snorkeling. I
> > > realize this is a scuba list but I assume many of you know of
> > > snorkeling locations. I used to be an avid spearfisher, surfer,
> > > windsurfer and now I've had some back problems that have taken me out
> > > of all the games I used to play. I think I can go snorkeling however,
> > > if I play it smart.
> > SNIP
> > > I've read a little about Bonaire (but it always seems like a local biz
> > > owner's opinion) Cozumel, St. John, Roatan, FL keys. Any suggestions
> > > anyone could give us would be greatly appreciated!
> >
> > You might find snorkelling in Bonaire feasible for your condition, if
> > you can walk carefully and slowly across gently sloping broken coral,
> > perhaps with a collapsible walking stick of some sort. You wouldn't
> > have far to walk, since quite a few of the dozens of shore dive sites
> > allow bringing a vehicle to within 50' of the water's edge. Also, waves
> > are minimal or absent at most sites.
> >
> > Since Bonaire was my only Caribbean dive trip, I don't know how the
> > snorkelling compares with other places. However, my wife, an absolute
> > newbie to snorkelling, enjoyed it immensely. She was able to see quite
> > a bit of coral and fish, and even saw a turtle at one site. I enjoyed
> > the snorkelling, too, even if it offered much less than my dives. It
> > was easy to see a hundred or more fish from several different species
> > in an hour of snorkelling. 8^)
> >
> > HTH.
> >
> > Dave C
> >
>
>

When were you there? We just got back and most of the coral - around
Rarotongan Beach Resort - was dead. Or 95% anyway.

We transferred to Aitutaki - supposed to be better - and it was no
different. Worse iin fact.

The Muri area was said to be better but we never got to look at it.
Somehow I don't think it would have been much different. Same lagoon.

Our copy of Lonely Planet gave glowing reports on all the coral but it
was prinited in 2000.

Something bad seems to have happened since then.

I wonder whether the fantastic coral we have seen over the years in
Hawaii, Vanuatu, Fiji, Moorea, Great Barrier Reef is also affected?
Cyclones? Global Warming? Pollution? In the case of the Cook Islands we
can rule out the latter.

Further to the above, poking around the web I found that my assumption
that the Cook Islands would be free of pollution problems may not be
correct - especially Rarotonga but even Aitutaki. There was also
mention of Crown of Thorns. I saw none of these - maybe they have
finished and moved on.

<kkerrison@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
news:1121674608.189604.117940@z14g2000cwz.googlegr oups.com...
> Further to the above, poking around the web I found that my assumption
> that the Cook Islands would be free of pollution problems may not be
> correct - especially Rarotonga but even Aitutaki. There was also
> mention of Crown of Thorns. I saw none of these - maybe they have
> finished and moved on.

I suspect you are right about the Crown of Thorns. I had forgotten that
they were a major problem around the time of my visit there. They were
indeed doing a number on the coral.

However, there were still lots of fish!

There sre still plenty of fish.
Incidentally your comment in another thread about rough boat rides
reminded me of a good diving resort off Fiji called Naigani. Not only
does the trip out threaten your spine (as the small boat dodges amongst
the reefs) but when you get there, the shore is littered with wrecks of
similar boats which ran into problems. Good snorkelling (or it was
then) and, I understand, good diving.

<kkerrison@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
news:1121745437.056723.256790@g47g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> There sre still plenty of fish.
> Incidentally your comment in another thread about rough boat rides
> reminded me of a good diving resort off Fiji called Naigani. Not only
> does the trip out threaten your spine (as the small boat dodges amongst
> the reefs) but when you get there, the shore is littered with wrecks of
> similar boats which ran into problems. Good snorkelling (or it was
> then) and, I understand, good diving.

I'm assuming you are replying to one of my posts?

Good to hear there are still plenty of fish.

(As an aside, it will be quite helpful to the readers if you learn how to
quote the posts to which you respond)