Mexico > Snorkeling Around Isla Mujeres

There are eight people interested in snorkeling. Although this is not the ten participants needed for a private boat, we get one anyway. This works out well because we can leave as early as nine o’clock. If we had gone with a public boat, the departure would have been at eleven. At eight o’clock, I go to breakfast on the fifth and top floor of the hotel. Coffee, fruit, egg, and toast. A great start to the day. At nine, I meet Freddy again in the hotel lobby. He accompanies the snorkeling group to the boat in the harbor. Here, I receive a life vest, mask, and fins. Pedro is the skipper. He sails the boat to the south side of the island. Today we do three snorkeling stops. The first stop is at the ‘museum.’ Various concrete objects lie underwater, on which coral has grown over the years. There is also a silhouette of a car. Freddy goes in the water first. He carefully considers the current so that we can mainly swim with the flow. I have some trouble with my mask. More water is leaking in than a few days ago. I have to clear my mask above water from time to time. The coral and fish here are more beautiful than in Mahahual. The second stop is at natural coral. Beautiful fish swim among the coral.

Mexico - Snorkeling around Isla Mujeres

Because the water is extremely clear, everything is easy to see. Freddy spots a turtle. I quickly swim to where he points, but I don’t see the animal. I think no one in the group saw the turtle. Maybe it was a false alarm. The third and final snorkeling spot is closer to the shore. It is also shallower here. As soon as I enter the water, I see hundreds of fish. Entire schools swim between the coral and water plants. It seems they use the coral as protection from larger fish. Some fish swim right between us. They pass me less than thirty centimeters in front of my mask. They don’t seem scared or aware of any danger. A school of yellow-white fish swims toward me. Some practically swim against my mask. It seems they are curious too. In any case, it is a beautiful sight. After everyone is back on board, we sail to a small beach. A fish is prepared on a barbecue. I am also handed a beer right away. A barbecue lunch on a beach is a nice way to end the snorkeling trip. I decide to walk back to the hotel from the beach. Other travel companions return by boat. I thank the crew and walk along the coast. On the way, I pass the whale shark monument.

Mexico - After snorkeling, lunch is prepared on the beach

In the summer months, whale sharks come here with which you can snorkel. Unfortunately, I am in the wrong season. I put my swimming gear in the room and stroll into town. I first walk to Playa Centro. It is much busier here than yesterday. Catamaran boats dock to take new groups on boat trips. When I pass the tip of the island and reach Playa North, it’s really crowded. All the beach beds are occupied, and dozens of people stand in the sea. Some have drinks in their hands. I walk along the sand by the beach. On the north coast of Isla Mujeres lies the luxury hotel Mia Reef. I walk past the entrance to the other side of the island. It is much quieter on the Caribbean Sea side. Signs warn not to swim here. Still, some people are in the sea. At a small terrace, I meet travel companions again. Together, we have a drink. Tonight is the last evening we are together as a group. Suzy has reserved a restaurant where we can close the trip together in a private room. The restaurant is in the pedestrian area. The music from the terraces can also be heard in our room. Still, during the closing dinner, I manage to thank Suzy for her travel guidance. She, in turn, says she enjoyed traveling with us. This doesn’t seem like just a standard phrase.

Mexico - On the final evening, we thank Suzy for her travel guidance