snorkeling in puerto vallarta

[karazy]

hey everybody,

im heading out to puerto vallarta mexico on saturday, so i thought i'd ask if anyone knows about snorkeling there.

where are good snorkeling places there? how far form the main street of hotels?

ive heard people talk about los arcos, but is that just around the actual formation, or is it from the beach all the way to the formation?

thanks

[loveless]

I was there a few years ago for my sisters wedding. Saw some sea turtles, and some dolphins from the surface but the snorkeling was garbage. At the time the water was so murky one could not see 5 feet. Will definitely go east coast next time. Although others reported good snorkeling at other time they had gone.

Good luck and hope you get better conditions than I

[karazy]

did you have red tide, or was it just that bad?
at the very least ill find some cool tide pools

[RuGlu6]

The problem there is that there are rivers that bring sediment etc.
So if you are away from rivers you might get some clear water.
Cozumel is way better, i fed a huge green parrot fish from my hands.

[loveless]

No red tide. I think that it was just the heavy load of plankton and what not in the water column. I think that on the Pacific side of Mexico the currents at the time were running south. The water there reminded me of the west coast of Canada, not as cold mind you, but if you have seen the green murkiness of the west coast it wasnt much unlike that.

On a better note a freind of my sisters grew up there. He said that the water does clear up and isnt like what we experienced, all the time.

[Haloreef]

The rivers bring sediment into the bay so the viz ain't great. Los Arcos had very good viz but the only way to access it was by boat. A lot of fish could be seen but, I don't recall any coral. Acapulco was just as bad. If you get a chance try the Mayan Riviera side. Snokeling from the beach resorts is awsome. There are snorkeling tours offered also. I did not like it much because they make you were a life jacket. How the heck do you snorkel in a life jackett?
The scuba diving is incredible!
I'm going back this October to do some cave diving!

[Snappy]

I been to a lot of awesome dive sites including Belize, Kona, Carribean, Cozumel, etc to name just a few and I still go to Vallarta about twice a year and have for the past 13 years. Although very different from the Cancoon side there's actually still some great diving in the area but much depends on the time of year for where the best sites are. Los Arcos is one of the better snorkel sites but it is the rainy season right now so the red mud is washing down from the mountains so the visability will likely be quite poor in the bay close to shore. If you dive I would recommend going to Marriettas Island, El Morro & Chimo depending on your diving ability & experience. Give Geovanni at Twin Dolphins dive shop a call and tell him Greg from Calgary referred you. He will set you up for whatever kind of dive/snorkel action you want and is a straight shooter. Vallarta Adventure is a huge company with big boats and big crowds so if you use them expect just that. I prefer the smaller tour companys but to each is own.
For restaurants be sure to try Pipi's for the fajaitas, good drinks & fun atmosphere, Vista Grill for an awesome view, La Palapa's for awesome food and eating on the beach to name just a few. Eh Carrumba's is pretty good too and has a super view. Brasil's is a fun spot as well with their all you can eat meat scewers. If you are at the Marina give Tikul's a try. the food is excellent and they even have a jazz saxaphonist working the room. If you are shopping down at the "flea market" Oscars is a good restaurant as well. One of the many things I like about Puerto Vallarta is the plethera of good restaurants.
Are you staying in town or in Nuevo or elsewhere?
For beaches the white sand ones are generally north of Nuevo around Bucarias up to Punta Mita and Mismaloya in the south has gold sand that is super fine and almost feels like flour. Have a great trip. If you want more info shoot me a PM.

[karazy]

no diving for me...yet

im staying in the southern part of town. my parents have told me about pipis so we are deff's going there,

PM sent

[karazy]

well people, i had an amazing trip, and some pretty awesome snorkeling. turned out that the beach at my resort had a sweet snorkeling cove,
followed by a bunch of large frock formations in a big ocean flat that no one seemed to know about.
i didnt get any underwater pics, but i did see amazing things
i saw manta rays, big puffers, wrasses, damsels, snappers, butterfly fish, and alot more.

here's a pic of the beach and the snorkeling cove:

[Leah]

Beautiful, glad you found a great spot. Sad you didn't get pictures though!