Another part of our job is to go on the internet and answer snorkeling questions that we find and we will now share some with you, as you may have the same questions.
What are the types of marine life i will see from swimming from shore on beaches on the Riviera Maya?
The most common thing will be Yellowtail Snapper, you might see Turtles, Sea Anemone, Corals, Squirrel Fish, Parrot Fish, and occasional Grouper or two, Eels (green moray and spotted), Sea Cucumber. There are a couple of excellent waterproof books by Paul Humann that list a lot of the fish and marine life that you will see in the area, Reef Fish in a Pocket Guide, Reef Creatures in a Pocket Guide and there is the new Fish Flips Snorkeling Wrist Books that are quite useful also.
What is skin diving that is a water sport?
Actually there is a difference between a snorkeling and a skin diving. Snorkeling remains at the surface the entire time. They remain a snorkeler until they submerge on a breath hold dive. Snorkelers that go below the surface of the water are called skin divers. There is also more of a distinction being made nowadays between skin diving and free diving. People are starting to consider free diving more of an extreme form of skin diving.
Happy Holidays! I hope everyone enjoyed themselves. I had the opportunity to go to Cancun with my niece and we spend our 4 days being very active. Because we did so much, I will break the details of our days within a few blog posts.
to an adventurous weekend. We had our days planned… the first day we went on the jungle tour which including jet skiing through the mangroves and then we went to the ocean and went snorkeling. The next day we went to Xel-Ha and of course went snorkeling again and kayaking. Sarah had the opportunity to swim with the dolphins which was the highlight of her day. Our last day we went zipping through the jungle on zip lines and then went snorkeling on the cenotes.
Holbox is an island that is northwest of Cancun, in Mexico. To get to Holbox, we flew into Cancun and then took a 2 hour taxi ride to the Port of Chiquila. Now depending on the traffic, it could take up to 3 hours, but we were lucky. The taxi driver took us to the ferry which only took a 1/2 hour. A golf cart was waiting for us, to take us to our hotel, Faro Viejo.
Because of the Cancun Airport rules, you should get a one way transfers from the property you are staying at, which will run about $60-$90 per person. If you choose to take a taxi from the airport, it will cost $300.00… way to much. But your other option is to take a taxi to the Cancun Bus Station and take the bus or taxi from that location and pay very little compared from the airport. The ferry cost $4.50 per person, one way. Now you can fly from Cancun or Cozumel but the prices are around $500 a person each way. Dont expect much of an airport though, I have to admit, it is unique as the airport is outlined in conch shells.
When we arrived, I was impressed with the sandy streets, lots of bicycles, even 3 wheelers with carts and rows of golf carts to take you were you are going. The majority of tourists are from the mainland in Mexico but I was surprised with a large community of Europeans.
When we arrived at our hotel, which was down the street from the ferry, I was not impressed. Faro Viejo is an old property and has not been updated for years. Though the staff was very friendly, for the price they charged, we could of done better. We did not have a lot of choices of properties because we booked so late. We had a 3 bedroom unit with a nice sandy patio with a fence which was cute and had an excellent view. With it being over 100degrees not counting humidity, we did not use the patio as much as we should.
Holbox was/is a fishing village (only 7 miles long & 1 mile wide) that provided fish to surrounding Mexican communities including lobster & octopus to the tourists in Cancun. We rented a golf cart and found this fisherman cutting up his catch for his family. When we were out on the boats looking 
for the whale sharks, we saw hundreds of small red row boats and asked about it. They were fishermen fishing for octopus and hired by one company. The fishermen fish with 4 poles with a hook at the end. And they only get 3$ a kilo which is 3$ for 2 1/4 pounds. Talk about a long day at the office… Fresh fish is standard on all menus on Holbox and caught daily to add to the menus. 
Myself and the friends I was traveling with, were not fish eaters so I can not tell you how good it was but from observing people at other tables, they all had smiles on their faces.
The days we were not in the water, snorkeling with whale sharks, we rented golf carts. How fun that was! There was so much exploring to do, something I love to do when I go to a new island. The price was $50 for 12 hours or $80 for 24 hours and the same price all over the island. I love beaches and the water and Holbox has my thumbs up for both! As we drove around (and on the beach) I was quite surprised that in some areas the water was shallow for a mile. Great island for shelling also.
When we were driving around in our golf cart, I stopped at the properties that I would book and I want to share them with you. Some properties have air-conditioned and some not, some have television and others not, so please ask the right questions. During whale shark season, booking are made 4 months in advance, so dont wait. The island can be dirty, much garbage everywhere and a problem that the island will have unless it is taken care of, but the owners of these properties keep it spotless.
