Is there good snorkeling in Puerto Vallarta, or do we need to travel up/down the coast?

SNorkeling in Puerto Vallarta is very good. But yes, You have to move a bit from the populated beaches. Best areas are the beaches south to Puerto Vallarta. In conchas chinas, 5 minutes to get there you may begin. Better are the beaches at Las Animas, Quimixto and Yelapa. Another nice area is at Mismaloya at the arcos, the big rocks in the ocean. Mostly organized by tours, but You can also get there on your own way. It is not very far, within half an our or one our You get everywhere. Best option for You is to go to the end of the malecon to the pier, where You find an office where You may book tours ( expensive ) or just a water taxi to the desired places.

Find a bit more information on the map and the beach site of the mentioned internet site. On the beach site You find the most important beaches, the relevant for snorkeling are south to Puerto Vallarta.

I found the snorkeling there excellent, the diving was even better. There are many packages to go out with a guide on his boat. Caution! There is a very different under tow off shore and is different than any other place I ever experienced.

The snorkeling in Vallarta is ok but not as good as on the other side of Mexico. It is as good as anything you will find on the Pacific coast. Try Chico's dive shop (downtown) for the best trip. They have their own island and provide a delicious lunch (we had dolphin) during the trip.

when i went to puerto vallarta the water was not very clear. this was a few years ago. i think Cozumel has the best snorkeling. the only downside to snorkeling in Cozumel is that the recent hurricanes have killed most of the marine life in the ocean.

yes there is there alot to do there since its a tourist place its not a boring place

The snorkeling is excellent. We booked a package from our hotel. I don't think it was actually in Puerto Vallarta... it was a small city maybe 30 minutes or so away. It appeared to be a small village from where the boat launched. It was amazing though. We were in a regular sized boat, nothing fancy. We were out there with the whales. It was so beautiful! They came pretty close to the boat. One of the girls was freaking out, and of course, I had to bring up the movie Orca. Nice, huh? I really made her more nervous. Then they stopped the boat and everyone got into the water. I stayed behind for a while because I wanted to take some pictures. I was talking to the guides and they told me there are hammerheads in the waters also. They said they don't bother anyone and stay further down in the water. So I got into the water and we had a great time. There are so many different fish. We also went into a cave and saw a reef. My friend got stung by a jellyfish though. You really have to be careful of the them and they're so small. Anyway, have a great time!

The snorkeling is excellent. We booked a package from our hotel. I don't think it was actually in Puerto Vallarta... it was a small city maybe 30 minutes or so away. It appeared to be a small village from where the boat launched. It was amazing though. We were in a regular sized boat, nothing fancy. We were out there with the whales. It was so beautiful! They came pretty close to the boat. One of the girls was freaking out, and of course, I had to bring up the movie Orca. Nice, huh? I really made her more nervous. Then they stopped the boat and everyone got into the water. I stayed behind for a while because I wanted to take some pictures. I was talking to the guides and they told me there are hammerheads in the waters also. They said they don't bother anyone and stay further down in the water. So I got into the water and we had a great time. There are so many different fish. We also went into a cave and saw a reef. My friend got stung by a jellyfish though. You really have to be careful of the them and they're so small. Anyway, have a great time!


P.S. Mommy can you pick mine for the best answer??