Snorkeling in Xpu-Ha Mexico

When we went to Xpu-Ha Mexico, the only thing we knew we wanted to do was snorkel. During our first trip together to Hawaii in 2008, we had tried to snorkel Hanauma Bay. However, due to overuse, we saw very few fish. Recently, Chad had snorkeled in Hawaii and Honduras, and Kelly in Belize and Hawaii, but were wanting to share the experience.

On our second full day, we agreed to take an organized snorkeling trip to three locations: "Turtle Bay", Yal Ku, and a centote (Mayan sinkhole). Chad didn't hold a lot of faith that he would see anything of worth. But that was soon dispelled.

At Turtle Bay, we quickly saw 5-6 large "green and white" turtles. Most of these were close to a meter long. The largest one we saw was easily over a meter long and even though we tried to stay far away, it followed us and was only 1.5 meters away. Kelly swam with turtles before in Hawaii, but Chad had only seen one turtle once (from afar) in Honduras.

Yal Ku was like snorkeling in an aquarium. A mixture of fresh and salt water, the aquarium features needle fish, parrotfish and others. Where the water mixed, it looked greasy but if you dove down to the salt water, it was clear again. A little crowded at times, Yal Ku was a one of a kind natural experience, especially compared to the "Disney" snorkeling experiences near.

We didn't snorkel the Mayan cenote but we did cliff jump. The water was deep and fresh and didn't have as many fish as the other locations.

It was a great way to start a relaxing vacation together. Our next goal is to buy Chad a snorkel and to visit more sites on our next vacations.