What to Bring for Isla Mujeres Snorkeling
The short answer. Bring cash, a towel and a long-sleeved top. Most snorkeling tours in Isla Mujeres leave a dock fee of US$5 to US$20 a person out of the fare, to be paid in cash on the day. Sunscreen is banned where the whale sharks feed, so a rash guard does that job. Towels are often not supplied. The mask, snorkel and fins almost always are.
The short list
- Cash in US dollars: for the dock fee your trip names, and a tip for the crew.
- A towel: several trips leave towels out of the fare.
- A long-sleeved rash guard or shirt: sun cover you can swim in.
- Swimwear under your clothes: there is rarely anywhere to change on a small boat.
- Water and a snack: for the trips that serve food only at the end.
- Seasickness tablets: if you get seasick, take them before you board.
- A dry bag or zip bag: for your phone, cash and hotel key.
Cash, and what the fees are for
There is no gate on the reefs, so there is no ticket to buy at a booth. The national park that covers the reefs and the statues charges MXN 125 a person a day, and you get a wristband as proof. Children under 12 do not pay that charge. On top of it, most trips add a dock fee of their own, and that is the cash you need.
These fees are the listings' own, and they differ. Here is how they fall, by kind of trip:
| Kind of trip | Fee on the day | Pay in |
|---|---|---|
| Reef trips from the Hidalgo shop | US$5 dock fee each | Cash |
| Reef trips with every fee in the fare | Nothing extra | — |
| Whale shark days and private boats | US$10 to US$20 each | Cash |
| The bird island day | US$20 dock tax each, children too | Cash |
| The sailing catamaran | US$20 surcharge each | Cash, at check-in |
Some reef trips put every fee in the fare, such as the reef and museum trip from across the ferry terminal and the three-spot trip with an hour at each stop. Read your booking's "not included" line, and bring that figure in cash for everyone in your party. How the park's own charge and a dock fee differ is on the visitor guide.
Sun cover instead of sunscreen
This is the rule to plan around. SEMARNAT's rules for the whale shark area ban sunscreen and tanning oil in the water. The whale shark listings ask you to wear a long-sleeved shirt instead. At Isla Contoy, CONANP asks visitors to avoid sunscreen and wear beach clothes that cover you from the sun.
On the reef trips the park's published rules say nothing about sunscreen, but operators ask. The Pocna crew want reef-safe sunscreen put on before you board, and none applied once you are on the boat. So a rash guard is the easy answer for every trip: it keeps the sun off your back while you float face down, and it stays on in the water. CONANP's own advice for the park is comfortable clothes that dry fast. The whale shark rules in full are on the whale shark experience page.
What the boat gives you, and what it does not
The snorkel gear comes with every trip listed here. On most boats that means a mask, a snorkel and fins, and a life jacket, which the national park makes compulsory. The Island Adventures trips hand you a new snorkel tube to keep. If you have a mask that fits your face well, bring it anyway: a good seal makes more difference than anything else. The park's other rules are on the snorkeling adventure page.
Towels are the gap. The Hidalgo shop leaves towels and sunscreen out of the fare, and so do the private museum boat, the private yacht and the bird island day. Pack a quick-dry towel, and a dry top for the ride home, because the wind on a wet back feels cold even in summer.
- Nearly always supplied: mask, snorkel, fins, life jacket, bottled water.
- Sometimes supplied: snacks, lunch, soft drinks, a margarita or beer.
- Rarely supplied: towels, sunscreen, photos of you in the water.
Food and water
Whether you eat on board depends on the trip. The whale shark days include lunch, and so does the reef and museum trip with lunch. The three-stop trip from the Hidalgo shop serves its snack after you land, at a restaurant by the meeting point, so eat before you go. The reef trip from across the ferry terminal sells lunch as a US$10 add-on.
Carry a bottle of water whatever your trip. Snorkeling in the sun dries you out faster than you expect, and a salty mouth makes it worse. On a six-hour whale shark day, bring a small snack for the ride out, when lunch is still hours away. Where each trip meets is on the snorkeling map.
Cameras and phones
An action camera on a wrist strap is the best tool. Near the whale sharks, the rules ban flash, underwater lights and selfie sticks, so leave the pole behind. On most whale shark days the guide films you on a GoPro and sells you the files afterwards, so ask about that before you pay for a rental camera.
A phone in a pouch works at the surface, but hold on tight: the jump from the boat is where things get lost. Keep your phone in a dry bag the rest of the time, since spray covers the deck on the ride out.
Cards, tips and the small print
Carry any card that lowers the park's own charge. CONANP takes 75% off for students and teachers with a current card, and 50% off for Mexican nationals and foreign residents with official ID. Seniors, pensioners and people with a disability are exempt. Ask your operator whether its fee changes when you show one, since most collect the charge for you.
Tips are not in the fares. Several trips list a tip for the crew as not included, so keep some small notes apart from the fee money. Finally, read your booking's health line before you pack: most trips advise against the day for back problems, heart conditions or pregnancy, and a whale shark day adds seasickness to that list.
If you are crossing from Cancún
The reef trips on the island do not include the ferry. You buy that yourself at Puerto Juárez, and you carry everything for the day with you, so pack light. A small backpack with the towel, the rash guard, the cash and a water bottle is enough.
The trips that pick up in Cancún make it simpler: you bring the same bag, and a driver does the rest. Which trips collect you from your hotel is set out on Isla Mujeres snorkeling tours from Cancun, and the ferry and the piers are on the getting there page. If this is your first time in the water, read our post for first-time snorkelers before you pack.
Trips with the extras spelt out
Whale Shark swimming ocean safari all included tour
A whale shark day on a twin-engine boat, with drinks all day, a ceviche and guacamole lunch and a shallow snorkel or beach stop on the way back. Hotel pickup from the mainland; US$20 each in fees before boarding.
From $156 per person
Check Availability
Exclusive Isla Mujeres and Cancun Private Yacht Tour
A private yacht for up to six, from the island marina or with pickup from Cancún, with an open bar, snacks, snorkel gear and a floating mat. Wheelchair accessible; bring towels and US$10 each for dock fees.
From $720 per group (up to 6)
Check Availability
Snorkeling in Isla Mujeres and Underwater Museum
Four hours on the reefs and the underwater museum from a downtown office, with lunch in the fare. Drinks are extra, and there is a US$10 dock fee each; infant seats and strollers are welcome.
From $65 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: Decide between the reefs and a whole day at sea with our comparison of the bird island and a reef trip. Every fare sits side by side on Isla Mujeres Snorkeling Tours.