A Booze Cruise/Snorkeling Adventure in Cozumel

There was nothing I wanted to do more on Cozumel than snorkel. Ringed by coral reefs, the Mexican Caribbean island is renowned for the sport. However visiting while on a short stop off of a cruise ship, I didn't have a lot of time or options at my disposal. Forgoing renting a car and exploring from several beaches on my own, I settled on a ship-sponsored snorkeling trip off of a catamaran. But I was surprised to find that even before nine o'clock in the morning, very little happens with vacationers in Cozumel that doesn't include an open bar.

Yes, it seemed my excursion was a snorkeling adventure disguised not so discreetly as a booze cruise. Sure there was a catamaran, and yes we sailed down the verdant coast just barely out of sight of our gargantuan cruise ship. In every direction, mottled greens and blues outlined reefs just below the water's surface. Of course we stopped and donned masks and snorkels - some of us even fins - before jumping in the sea to drift down the western coast of Cozumel. And indeed we did witness an amazing assortment of coral and fishes up close, including rays, angelfish, triggerfish, and filefish. But before those forty-five minutes of underwater wonder began a number of passengers sipped on some beers on the boat's deck, and many more imbibed in margaritas soon afterwards.

I'm not making any judgements: booze cruises are as commonplace in the tropics as sunglasses and sunscreen. Ersatz pirate ships crisscross the bay in Cabo San Lucas dispensing tequila shots while sunset pleasure crafts mix unlimited Mai Tais off of Waikiki's shoreline. It's just that I wanted 3 hours of snorkeling, not a mere 45 minutes of the sport with 2 hours on a beach with - you guessed it - an open bar.

At least the beach, a short sail away, was postcard-perfect. Sugary white sand with turquoise water, the beach was Fury Catamarans' private destination on Cozumel's more remote southwest coast. "But is there good snorkeling out there?," I said while pointing past the floating water park with its slides and rafts provided for the fun of us "adventurers." "No," said our guide, "but you can try. Just don't swim past the buoys." That didn't leave me a lot of territory to cover, but I had plenty of time, the cobalt sky was mostly clear, and the calm water almost eighty degrees.

After I swam past the revelers, an expanse of sea grass soon revealed a couple of yellow stingrays, a very small species in this exotic fish family. I even found a sea snail in its shell, what we familiarly call a conch, and which was certainly what the rays were hunting for.

At a tiny cluster of rocks and coral - maybe the only one close to the beach - schooled several fish, most notably a buffalo trunkfish which changed colors several times, mutating from white to a spotted olive-green. I even discovered another, smaller species in the same family, a spotted trunkfish as it is coincidentally known. And I might have identified a new fish, for me, a scrawled cowfish, yet another type of boxfish, also with spots but ones that are neon blue. Horn-type appendages over its eyes undoubtedly gave the fish its name.

It wasn't a bad snorkel on a beach that's not recognized for its underwater attractions, so I finally decided I'd break down and reward myself with a drink and some relaxation on a shaded chaise. The bar was housed in a building at the edge of a forest with native trees where, in one, a bananaquit or warbler distracted me as I walked by. I rushed back to my seat to get my camera only to miss the bird when I returned. However a hummingbird was soon investigating the blooms in the same tree so I spent several minutes attempting to photograph the creature. Eventually I was rewarded with a couple of clear pictures that identified the bird as a female Cozumel emerald, a large, endemic hummingbird to the island.

And just like that, without a drink or a rest on the chaise, it was time to head back to Fury's catamaran, now one of four that had arrived at what was earlier our group's private beach. I had actually achieved quite a rewarding wildlife adventure in the midst and melee of what was mostly a party excursion. When the vessel was under sail, the music playing, and the passengers dancing, I even had my first of several margaritas. After all, although it was only noon on Cozumel, it was most definitely five o'clock somewhere else.