Isn't Punta Sur on the windward side - rougher water?

-HW "Skip" Weldon
Columbia, SC

Skip,

Is Mike trying to kill you cuz you did something bad to him?   :-)

Chankanaab, if you meant the Marine Park on the Chankanaab
beach of the Chankanaab Reef, is not exactly "free".

But that's a good location to relate a couple of good free points
for BOTH snorkeling and scuba!

1.  Entry from any spot NORTH of the entry to the Caleta (marina
   adjacent to hotel Presidente).  If you're driving from
   downtown Coz, you'll get to the snorkeling spot from the
   road entry to the (Bahia) marina, and continue driving past
   the marina.    The marina entry is just SOUTH of La Ceiba hotel,
   before you get to Chankanaab.

   This spot is part of the Paradise Shallow Reef.  YOu can also
   get there from a short swim NORTH from the beach of the
   Presidente hotel.

2.  Continue PAST Chankanaab, going SOUTH, you'll come to a
   streth of shore entry between the Chankanaab Park and a pier
   at a beer joint on Playa (beach) Corona. That's the spot where
   most Glass Bottom Boats take customers to gawk at the fishes near
   the entry to the Cenote (cfresh water aves in Cozumel). You'll
   probably see cars parked along the entry stretch (with nothing
   else in sight) by snorkelers, scuba divers, and cenote divers.

   That's probably by far your best bet. Been there many times.  
   Green moray, adult spotted drum are among the residents at
   that spot, seldom seen by snorkelers though. Tons of reef fish,
   can be seen here right off shore to depths of 10 to 30 feet.

If you REALLY want to kill yourself snorkeling, you can go to
the Playa Bonita on the East Side.  There are about 5 fish
along the entire reef, but you can catch a north-bound current,
and snorkel all the way to Cuba.   :-)  

See my report on  "Cozumel: an East-side dive adventure"
which began from this Playa Bonita:

http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=SCUBA-L%2595062623283461%40BROWNVM.BROWN.ED
U&oe=UTF-8&output=gplain
   

-- Bob.