Look on travel message boards for a good snorkel tour. There are message boards in hotels, restaurants, stores, and English newspapers. Ask the locals for the travel message boards. If planning your entire trip before you arrive, ask your hotel, or trip organizer, to refer you to one or more good local snorkel tour operators. Most hotels have tours they prefer to work with. Or you can check out online for tours (see Resources).
Analyze the cost of a tour. Just because its more expensive doesn't mean its better. Sometimes the smaller tour is better because its customized and there aren't as many people on the tour.
Determine the tour's target market. You can do this by reading their advertisement. You want to know if its geared towards young people, or older couples. You don't want to end up on a loud party tour when all you want to do is relax.
Find out if the snorkel company offers local guides. These should be Mexican locals or someone that has lived in the area for a long time. A snorkel tour with a knowledgeable guide is much more enjoyable, because they can tell you the history of an area.
Check on safety requirements. Ask if the guides have life-saving technique training. There is no snorkel accreditation required in Mexico and life-saving technique training is optional for these companies, so you need to ask.
Ask about the itinerary. Are there specific snorkel sites you will visit. Get a schedule and compare them to other snorkeling tours before making your decision.
Ask about barracuda and large precautions and find out whether the snorkel trip is in any of these areas.
