If you ask our captains where the water is clearest, the answer is Majahuitas. A small, secluded beach backed by untouched jungle, well down the south shore, with visibility that beats anything closer to town. Plan on spending your anchor hour in the water rather than on the sand.
Why Majahuitas Beats Los Arcos for Snorkeling
Los Arcos is more dramatic above the water — the arches, the caves, the birds. Majahuitas is better in it. It is further from town, which means less boat traffic stirring the surface and fewer people in the water. The bottom is rock and sand with good structure, and on a calm morning the visibility is the best on this stretch of coast.
The trade-off is time. Majahuitas needs a 5-hour charter minimum to make the run down, spend real time at anchor and get back. Groups that only want a quick swim stop are better served closer in.
What Is There
Very little, and that is the point. A short beach, dense jungle behind it, a handful of structures, and water. No public services to speak of. Bring what you need — food, drinks, sun protection — and treat it as a water stop rather than a beach-club afternoon.
How to Spend Your Hours
Anchor, get in, and stay in. Masks and fins are on every boat. Snorkel the rocky edges of the cove where the structure holds fish, then float. If you have an underwater camera, this is the stop to bring it out. Between swims, the shade canopy on the boat and cold water and ice on board do the rest.
Groups with the hours often pair Majahuitas with a fishing leg on the run down — see fishing charters — or continue on to Yelapa for lunch ashore before turning for home.
When to Go
Morning, and early. Calm water and low wind are what make the visibility, and both are best before midday. Winter and spring generally bring the clearest conditions; after heavy summer rain the runoff can green the water up for a day or two.
Which Boat
All three make the run. Guanatuna is a strong choice for a snorkeling day — an easy platform to get in and out of the water, full shade for between swims, and room for 15. Steel n Time adds an air-conditioned salon and two bathrooms for a long day out. Peaceful Easy Feeling gets a small group down there fastest, leaving more of your hours for the water.
