Thanks Susie! Next time, I promise!
MWC - yes, this was my first trip to Chankanaab post-Wilma. The snorkeling was really good. In my opinion, the coral clearly took a beating, but it was still very nice. There are still lots and lots of fish, and something new to me was a huge (and I do mean huge) starfish farm (I guess that's what you call it). It had to be over 100, if not several hundred starfish over a large area. It was very, very cool. I'm not sure how long it has been there, but it was new to me.
All the statues are still there, and actually look better since they were removed and cleaned at least once with all the hurricane activity in the past few years. It also seemed like they have moved the big white balls that mark the furthest distance you can snorkel in closer to shore somewhat. When I saw big manta rays there several years ago, I'm sure we were much further out.
Chankanaab is a really great option for us to snorkel as a family, as my husband and boys like to practice free diving, and Chankanaab is very deep, which they like. The girls and I tend to snorkel more on the surface, and the water is so clear that we can still see everything, even on the bottom.
Becky