Cozumel Clear Boat Tour: Two Transparent Boats, 90 Minutes Each
A clear boat is not a glass-bottom boat with a bigger window. The entire hull is transparent, so you look down through the floor and out through the sides at the same time, which is why these trips work even on the stretch of coast where the coral is thin. Two of them run out of downtown San Miguel for 90 minutes: one at $31, one at $45 that adds two sunken ships and an artificial reef made from a hurricane-wrecked wharf. Here is what each one covers, what the transparent hull is genuinely good for, and where the reviews say it falls short. The rest of the fleet sits on the boat trips running off Cozumel page.
About the Clear Boat Trips
Full refund up to 24 hours before departure
The shortest way onto the water anywhere on the island
Cheapest boat trip in Cozumel, gear included
Floor and sides, not a single viewing panel
The $45 boat adds two sunken ships and the Los Cubos reef
Six per person on the cheaper boat: beer, soda and water
Check Live Availability & Prices
Departures run through the day from the downtown waterfront. Prices are per person in US dollars.
Which Clear Boat to Pick
The $31 boat: the cheap way onto the water
Ninety minutes along the coast of the biosphere reserve with a snorkel stop, and six drinks per person included: two beers, two sodas, two waters. It rates 4.1 across 37 reviews, which is the honest score for what it is. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included; the 100-peso dock fee is not.
Book this if the goal is to be on clear water with a drink for the price of a restaurant lunch.
The $45 boat: wrecks and the cube reef
Fourteen dollars more buys a route with actual subject matter. It starts over the Patzcuaro and the Mandinga Lagoon, two ships sunk deliberately to seed artificial reefs, then moves to Los Cubos, the concrete blocks of a wharf destroyed by a hurricane and now grown over with coral. The snorkel stop is on Villa Blanca reef, the best shallow site in reach.
It boards at Muelle Fiscal, four blocks north of the Punta Langosta cruise pier, and the $5 wharf tax is already in the ticket. Only three people have reviewed it so far, so the 5.0 rating carries less weight than the price does.
The honest limitation
Reviewers who booked a clear boat expecting a reef tour came away flat. The route on the cheaper trip stays close to shore over sand and scattered coral, and some travellers report the transparent hull going underused because there was little beneath it worth looking at.
The boats also draw complaints about running past their scheduled time and about photo packages sold hard at the end. Treat this as a short, cheap novelty ride with a swim attached, not as your one snorkeling excursion in Cozumel. If reef time is the point, the $35 glass-bottom trips visit three reefs in two hours.
Both Clear Boats
Ninety minutes each, different routes and different dock fees.
from $31 Clear Boat Cruise & Snorkel with Drinks on Deck
- 90 minutes on a fully transparent boat
- Snorkel stop with equipment included
- Six drinks per person: beer, soda and water
- 100 MXN dock fee paid at the port
from $45 Transparent Boat: Sunken Ships, Los Cubos & Villa Blanca
- 360-degree view through a fully transparent hull
- Two sunken ships and the Los Cubos artificial reef
- Snorkel stop on Villa Blanca reef, gear included
- Two beers or waters and the $5 wharf tax included
The Two Clear Boats Compared
What the Hull Looks Like
What You'll See Through the Floor
Wrecks, cubes and a shallow reef
The Patzcuaro and the Mandinga Lagoon were sunk on purpose to build habitat, and both now sit upright in clear water shallow enough to read from the boat. Fish colonise a wreck quickly, so the hull and railings carry more life than the sand around them.
Los Cubos is stranger and better. A hurricane took out a wharf and left its concrete blocks on the seabed; divers train there now, and the coral has done the rest. From a transparent hull the geometry of it is obvious in a way it never is from the surface.
- Two sunken ships, upright on the sand in clear water
- The Los Cubos block field, an accidental artificial reef
- Villa Blanca reef on the snorkel stop, coral heads and sea fans
- Puffer fish and surgeonfish over the shallow coral
- Spotted eagle rays passing through between May and July
- Sand flats and seagrass, honestly the bulk of the cheaper route
What's Included, and What Isn't
In the ticket
Both boats include snorkel gear and drinks. The $31 trip adds hotel pickup and drop-off, which quietly makes it cheaper again if you are staying outside town. The $45 trip has the wharf tax baked in and carries a qualified guide.
- Snorkel gear and life vest
- Drinks on deck: six per person on the cheaper boat, two on the other
- Hotel pickup and drop-off ($31 boat)
- Qualified guide and the $5 wharf tax ($45 boat)
Paid separately
The 100-peso dock fee on the cheaper boat is collected at the port on arrival, in pesos, in cash. Photos and video are shot during the trip and sold afterwards; travellers on Cozumel clear boats report digital packages priced above $40, so decide before the camera comes out.
- 100 MXN dock fee on the $31 boat, cash at the port
- Photos and video, sold at the office afterwards
- Food, which neither boat serves
- Gratuities
How the 90 Minutes Flow
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−20 min
Arrive at the office
Check in at the operator's office on the waterfront. Twenty minutes before departure is the stated minimum, and the walk to the boat takes a few of them.
-
Start
Board the clear boat
Short briefing and away. The hull is transparent from the first metre, so the seabed is visible before you leave the shallows.
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20 min
The sunken ships
On the $45 route, the Patzcuaro and the Mandinga Lagoon, viewed from directly above through the floor.
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40 min
Los Cubos
The old wharf blocks, now an artificial reef. On the cheaper boat this stretch is coastline and sand instead.
-
60 min
Snorkel stop
Gear on and into the water at Villa Blanca reef, roughly half an hour with the guide nearby.
-
Return
Drinks on the way back
Beers and sodas on deck for the run home. Photos are shown at the office if you want them.
Important Things to Know Before You Go
What to pack
Ninety minutes, but the sun on a transparent hull is relentless and there is no shade to speak of.
- Pesos in cash for the 100 MXN dock fee
- Biodegradable sunscreen, applied 30 minutes before you swim
- A rash guard, which beats reapplying sunscreen at sea
- Swimwear under your clothes and a towel
- A dry bag or ziplock, because there is nowhere dry on a clear boat
What to leave behind
Standard marine park rules apply on the snorkel stop.
- Chemical sunscreen with oxybenzone or octinoxate
- Shells, coral or anything else you might be tempted to pocket
- Bulky bags, as these are small boats with no storage
Getting to the dock
Muelle Fiscal sits on the downtown malecón by the flagpole esplanade, a four-block walk north from Punta Langosta. From the SSA International and Puerta Maya piers it is a taxi, $5 to $12 on the fixed zone rate, and worth taking rather than walking in the heat.
If your ship berths downtown, this is the easiest boat on the island to reach. That convenience is a large part of what you are buying.
Insider Tips From People Who Have Done It
Six things worth knowing first
Pulled from recent traveller reviews of Cozumel clear boat trips and the island forums.
- Book the morning slot. The water flattens overnight and the transparent hull is useless once the surface chops up.
- Several reviewers report the trip running past its scheduled end. Do not stack it directly against a ship departure.
- Getting back aboard from the water needs a hand from the crew on these small boats. Reviewers mention it repeatedly, including one who found it hard for older passengers.
- The photo and video package is optional and costs more than the tour on some boats. Say no at the start rather than at the end.
- Take motion-sickness tablets an hour ahead if you are sensitive. A small hull sitting still over a reef moves more than a big one under way.
- If the coral is what you came for, treat this as the add-on and put the $35 three-reef glass-bottom trip first.
Where the Clear Boats Go
Who These Trips Are For
A good fit if
The clear boat sells novelty and convenience, and it delivers both.
- You want the cheapest possible hour and a half on Cozumel water
- Your ship berths at Punta Langosta and you would rather walk than taxi
- You have small children who will watch the floor for the whole trip
- You want to swim but not commit a half-day to it
- The wrecks and the cube reef sound more interesting than another coral garden
Not ideal for
Both operators set restrictions, and the format has real limits.
- Children under five, who are not accepted on either boat
- Passengers over 70 on the transparent boat, which the operator excludes
- Expectant mothers and travellers with mobility impairments, since boarding is by ladder
- Serious snorkelers, who will find one shallow stop thin
- Anyone on a tight ship deadline, given the reports of overruns
Cozumel Clear Boat Tour — FAQ
What is the difference between a clear boat and a glass bottom boat in Cozumel?
A glass-bottom boat is a normal hull with a viewing panel set into the floor. A clear boat is transparent all the way round, floor and sides, so you see down and outward at once. Clear boats here run 90 minutes and cost $31 to $45; glass-bottom trips run two hours to three reefs for $35.
Is the Cozumel clear boat tour worth it?
As a cheap, short novelty with a swim attached, yes. As your main snorkeling excursion, no. Reviewers who expected a reef tour found the route thin on coral, while those who booked it as a 90-minute ride with drinks rated it well. The $45 version has more to look at, thanks to the two wrecks and the Los Cubos artificial reef.
How much is the dock fee?
100 pesos per person on the $31 boat, paid in cash at the port on arrival. On the $45 transparent boat the $5 wharf tax is already included in the ticket price.
Do the clear boats include snorkeling?
Both include a snorkel stop with gear and a life vest. The $45 boat snorkels Villa Blanca reef, the best shallow site within reach of downtown. You can also stay aboard and watch through the hull.
Where do they leave from?
The transparent boat boards at Muelle Fiscal on the downtown malecón, a four-block walk north of Punta Langosta pier. The cheaper clear boat leaves from the waterfront nearby and includes hotel pickup and drop-off.
Can children go on a clear boat tour?
Not under five, on either boat. Above that age children do well on these trips, since the transparent floor keeps them occupied for the whole 90 minutes and the water stays shallow and calm.
What Passengers Say About the Clear Boats
The trip was fantastic and the guide, Engle, was amazing…the price is great for what you get…highly recommended!!!
Emmanuel was so funny, spoke in both Spanish and English, and was helpful to the seniors. This was my 2nd clear boat trip with this tour company and plan to do it again in January. The only drawback is the walk from the tour office to the boat.
Great activity but too difficult getting on and off the boat
Quotes from the operators' GetYourGuide listings, reproduced as written.