This is a great trip for snorkeling newbies or families with small children. I liked how the crowd was smaller (we had about 10 visitors and 3 crew members); it felt less like a transactional tourist trip and more casual and friendly. The captain also took the time to carefully check everyone’s masks to make sure the fit was good.
The turtle cove was quite crowded with a lot of other boats in the area, but I think some of the 1-2 star reviews are a bit unfair if their main complaint was the fact that this was a popular destination, or the status of the water/fish/turtles. Again, it’s a good trip for newbies and I found the fact that we were in a semi enclosed area surrounded by other boats rather comforting. Personally, i probably would have been too scared to go in if we were the only boat in open water without anyone else in sight. Too Jaws-ish for my taste (and skills).
The crew was really nice and great with kids, our three-year-old felt comfortable enough to float in the water with us for a bit and had a blast (life-vest provided by crew, we added a floatie). Two hours was long enough to have fun and short enough to prevent kiddos from getting bored and cranky.
I saw one turtle and schools of fish, nothing Discovery channel and I didn’t even bother bringing a go-pro, I just enjoyed the ocean and the overall experience.