The Santa Maria left the Marina Terminata at around 9:30am and returned at 545. You could get there easily by bus. A surprise was that you had to pay 15 pesos for port charges before you could even get anywhere near the boat. There was a huge area where you waited until someone holding a sign for the boat tour you were taking announced that he was gathering passengers.

Our boat was a two-decker with a partially covered upper deck, so one could choose to sit in the sun or the shade on the plastic patio chairs (not the greatest if you suffer from back problems). There was a perfectly adequate and clean bathroom area below deck (what a relief!). Our tour started with a continental breakfast of rolls, bananas, or apples and juice. The lady sitting near me pitched little pieces of the bread over the rail, causing a great deal of attention from the sea gulls.

It took us almost an hour and a half to arrive at Los Arcos. Before we arrived, we were outfitted with snorkels, masks, lifejackets, and fins (I was very impressed that the crew member managed to guess everyone’s fin size on the first try, just by looking at their feet!). Most people seemed to be wearing their bathing suits under their clothes, but there was a small area adjacent to the bathroom where you could change if you brought your suit.

The snorkeling at Los Arcos was disappointing, but I read of other reviewers who were happy with it—perhaps they swam closer to the arches. The water was not clear, and it was on the cooler side, but it was January, so what could you expect. I did a once around the boat, saw two schools of fish, and got back on board.

We made a stop at Las Animas to let out the people who did not want to do the trek to the waterfall and then we motored to Quimixto for the trip to the waterfall, which one could do walking or by horseback (see my horseback riding review).

Lunch was included at La Caracol on Las Animas beach, and there was some time to splash in the waves and relax in the sun on the beach. The food was substantial and enjoyed by all.

There was an open bar during the trip back and forth where you could get beer and margaritas. I was surprised that most people restrained themselves to the degree they did. A highlight of the tour was two porpoises swimming under the bow for several miles. The forward deck was very crowded, as we were all trying to get a glimpse and a photograph of these delightful creatures hitching a ride on the wake of our boat.

We had decent visibility, though it was better on Maui last year. It was because of the combination of weather and the water from the river that comes in by Mismaloya Beach. It was a nice time though. We went to 65 feet with no wetsuit! My wife got bit by a fish of all things. She's okay, but told everyone it was a barracuda!!

We rented a private yacht for our family of 12. We had the boat from 8 to 8 with a chauffer took you anywhere you like and stayed as long as you like on any island or place. We bought food in Wal-Mart and had a bbq throughout the day with our cases of Corona beers from the Corona factory. It was worth it. They took us to Los Arcos. We snorkeled there for about an hour. We had our own equipment, so we did not need to rent -- that was a plus. We had dolphins swimming by the boats, which was amazing. There was these fish are about 2 feet long and royal blue in color -- yellow fishes, orange fishes, many tropical fishes -- just amazing! The island had many pelicans on the tree branches. There is no land, so the only people will get off the boat are the snorkelers. You would need to stay in the boat if you don't snorkel. If you don't want to get a private yacht, try the shamballa boat. I heard that some people from the hotel took that and had a great time -- they had food and open bar on that boat. The cost was about $30 per person. The boat took them to several places not just this island. I don't remember much. But it is still worth it for $30 per person with open bar.

Los Arcos is a grouping of three small islands two the south of Peurto Vallarta. This was the first dive that my wife had taken. It all began with an introductory lesson in the resort pool. After an hour long lesson in the pool, her instructor recommended the Los Arcos dive package as it was one that targeted beginner divers. It also provided me the opportunity to go snorkelling on the same tour with her. The tour group left from downtown Puerto Vallarta and included a boat cruise through the bay to Los Arcos, sandwiches and drinks. There were about twenty of us in the group. Less then ten went diving. The divers were split into two groups, one for beginners and one for slightly more advanced divers. My wife enjoyed her adventure very much and took great pleasure in describing the many creatures that she saw at the bottom. As for the snorkelling, I would have to say that it was just okay. I found the water a little murky and hard to see in as compared to the Caribbean. Despite this, I still found the trip well worth the price. Maybe next time I'll be brave enough to see what it looks like at the bottom.

On another day excursion booked through my hotel, I went on a package cruise to Los Arcos and Quixtimo. Given allowances for off days and so forth, I would caution that I was disappointed and wouldn't recommend it.

Los Arcos is a rock formation in the southern part of the Bay of Banderas. Big rock arches carved by rough seas and time, they probably make for great snorkeling and scuba diving. On this particular day the water, while not rough, was churned up so much that it was cloudy, making my very first snorkeling experience a dud. I can blame this on the weather, as a tropical storm had passed through a week before, so who knows? There were fish there to be seen, I just didn't see many. In retrospect I could kick myself for not trying snorkeling at Maritos where I was the day before.

Okay, not so great. Then it was on to Los Animos, a tiny spot along the southern end of the bay, for aforgettable preplanned lunch and some beach time. The surf was so rough I was afraid to go in. Fortunatelym I met some students, real nice folks from Mexico City, and got in a quick volleyball game before heading off to Quixtimo for horseback riding.

Quixtimo, it seems, is a small villge set up for the sole purpose of renting horses to tourists. These horses: old, tired, with bleeding saddle sores and cracked horse shoes, broke my heart and gave me serious doubts as to whether they'd make it. After a terrific experience at Rancho Campomar, this was clearly inferior. The trail was muddy, frighteningly steep and rutted from the rains so much that the horses slid as they fought their way up the hills. Needless to say, I wasn't digging this. Our destination was a mountaintop waterfall an hour or so along the trail. But you couldn't get near it, unless you patronized the conveniently located cafe at the base of it. If you just wanted to sit near the falls, it was 20 pesos.

Here comes the climax of the day: I had the extraordinary pleasure of watching an old couple, two European octogenarians, if not older, dismount with great help from hired guides and proceed to splash about topless in matching flourescent thong bottoms. Fortunately when they rolled in it was time to go.

I'd pass on Quixtimo. The jury is out on Los Arcos. If you want to snorkel, scuba, kayak or horse back ride, there are better places to do it.