We took the bus from Zihua to Playa Linda past Ixtapa for a whopping 10 pesos each. BUT the bus driver passed a watering truck on the right and squeezed by him by just a few inches and then our bus driver was pulled over by the police, which is NOT a good thing, especially when it adds at least 20 minutes to your bus ride.
After all that commotion and getting the bus restarted, we headed out again in the broiling heat.
We got off the bus at Playa Linda and saw the crocodiles, lizards and iguanas all behind fences. Then we walked down to the Pier and walked out to catch the little boats that go out to the island called Isla Ixtapa. It cost 40 pesos for the round trip and of course, when you got to the island's beach and were helped out of the boat, you were asked for a few pesos as a tip. I did succumb the first time, but on the way back, I just ignored the request. I had already paid for the ride and didn't need that much help getting out of the boat. REALLY ??
We were told to go to the restaurant called Indio, which we did, after discovering the owner was sitting across from us in the little boat. She showed us to her restaurant and we were there for the day. I would suggest trying another place as all of the 7 or 8 places were very busy. I was overcharged for my tiny glass of juice at 60 pesos. It should have been 20 at the most. But the chicken fajitas were excellent. So if you go to Indio's don't order a juice. They were very nice people there and so any restaurant is fine.
The swimming was fun and the water very refreshing. Wear water shoes though as there were large rocks and sharp shells to avoid. Next to the Indio restaurant, they had all kinds of water toys for rent. We saw jet skis, kayaks, etc. and I would imagine they were all at reasonable rates.
If you wanted to snorkel, you could just walk up over and behind the restaurant to the other side of the island where there was another beach with huge coral reefs. It was so shallow though that we did not venture out so as to not get cut up by the coral, which can be a nasty problem.
You can rent snorkeling gear and go for it if you are so inclined.
I highly recommend this for a day trip, but try to go during the week, as weekends, when we went are extremely busy. And if you have a cooler, take your own beer and snacks.