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A Great Snorkeling Destination
Snorkeling at Akumal
One of the most popular holiday destinations in the Western Hemisphere is the Mayan Riviera, on the Yucatan Penninsula in Mexico. If you are looking for a relaxing vacation in a place where the water is warm and clear with miles of white sand beaches, this may be the place for you. My wife and I have been there several times in the past few years and have never been disappointed. Of the many things to see and do in that area, the snorkeling is just awesome!
Part of the reason for the excellent snorkeling has to do with the Yucatan's geology. The entire region is comprised of limestone, which is very porous and crumbly. As a result, there is very little surface water in the area. Rivers flow underground in some of the longest and most amazing cave systems in the world. Occasionally, the earth above the rivers gives way, creating an opening in the ground and exposing the underwater river. This formation is called a Cenote (se-notay) and can offer an incredible snorkeling experience, the details of which will be covered in an upcoming article.
For the most part, the Mayan Riviera is known for its white sand beaches and coral reefs, which are teeming with life. The second you take your first underwater glance at this marvelous ecosystem, you will see fish, probably lots of them! Blue ones, yellow ones, red ones, skinny ones, fat ones...with apologies to Dr Suess, I think you get the idea!
Snorkeling on the Mayan Riviera can be anywhere from average to fantastic, depending on the location. The key is to snorkel where there is easy access to a reef, because this is where the fish are. We have stayed at a couple of resorts where the snorkeling was so good that tour operators from Playa del Carmen would bring paying customers in big catamarans to snorkel right in front of our resort! If you want to check out a potential vacation spot before you go, just look at it on Google Earth. The coral reefs, if there, will be readily obvious on this amazing tool. If you don't see reefs just offshore, the beach will likely be awesome, the snorkeling less so. But one small town in the area offers a truly unique and incredible snorkeling experience. It is Halfmoon Bay at Akumal, which is the Mayan word for "Place of the Turtles".
Akumal is about 2 hours south of Cancun. It isn't much of a town, but the secret to Akumal lies in the fact that just beneath the water, and only a short distance from shore grows vast amounts of sea grass, which happens to be the favorite food of the sea turtle. These turtles are big, beautiful and relatively unafraid of humans. There are both Loggerhead Turtles and Green Turtles and Akumal is their nesting ground. These Sea Turtles can grow up to 500 lbs and more! to The Mexican Government has established a refuge to protect the turtles, but encourages snorkelers to swim with them while staying at least 3 meters distance.
To get to Akumal, assuming you are in a resort somewhere on the mayan Riviera, you could take a tour (expensive and restricting) a taxi (expensive) or just travel like the locals do. Grab your snorkeling set, walk out to the highway and (very carefully!) stand there for a few minutes until a white van comes hurtling towards you, flashing his high beams as if to say, "do you need a ride?". Wave back as if to say "Yes".
This is a collectivo, and they are constantly running up and down the highway, picking up and dropping off passengers. The fare is usually no more that 20-30 pesos ( about 2 bucks!) and they offer a quick and easy mode of transportation with a little local flavour added in as well. Just tell the collectivo driver that you want to go to Akumal and he will drop you on the side of the highway when you get there.
Next you will walk about 1 kilometer or so to the East, which will take you through some quaint shops, past the library and finally into the turtle preserve itself. A large sign is the first thing you will see and you should read it carefully as is describes the system of bouys that demarcate the swimming area from the boating area. It's quite complex. There are also clear rules about swimming with the turtles which you should be aware of.
All that's left to do is put on your snorkeling set and get wet! The dive shop on the beach has lockers to rent if you need to store your belongings. The water only gets to a depth of 10 to 15 feet for a long distance out and this is where you will see the grass growing on the bottom. Slowly make your way along and enjoy the crystal clear water with the usual assortment of fish until you see, and you will see, a turtle! Maybe two of them together. They are beautiful! They are content to just happily graze on the underwater grass while you admire them and maybe snap pictures. This is an experience that every snorkeler vacationing on the Mayan Riviera should have. If you visit the area, I hope you take a side trip to Akumal to see these fantastic creatures. Seeing and swimming with them has been an experience I will never forget.
