Comments on: The DIY Guide to Snorkeling with Endangered Sea Turtles in Akumal Mexico

By: Marysa

Marysa — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 13:27:11 +0000

We felt a little intimidated by people telling us there was an access fee or trying to sell tours. We visited Akumal several times and ended up staying at a hotel on the beach, which made access so much easier.

By: Charles Kosman

Charles Kosman — Fri, 08 Jun 2018 18:02:12 +0000

In reply to Bianca. Hi Bianca, it definitely seems things have changed in Akumal. It's probably for the better that they're enforcing tighter regulations on the area since there are just so many sea turtles in Akumal and should be protected. Hopefully the new setup helps the turtles rather than just filling the locals pockets. Only time will tell and we'll definitely check it out ourselves next time we're down there.

By: Bianca

Bianca — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 19:03:47 +0000

Hello, things have changed in Akumal. Now it is a protected area and snorkeling by yourself can be done in specific spots. Don’t worry you can hire a certified guide that will escort you thorugh the circuits and show you the turtles. Akumal Dive Shop, Akumal Dive Center and Piratas offer this service.

By: Peter Togel

Peter Togel — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 02:09:45 +0000

Not free at all. They only let you swim when you buy one of your diving packages. If you just pay for parking and entrance, they don’t let you come close to the diving groups or turtles. IT is a ripoff….

By: Charles

Charles — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 00:03:19 +0000

In reply to Vanessa. I second this! We just left the bay and I was very upset at the fact that their were SOOO many people and lack of environment awareness. People were EVERYWHERE. You cant fix stupid for sure! Majority of these people are just there to get wasted and have no respect for themselves let alone an ENDANGERED species! Education is key and from my conversations 80% of these people are uneducated and have NO clue whats going on. I feel this area should not have ANY public swimming. On Sundays the locals mix with others and you darn well know they are pissing in the water and disrespecting this extremely FRAGILE environment. We are looking to buy a house on the beach and it will def be my duty to help regulate the preservation of these sacred animals.

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Tue, 23 May 2017 01:12:06 +0000

It is now definitely regulated at Akumal.
We went swimming last Friday with the turtles – the tours seem to be 300 pesos each for a group tour and 400 or 500 each for a private tour. It’s horrible the touts and their lies but ignore everyone till you get to the beach huts and book there.
I am so glad it’s regulated as people who can’t swim were sometimes standing on the turtles accidentally with their flippers and trying to grab them while they were eating! This is an endangered animal and needs to be protected.

By: Marta

Marta — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 01:14:01 +0000

We’ve been to the beach today and there is really an issue with snorkeling. At the beginning we got confused with all the guys trying to sell us snorkeling with turtles. They wanted 500 pesos per person for 1 hour in the water (gear included). We decided to skip it. We tried to snorkel but at some point there is a guy in a kayak who tells you that you have to go back, because it’s protected area. We managed to see 1 or 2 turtles anyway, but definitely all the fun was reserved for the people with guides. When we were leaving we saw the picture about the rules (which was previously hidden by all the guys selling tours. And now we know for sure that you need to wear a life vest, you can swim between 9 am and 5 pm, “but
The activity can only be carried out with the permit holders authorized by SEMARNAT. Mandatory presence of a local guide.” It’s good somebody started regulating the whole thing since the turtles were probably in a lot of stress lately. It’s just sad that it’s quite expensive, since the guys should be just watching you that you don’t hurt the turtles.

By: Charles Kosman

Charles Kosman — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 22:43:05 +0000

In reply to Amanda.

Thanks for the heads up Amanda. Hopefully they figure this all out soon.

It’s quite the problem they face. As in, what’s best for the sea turtles, what’s best for the local businesses and what’s acceptable to the visitors. Just hope they don’t fully close it down or force everyone to take an expensive tour however, after witnessing some of the shenanigans and disrespect some of the snorkelers have towards the turtles there definitely needs to be some changes made.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 20:17:22 +0000

I was at Akumal Bay last weekend and there was a lot of drama. NO ONE was allowed to swim past the buoys, life jacket or not. There were marines with machine guns, and protestors (I think the people who used to do tours but are no longer allowed to), and local police. There was a woman in a kayak with a whistle herding people back closer to shore. People were still doing tours (illegally. all tours are prohibited now), but the lady in the kayak followed them blowing on her whistle the whole time, and I can’t image it was very enjoyable. From what understood, no one is to swim further than 30 meters offshore, and flippers are prohibited in the whole bay. I did manage to go south on the beach in front of that new resort and sneak into the bay with my flippers and I was left alone. Seems if you stay away from where the turtles congregate no one will bother you. I even had a little turtle swim up to me!

Please be aware that most of the people still trying to do tours are not locals. They come from all over and while they purport to be fighting for their incomes, they do not pay taxes or contribute to the local economy. The business-owners near the bay are unhappy with these people because they contribute nothing, encourage huge groups of tourists to mov the bay, and use the facilities. It’s a strain on the local businesses. Also, there’s really no reason to take a tour. Just paddle around and enjoy yourselves! You won’t miss anything by skipping a tour.

While it’s not quite as lovely, Half Moon bay was definitely more relaxing. There is a good access spot about 3/4 of the way north in the bay, and space away from the rentals to lounge. Yal Ku is always amazing as another option!

By: Charles Kosman

Charles Kosman — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 03:42:44 +0000

In reply to Roger.

Hi Roger, there’s a quieter bay to the left (facing the water) in Akumal called Half Moon Bay. To get to it you simply enter the main gate in Akumal and go to your far left. There’s also Yal Ku Lagoon that is a paid park that has much better corral and fish but probably less turtles. It’s even farther to your left past Half Moon Bay down an undeveloped road and is probably the one you’re thinking off.

You don’t need to pay at Half Moon Bay however people generally prefer the main beach if they’re not staying at one of the resorts on Half Moon Bay. It’s up to you where you want to go but you can do them all yourself and it’s pretty cheap at Yal Ku Lagoon. The cool thing about Yal Ku is that it’s where fresh water meets salt water so you get some interesting perspectives and different fish than the bays.