Afternoon in Akumal

This afternoon we brought snorkel gear to Akumal Bay in hopes of seeing sea turtles. To get there from the resort we took our first colectivo.  Colectivos are van taxis that pick people up on the roadside as long as they have available seats left, very similar to “tro tros” or “bush taxis” in West Africa but far nicer and newer. 

Immediately upon arriving at Akumal we saw how popular this bay has become since we were there with John’s family in 2003.  There’s about ten times more people and activity than when we were here nine years ago.  There is also a Centro Ecologico that’s trying to manage all the visitors in a way that will preserve the habitat for the juvenile sea turtles that live in the bay year round.

We watched a video at the Centro Ecologico and learned that (1) sea grass is the turtles’ primary food, (2) snorkelers significantly disturb the grass at the bottom of this shallow bay simply by getting vertical and kicking their fins to keep their head above the surface, (3) some snorkelers dive down to get too close to the turtles, harass them or even grab them.  For these reasons snorkelers are implored to wear life jackets.

After negotiating a price for life jackets and heading into the bay, we quickly started seeing the juvenile green turtles munching away on the bottom sea grass.  Not just one or two, but several.  What an enjoyable experience to be swimming along and come across sea turtles over and over.  Regularly they would come up to the surface and we would see their cute heads above the water.  Occasionally we would have to back paddle a bit to be sure to be sure the turtles wouldn’t bump into us as they were surfacing.

On top of one of the turtles there was a green fish that appeared to be cleaning the turtle.  We also saw one of the largest puffer fish that we have seen on our trip.  The coral is not looking healthy at all, however.  There are about 12,000 people that snorkel in Akumal Bay annually, which seems to be adversely impacting the ocean environment.  As much as we enjoyed seeing the turtles, it is hard not to feel bad about contributing to the stress on this delicate ecosystem.  Often the negative effects on natural resources from overuse are not evident until they are irreversible.


Mexico is home to six of the seven species of sea turtle in the world, all of which are either threatened or endangered.  Three species can regularly be found around Akumal.  Local beaches are nesting ground for two of these species: the Loggerhead Turtle and the Green Turtle.

Adult green turtles weigh between 100 kg and 250 kg and grow to 1.2 m in length.  The nesting season is between June and September.  Each female nests 3–7 times a year.  Each nest contains 120–150 eggs that are round hatch in about 60 days.