Swimming With turtles in Akumal Bay, Mexico

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28 Comments

  1. Visited Yal-Ku Lagoon a few years ago and it was peaceful but understand that nearby Akumal is very different. Hopefully the “inspector” and the “guide” needed to snorkel are indeed to protect the turtles and ecosystem.

    1. I hope so too! I totally understand the need to restrict the number of people present in the area, but I don’t know that a required guide is the best way to do it.

  2. Love turtles too and love seeing them in the wild. Hopefully the tours are also doing their most to protect the turtles from tourists as well as allowing people to see them.

  3. Swimming with sea turtles sounds fun! I’ve only seen them in Hawaii, and it felt like they were playing with us, riding the waves just like we were. When we stayed in Akumel for a week, we were lucky to miss all of the hustlers you mentioned, but did encounter a sea urchin – man, their thorns are sharp. Loved the beach, ate dinner every night on the beach, as our kids played in the sand.

  4. I’ve never gone swimming with the turtles, sounds like an interesting activity. I was in Bali a few months back and they organised tours for swimming with the turtles but due to lack of time, I had to skip the activity. I love your pictures, looks like you guys had a great time!

  5. This sounds like such an amazing experience! I love snorkeling, turtles and Mexico so I this is definitely going on my must-do list!!

    1. It really is special! It’s crazy how many of them we saw! And there’s a protected section in the middle where they can hide, so they don’t have to approach you unless they’re curious (which they seem to be!!)!

  6. This is one of my ultimate dreams, I was lucky enough to volunteer with a sea turtle conservation program in Greece and see them in swimming in the Caribbean … I have yet to swim beside them though.

  7. This is a GREAT post and something that has been on my bucket list for YEARS! You’re so lucky to have had such a wonderful experience! I’ll be referring back to this when I plan my trip to Mexico 🙂

    1. Thanks so much! There’s tons to see in this area, but Akumal is one of my favorite places, and only partly because of the turtles! It’s just gorgeous there!

  8. This is seriously an amazing post! I’ve always wanted to swim with turtles and this post just made me want to do it even more! I love that you provided some fun facts and even rules to follow when swimming with them. I had no idea it was a federal offense to touch them! I’m glad you had a good time!

    1. It’s so much fun and they’re incredibly beautiful! I hope you get to do it sometime soon. I’ve tried in other places, but this was the first spot where there were lots of turtles that seemed happy to hang around! Glad you enjoyed the post!

  9. What an interesting experience it sounds. I had no idea that touching the turtles traumatizes them…I mean they look quite tough, don’t they? The beach is so clean and the water is so blue!

    1. Hehe, looks deceive I guess! We’re a lot bigger than them so I can see why they would be scared! I can never get over how blue and perfect Akumal Bay is. It really seems like something from a dream.

  10. It’s a good thing, really, if they are wanting to protect the turtles, even if it is very frustrating to have to sort out rumour from the truth. Glad you had such a rewarding visit. It does sound rather fabulous. But not I want to know what makes the convenience store Oxxo so good too!

    1. Haha, I agree, I’m all for protecting the turtles and their habitat! Oxxo is just the ultimate convenience store. You can buy everything you could ever need (food, candy, beer, fruit, tortillas, medicine, sunglasses) as well as pay your bills there! Plus they’re on almost every corner (convenient indeed!).

  11. This was sucha helpful post! Ive never been swimming with turtles but after reading the post and watching your video I feel as though I have! Im sorry you had the experience of the ‘turtle police’! Its frustrating when you are not sure as to whether its a scam or not isnt it? It probably wasnt, like uou say, they have probab;y just tightenend up.

  12. Akumal is so gorgeous! And the fact that you guys got to swim with turtles while you were there is amazing! I’ve swam with them a few times in various places around the world, and it’s always special.

  13. We have swam with the turtles in Akumal several times – such an awesome experience! The first time we went, we visited the town and felt harassed by people claiming you have to pay and by tour guides. Subsequent trips we stayed at a resort on the beach, which was so much easier. I would love to go back when the turtles are hatching!

    1. I’ve experienced that harassment too. It’s really frustrating how aggressive they are. But staying at one of the beach resorts is a good compromise!

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