Akumal and Snorkeling with Sea Turtles

11-14-21

It was my first time snorkeling, and I was super excited to see some sea turtles. I booked this experience through Airbnb. The day I had scheduled my tour, the weather was not great at all. There were heavy rains all night and all through the day too. I tried messaging my contact for the tour early that morning but did not receive any replies before I would have to leave. With the weather being as bad as it was, I knew there was a strong chance of a cancellation. But I did not have any other plans. And so I decided I would drive over and take a chance. Akumal is not a long drive from where I was staying in Tulum anyway.

I got off the highway and drove into town. Booths for tours line the sides of the street as you get closer to the town center. There would be people working these booths, but today, with the heavy rain, the town was empty. Using the Airbnb app, the directions took me to a spot just outside of an Oxxo convenience store. It did not feel like I was in the right place. I was hoping for a booth or a sign with the tour guide's name on it.

I parked the car and waited for about twenty minutes past the scheduled meet time. There was no sign of my guide in sight and no messages either. I drove a little further along the main road and found a parking lot with two guys working that were very eager for me to park. I pulled over and rolled down my window. I tried to tell them what I was trying to do. They had me park and then took me to the entrance of the dive center across the street. I talked to a few people and asked if they knew my guide, but no one had any information. At this point, I decided that I gave it a shot, but now it was time to move on to something else. I did a quick search on Google maps and found a cenote nearby, and it had good reviews. There is more info on this cenote in the cenote section. Later in the day, I got a message on Whatsapp from my guide. He canceled the tour because of the rain. He informed me that the waves would be too strong and the visibility under the water would be poor. I asked if I could reschedule, and we settled on a new day and time to come back.

A couple of days later, I woke up to a bright morning free of ominous clouds and rain. I drove back into Akumal, and I met up with my guide in front of that same Oxxo. He hopped into my car and directed me to a parking lot close to the dive center with a sign out front that read The Crazy Turtle. We crossed the street and entered the dive center. My guide gave me a wristband, snorkel gear, and a key to a locker. I left my shoes and backpack, when I finished, I followed my guide out onto the beach.

That morning, there were a few groups out, but not too many. On the beach, my guide went over the rules with me. There are certain boundaries we would need to stay within. It is crucial to keep your feet from touching the surface of the ocean. You want to avoid damaging any coral or plant life for the turtles and the local ecosystem. He showed me some hand signals that would tell me if he spotted a turtle or stingray too.

I strapped on my flippers and put on my mask and snorkel, then went into the ocean. The water was clear and warm as we swam out past the first boundary. He led me around for about five minutes before he saw the first turtle. It took me a few times underwater to get used to breathing with the snorkel. My mask would begin to fill up with water after a while.

Swimming against the waves, keeping with the group, and paying attention to the guide, made things challenging. However, once I got the hang of it, it became easier. The first turtle we came to, I barely managed to get a good glimpse at. There was a group beside us that started to make a lot of noise. They had spotted a couple of turtles, and we hurried over to join them. The only sea turtles I've seen before were in aquariums. Seeing them out in the ocean in their natural habitat is a wholly different experience. The turtles would graze on seagrass on the ocean floor, and after some time, they would swim to the surface and poke their heads out for a few brief seconds. We swam around some more and saw more turtles and a baby stingray. We were in the water for about an hour, it felt like a much longer time, and I could have stayed all day. My wristband gave me access to the beach, permitting me to stay as long as I liked. I walked up and down the beach, enjoying the sun and the views. It was a perfect day for a snorkeling adventure.

Know Before You Go

• I booked this experience on Airbnb for about 32 USD. There were several options on the app from which to choose. If you don't have the Airbnb app, you will find tour guides easily when you arrive in Akumal.

• Getting to Akumal from Tulum can be done in a few ways. The easiest is driving. I had planned to do a lot in the area, so I rented a car. I was there for about a week and paid around 300 USD for my rental.  

• An affordable way to make this trip is by Colectivo. You can catch these vans on the main street in Tulum, and the fare will cost approximately 35 MXN..