Akumal is the beach home to the turtles. It is a beach in between Playa del Carmen and Tulum that enables people to swim in the ocean with wild turtles. The water is about 2m deep for about 200m, so you are able to see the bottom. There are a couple stalls on the beach where you can hire snorkel gear if you wish – think it was around $10 to hire. For those who aren’t 100% comfortable in the water, you are able to hire life jackets from the stalls also for around $5.
It took us about 90 seconds before we saw our first turtle and during the one hour snorkel we saw over 10 🙂
It was amazing! Akumal costs around 35 pesos per person by Collectivo from Playa del Carmen. The beach and swimming with turtles is free, the only cost would be if you hired gear and bought food/drinks.
The water was incredibly blue every time we went. The visibility was murky initially but the further out to sea we swam the clearer it became.
You can’t touch the turtles but the larger ones are more passive and allow you to get near for a photo, some are even photogenic and pose for you camera 🙂
Highly recommend Akumal, it is a place you can go for the day or even just a few hours. It is a relaxed location where you can enjoy watching the turtles, sting rays and any other fish that may swim your way.
