Mexico is a beautiful country, blessed with a vast variety of different landscapes, seasoned by its vibrant history and an ever-developing culture. This land has something to offer for every kind of traveller wanting to make the best out of a holiday in our warmer tropical climate.
It is not a secret that some of the best diving in the world can be found in Mexico. The Revillagigedo & Guadalupe islands, the Sea of Cortez, and of course the breath-taking Caribbean Beaches of the Riviera Maya. From Cancun to Punta Allen lined up one after the other you will find white sand beaches and turquoise warm waters bordering the easternmost corner of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Right in the middle of this paradisiac coastline you’ll find Akumal, a fishermen village that still keeps its identity of a true Mexican town, mostly populated by Mayan descendants and some expats. Akumal is a beautiful community not yet polluted by mainstream massive tourism, but still offers many different accommodation options, ranging from Airbnb up to top class 5-star all-inclusive resorts and different restaurants of many price ranges suggesting delicious culinary options.
Eighteen dive sites spread throughout the 4 bays that conform the Akumal area, they offer a rich variety of options to dive. The deeper (20-30 m / 80-100 ft) dives such as Grouper Canyon, AK, Tzimin Ha have huge coral formations and many different species of fish and sponges. A five to ten minutes boat ride takes you to this magnificent dive sites on a usually calm sea.
A narrow sand patch running parallel to the coast separates Akumal´s reef clearly defining a shallower area of around 10 to 15 metres (30 – 60 ft) deep in which the reef has the vibrance of a populated underwater metropolis, huge elkhorn corals, venus fans and many other serve as the perfect hiding place for little and big fish, lobsters and other crustaceans. It is pretty normal to find different turtle species that live in this reef face to face after getting to the top of any of the slopes that compose this amazing part of the world’s second largest reef. Some of our favourite dive sites in this shallower area are Turtle Island, Motorcycle Reef (featuring a motorcycle sunken many years ago) or Yaal Ku, which besides being one of the most beautiful pieces of reef, also has a famous sculpture of a virgin left there by locals.
Visibility on a regular basis is pretty good, 30 plus metres (100+ft) is the norm around here, losing your sight into the beautiful vastness of the blue. This great visibility combined with the lack of significant currents make Akumal a fantastic spot for underwater photographers and divers of all ages. Akumal seems to be made for the enjoyment of the underwater beauty.
And if the beauty of the Caribbean water is not enough to convince you about the worth of Akumal as a dive destination, it also hides a second secret, right in the middle of the Mayan Riviera, it also lays geographically close to most of the most impressive cenotes in the region, the closest one at just a 7 minute drive from our shop. A privilege reserved for certified divers, cenotes are a must on every divers bucket list, not only because of the thrill of experiencing a cavern dive, which itself is quite an adventure, but also as cenotes offer such a peaceful, quiet dive with the spectacular view of light from the surface entering through the water. Another plus of cenotes is that your holiday dives in Akumal are always guaranteed as cenotes can be dived in rainy, windy, bad weather days, that’s a nice advantage for people that like us just love diving when they have the chance.
Akumal is still pretty unknown, being shadowed by the fame of Cozumel, Cancun, Playa del Carmen or the emergent Tulum, which makes it the perfect venue for a longer relaxing holiday or even a romantic getaway, while still being pretty close to these bigger more crowded cities.
So, know that you know a bit more about this little secret in the heart of one of the best beach destinations of the world, it’s time to come and live it yourself. Blue Experience will be here to take you discover the marvellous underwater realm hiding beneath the surface of this Caribbean paradise.
Dive safe & happy bubbles
