Scuba Diving in Akumal Mexico
March 11, 2009 by cattleto
Filed under Activities, Diving
Whether you’re an experienced diver or wanting to learn the art, Akumal has the perfect ecological setting to view many specimens of natural beauty underwater. Akumal is a tourist village located 62 miles south of Cancun, between Playa del Carmen and Tulum, with a tiny local population of 1,198.
The name “Akumal” means “place of the turtles” in Maya language. Turquoise bodies of water and fine, white sandy beaches provide the perfect setting for many sea turtles’ laying grounds.
Akumal was founded in 1958 mainly as a location for scuba divers to see the many species and variety of turtles which call the area “home”. Akumal Bay and Half Moon Bay provide optimal opportunities to see the land and underwater life on diving tours and expeditions.
For experienced divers, local dive shops offer a variety of different diving trips to the 30 reef sites which include shipwrecks, cenotes and caverns and a breathtaking amount of marine life that you can view. The dive shop makes all the arrangements and you can rent a scuba tank and regulator, mask, flippers and anything else you need. You can reserve an all day diving excursion or if you are more adventurous, you can dive the caves, caverns and cenotes that make Akumal famous. People from all over the globe come to explore the cenotes and caves of Akumal and this small village is truly a diver’s dream.
Dive shops also have courses so you can get certified to dive in open sea. They teach all levels from resort course to advanced cave diving. And what better place to learn to dive than Akumal, one of the best locations in the world to go diving? These PADI Certified Instructors will lead you through the process of certification so you can enjoy seeing the wonders of the reef that awaits you in Akumal.
Cavern and cave diving is a popular activity for visitors. These caves are called “cenote”, which means “sacred well” in Maya. Dive packages offer several locations and various depths of diving, group packages, equipment rental and instruction to fit varying diver needs.
One of the easy dive sites which is very popular is Cuevas de Tiburones. This site features reef overhangs which provide an optimum sleeping spot for nurse sharks. Las Redes offers an abundance of marine life, schools of fish, barracudas, stingrays, lobsters and sea turtles. Yal-ku is a popular feeding site chock full of Elkhorn coral structures, tunnels and lobster.
Other easy shallow dives are found at Dick’s Reef and Motorcycle Reef. Motorcycle Reef is named so for the 15-year-old motorcycle which is now covered with living coral and plankton that nourishes local ocean life.
Experienced divers will enjoy an afternoon at Tzimin-Ha, which features parts from a 20-foot fishing boat wreck. Dives up to 100’ deep are located at Trigger Fish, which is a favorite deep dive spot for locals. Here, widespread patches of coral contrast with the sandy white bottom with various forms of tropical fish providing a colorful array of rare beauty.
Xaar Beach and Gonzalo’s Reef offer different types of feeding areas for several different kinds of sea turtles for a once-in-a-lifetime diving experience. Xaar features reef fingers reaching 30’ up from the ocean floor, as well as turtles, nurse sharks and stingrays. Gonzalo’s Reef is famous for its large and vivid reef fingers; visitors are usually assured a view of Hawksbill, Green, or Loggerhead turtles which use the area for feeding and playtime.