Marine Turtles at Akumal

Have you ever dreamed of swimming with sea turtles? If the answer is yes you need to read this information.

There are seven species of sea turtle in the world, all of which are threatened or endangered. Mexico is home to six of these species, four of which can be seen on the coast of Quintana Roo And three species of which can be found regularly around a place called Akumal.

Akumal in maya language means land of the turtles, and if the mayas named it, we can imagine that turtles have been coming to this place for a really really long time.

What makes it really special? This beach have the almost total guarantee of seeing turtles in its waters, The turtles come here to eat the grass that grows on the sea floor, are more or less at a depth of 2 meters, so it is not necessary immersed to observe them, so while they feed quietly , you can swim at his side.

But that is not the only wonderful experience you can have in Akumal. Between May and December, sea turtles crawl on to Mexico’s stunning beaches to lay eggs in the sand. As you might imagine,In this period the turtles approach to the beach, look in a long period of time for the ideal place to hide its eggs, when they find it begin to dig, since the hollow has the ideal depth begin the spawning, in the moment that finished return to the ocean.

Some time after, Persons of the Akumal Ecological Association (CEA) to dig the eggs up,  they protect them in a safety place, because exist many predators that look for the eggs to feed, even we the human beings; When the baby turtles are already  to go out of the shell they liberate them in the beach.

A fact that seems surprising to me, is that 20 years later approximately, the turtles return to the same beach where they were release to lay their own eggs, awesome right? That's because each part of the coastline has its own magnetic signature, which the animals remember and later use as an internal compass.

Don't forget, the turtles are wild animals in their natural environment. They are very comfortable around people and will swim alongside snorkelers but don't touch them or try to feed them, it is important not alter their natural behavior.

On your next visit to Cancun you can not miss the tour “snorkel with turtles” you will not regret!