During our one-day visit to Akumal, we finally got to experience the true, undisturbed tranquility of the beach. While I relaxed on the beach, my wife and daughter took a guided tour to swim with sea turtles in the crystal-clear bay. It was a great experience for them to see these majestic animals in their natural habitat, floating above the seaweed fields, and they returned to shore with beaming faces after their adventure.
Akumal’s name means stylishly in the Mayan language: “place of the turtles,” and its history has been intertwined with these reptiles for thousands of years. It was discovered for modern tourism in the late 1950s by Pablo Bush Romero, a Mexican diver and explorer who was originally searching for a sunken Spanish galleon in the area. Back then, it was a completely untouched stretch of coast with no roads, and Romero founded the first diving club here, which later became one of the first landmarks of tourism in the Riviera Maya.
The area now enjoys a protected status, which is vital to the survival of the ecosystem. Akumal Bay is unique in that the coastal coral reef protects the water from large waves, providing a shallow, calm “pasture” for seagrass. This is the primary food source for green and loggerhead turtles, which are here year-round, unlike many other places where they are only seen during the nesting season.
Protection is also critical because the turtles are extremely sensitive to environmental changes and human disturbance. Authorities strictly limit the number of visitors, making the use of life jackets mandatory and accompanied by trained guides to prevent touching the animals or damaging the coral. Akumal is not only a beautiful beach, but also a living laboratory and sanctuary, where sustainable tourism is being used to ensure that future generations can see these ancient sea wanderers.
