Although details are still in the works. Remember "Manana Time"? Rest assure we will be going Snorkeling! Alex is still awaiting specific response to the details of our snorkel trip. I am working with Alex to make this a better excursion then originally planned. So please be patient and more importantly trust me. I have your back, so relax and just show up!
After researching and attaining information from our guests and tour operator, I made a decision that we will be looking at this snorkel excursion to be a lagoon site verses the open ocean reef, I had originally proposed. There was a number of factors to consider but one of the major one was the opportunity for ALL to participate and two the potential variety of sea life we would actually be able to experience (minus the potential jellyfish/stings).... Yes, the lagoon won!
Our Snorkel trip will be to Yal-ku in Akumal, which is located south of Playa del Carmen. It is a
lagoon with water depth of 6-15 feet. As you can see by the photo provided by LocoGringo.com the lagoon is quite large although in my findings from TravelYucatan.com depending on how fast you swim you should be able to cover the lagoon in 1 to 1 & 1/2 hours.
The excursion will not require a boat trip and there are handy platforms and stairs for us to utilize making it easy for all (yes, I'm not proud...I like this option!) I understand that the grounds surrounding the lagoon is supposedly manicured and has waterfront benches, paths and statues. It was noted that there are larger sea creatures at the entrance of the lagoon by the opening to the sea. Be advised that it is also much deeper there.
The protective rule for this lagoon is that there is no feeding the fish and also NO SUNSCREEN so bring a t-shirt or snorkel shirt to wear if you are sun sensitive.
Alex share this bit of information which she received from the tour operator that might be of interest to you...
Akumal is the only truly ecologically protected area on the coast and the community puts alot of effort into preserving the natural state of Yal-Ku. There is even an organization called Friends of Yal-Ku that monitors the conditions of the lagoon. In any case, compared to any of the cenotes in the area Yal-Ku is definitely cleaner because it has it's own self cleaning system ... freshwater filtered by limestone flows out to the ocean so the water never gets stagnant.
There is more detail on the website Locogringo.com and also Travel Yucatan.com. These two websites have been very helpful resources for me as I too am a newcomer to this region. So here's to the adventure and for those more experienced snorkelers/swimmers still wanting to swim in the 2nd largest reef? You can taxi from our resort to Puerto Morelos towards the pier or head to the local dive shops and they can set you up. We will still have a couple of days to do this.
Just so you know, Alex and I are trying to set-up the possibility to have a no-host stop for lunch or shopping in Playa del Carmen on our way back. Figured this was the perfect opportunity to spend a couple of hours to see what this town has to offer. What more time? You can perhaps share a taxi and go another day. As soon as I receive more updated information , I will announce it here on the blog. So you know the routine...stay tuned!
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