scubish.com: Scuba diving Akumal - Mexico

Akumal is a small town between Playa del Carmen and Tulum on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.

Get in

Fly into Cancun and rent a car for the drive to Akumal. There are also buses and shuttles with some hotels or dive shops offering free shuttles. Akumal is approximately a 2 hour drive from Cancun.

Get around

Unless you plan on just staying in Akumal, you will need a rental car to get around. The closest sights are at least a 20 minute drive. However, if you're not comfortable driving in a foreign country, there are plenty of taxis to take you wherever you need to go.

There are also colectivos, a local 15-passenger van service that runs between Playa del Carmen and Tulum. They're cheap (15 pesos), and usually full, but run very frequently. This is the preferred local way of getting around.

See

Akumal has a beautiful bay with a wide white sand beach, wonderfully warm blue-green water and great snorkeling. Cute little town with several restaurants.

Do

Snorkeling
With the destruction of hurricane Wilma, the reefs near Akumal were damaged. However, a snorkeling trip is still very worth the time and expense.
There are three options for snorkeling:
#Go on a tour provided by one of the two dive shops in town. It is $40 USD per person.
#Go on an "unofficial" tour. If you stand on the beach with a clueless look on your face, a local may approach you and offer to take you snorkeling on his glass-bottomed boat. It is usually $20 USD per person and includes snorkeling equipment. The guide will attempt to find the famous sea turtles for you and show you different corals and fish. Make sure you are comfortable swimming with flippers as the guide may swim quickly from site to site.
#Rent or buy your own equipment and swim out alone. The coral reefs are not too far from the shore and can be easily accessed by simming, especially with the help of a life preserver. Much of the bay is not more than five feet deep. Be very careful to stay away from the "fire reef" marked with buoys and a distinctive red colored coral. It stings and excessive contact can be fatal.
Since coral dies on human contact, you should avoid touching coral at all costs. It is also illegal to touch the wildlife, such as the sea turtles.
As of January 2006, there were five sea turtles living in the bay.

Other

Scuba diving. There are two dive shops in town.

Cenote/cave diving.

Sunbathing. Enjoy the sunny beaches.

Buy

A few small shops in town. No real shopping to speak of.

Eat

Lol Ha Restaurant. Right on the beach in Akumal Bay -- great view!

Cueva del Pescador.

Turtle Bay Cafe.

Cocina Economico.

Lucy's Tacos. Across the street from Super Chomak by the area where the market is held

There are also other restaurants in North Akumal (near Half Moon Bay):

La Buena Vida. A restaurant and bar with swings instead of bar stools