Swimming with the Turtles in Mexico 2017 UPDATE
- Mar 25, 2017
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 21, 2025
Hoping to take a relaxing ecotour to swim with the turtles in Mexico this spring? Think again.
Mexico boasts to host 7 out of 12 species of sea turtles in the world. Each year they come to nest on the beaches of the Yucatan peninsula, just south of Cancun, near the town of Akumal.
In years past, you could swim in open water with the turtles, however, now the Mexican government has shut down the turtle nesting areas to tourism. At first, they reported it would be closed for 2 months but it continues to remain closed and it has passed the 4 month mark. The bay area that the turtles prefer has been closed to boats and the park is guarded by arm guards on land.
According to the tour guide at our resort when we asked to swim with the turtles last week, the Mexican government has reported that the turtles did not lay their eggs when and where they have for years. This is a serious concern for the turtles as this is one of the most important nesting grounds in the world and they are already endangered. The Mexican government is taking the issue very seriously and although I wanted to swim with the turtles for my birthday, I am happy that they care about their well-being and continued survival. We chose to go snorkeling at a lagoon/cenotes combination instead and enjoyed it very much.
They plan to eventually reopen the area once the turtles are back to their normal ways so let's hope that it is sooner than later. If I had to guess when it does reopen it will be on a much more restricted basis as the tourism grew immensely in popularity in recent years and the government blames the spike in human activity in the area for the problems.
I will now say a prayer/send good vibes for the turtles:
Bless the turtles and protect them from the ignorance in our human ways. May we find wisdom to improve ourselves and provide refuge for our helpless Earthly companions. Blessings to those who play an active role in helping them. We feel grateful for all we have and send our love to those who need it today, and every day.
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