70 Volunteers Clear Tires and Debris From Seabed at Punta Esmeralda in Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Seventy volunteers and workers cleared trash from the sand and seabed at Punta Esmeralda beach in Playa del Carmen, hauling out abandoned debris that included tires serving as shelter for marine life.

The cleanup brought together members of the Sea Doo Club Social and personnel from Zofemat, the federal agency that manages Mexico’s maritime-terrestrial zone.

Felipe Gómez, an active member of the Sea Doo Club Social, said the effort is tied to the rides that personal watercraft enthusiasts take along the coast, which are meant to promote responsible recreation. On this occasion, the group set out from the marina at Puerto Aventuras.

Zofemat staff said the work is not limited to the surface of the beach and also covers the seabed, where crews have found a range of abandoned waste.

Linda, a Zofemat worker, said the debris pulled from the water included tires that had sat submerged and were already being used as shelter by species such as octopuses and shrimp, forcing crews to remove them carefully.

She urged swimmers and boat operators to avoid leaving garbage on the sand or dumping waste into the sea, warning that such debris damages coastal ecosystems and makes cleanup work harder.