Akumal to Pause Sea Turtle Swimming in September

Tulum, Quintana Roo — Akumal will suspend swimming with sea turtles during September as part of the rest periods required under its environmental permits, temporarily cutting off a direct source of income for guides and workers in the beach community’s tourism cooperatives.

The last days of August are the final chance for visitors to take part in the activity before the shutdown, according to Manuel Jiménez Aguilar, president of the Cooperativa Piratas tourism cooperative.

Permits issued by the federal Environment Ministry (Semarnat) include two rest periods each year, in February and September, Jiménez Aguilar said. During the upcoming month, no turtle swimming tours will operate, although service providers will continue offering alternatives such as boat rides, lagoon tours and fishing trips.

“This is practically the last week visitors will be able to enjoy swimming with the turtles,” he said. “We have other activities like boat trips, lagoon tours and fishing trips, but the turtle activity rests for a month.”

The suspension follows a summer season that drew fewer visitors than expected, according to the cooperative leader. Over the past two months, the usual flow of domestic families and foreign visitors did not reach levels seen in other years, cutting into the sector’s income just before September and October, months that traditionally are difficult for tourism service providers.

The impact reaches a significant share of Akumal families. Jiménez Aguilar said 22 cooperatives currently operate in these activities, each with roughly five to ten workers, although some have larger staffs. At Cooperativa Piratas, about 21 guides and collaborators depend directly on the services, he said, estimating that 50 to 60 percent of the community’s residents earn income directly or indirectly from tourism.

During September, some workers will seek alternatives within the community, mainly fishing trips, boat rides, lagoon visits, sales of other tourist services or unrelated work. Jiménez Aguilar acknowledged that demand for those options is lower than the appeal of seeing and swimming with turtles.

He added that Akumal is benefiting from a recent decline in sargassum. After several months of steady seaweed landings, the bay has recorded about ten days of cleaner conditions and less macroalgae, a trend also starting to appear at other points along the coast. Cooperative members hope the beach improvement will help sustain visitor numbers through the services that remain available during the slow period.