Plenty of empty shells of recently hatched turtle eggs were spotted by our divers at Sabalos. They had been washed off shore onto the reef after the baby turtles had dug out of their nest at night and swam off into the sea.
The turtle nesting season on the Riviera Maya and in Cozumel happens between May and October, which means that you may be lucky to see some nests or even hatchlings during your stay with us.
Six! out of the seven sea turtle species worldwide visit Mexico every year. We are lucky enough to get to see Green Turtles and Loggerhead Turtles regularly during our dives, as they are in search for food and a good clean.
The reefs and ecosystems here provide a great number of tasty snacks for a turtle, for example seagrass, sponges, crustaceans and many more. And while the turtles pass through the reef, they receive a top-notch cleaning service from many of the local fishes who feed on their parasites and algae growth.
Turtles are regular visitors to many of our dive sites, but they are most commonly found at Tortuga – this dive site is even named turtle in Spanish! It’s located just off shore from our dive center at the Occidental Xcaret and easily accessible by boat from any of our Playa Del Carmen locations.
Moreover, for those of you who are not divers, we are lucky enough to have some extensive seagrass beds where green turtles love to hang out and eat, which is an easy snorkel off shore during one of our tours with a guide who is licensed to enter those protected areas.
Besides observing them underwater, you may be lucky to find some turtle nests in front of your resort on the Riviera Maya or in Cozumel. Hotel employees usually rope them off to ensure their protection.
Turtle conservation projects are a great alternative to learn more about their behaviors, importance for the marine environment, how you can help protect them, and to observe nests or turtles first hand:
Every sea turtle species on earth nests on Mexico’s beaches (save one that is only found in Australia). Consequently, Mexico is known as the sea turtle capital of the world and its turtle protection laws are so important on a global scale.
Current Mexican law classifies all sea turtle species as endangered.
All of these and many more regulations help protect beaches, nests, female sea turtles, their eggs and hatchlings to make it a safer place for them.
Let’s discover some turtles together during our dives! If you are not a diver, why not sign up for a PADI course; or join our Mexican Snorkeling Adventure at 15% OFF starting from Playa del Carmen or Tulum, if booked online until Oct 3 & redeemed until Dec 22, with reference to this blog only!
¿Le gustan las tortugas??? Acompáñenos a uno de nuestros más populares paseos de snorkel a 2 sitios diferentes de la Riviera Maya: un protegido arrecife de coral y un cenote Maya cristalino.
Erfahre mehrPro Dive México opera con sus propios centros de buceo y barcos en Cozumel, cuenta con personal multilingüe en el lugar y posee todos los permisos necesarios así como licencias requeridas para entrar al Parque Nacional Marino.
Erfahre mehrThe ecological Park “Punta Sur” is a state reserve whose extension exceeds one thousand hectares in which lagoon systems that constitute a mosaic of great flora and fauna diversity and wealth pre-dominate.
This is the ideal place for nature lovers. Stand out the wide beaches with fine white sand and turquoise waters which house numerous reef formations laying out sea fan gardens extended for a long length.
Erfahre mehr