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Akumal Beach new rules - 2/14/2013 9:49:16 AM
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2thesky
Posts: 4
Joined: 1/27/2013
From: Wisconsin
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Freinds were at Akumal beach 13-2-13 and they were required to listen to a presentation, wear life jackets and encouraged to hire a guide at $20.00 per person to swim in Akumal bay. When did this start and are there ways around it? I also wish to protect the turtles and their habitat.
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RE: Akumal Beach new rules - 2/14/2013 10:04:21 AM
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Badger
Posts: 5791
Joined: 1/1/2006
From: Northern Wisconsin
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Sounds great to me.
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RE: Akumal Beach new rules - 2/14/2013 10:26:14 AM
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reefhugger
Posts: 8900
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quote:
ORIGINAL: 2thesky
Freinds were at Akumal beach 13-2-13 and they were required to listen to a presentation, wear life jackets and encouraged to hire a guide at $20.00 per person to swim in Akumal bay. When did this start and are there ways around it? I also wish to protect the turtles and their habitat.
Who required it and how are they managing to coral people into it? Did your friends go to one of the dive shops to rent snorkel gear? Since you can get onto the beach at Akumal Bay a few different ways, including through Lol Ha, I can't see how this could be a mandatory thing for every person coming to the bay. Mentioning being required to wear life jackets and being encouraged to hire a guide, to me it sounds like they went into Dive Center or Dive Shop to rent snorkel gear.
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RE: Akumal Beach new rules - 2/14/2013 11:03:55 AM
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reefhugger
Posts: 8900
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quote:
ORIGINAL: sfspanky
They were doing that back in October, but they were really pushing it in December. Something has to be done. Too many people in the water standing on coral and grabbing the turtles. I'd certainly be happy to pay a fee to get certified to snorkel in the bay. Some sort of a card that you carry to show you know what you are doing and are responsible. That would keep a lot of the yahoos out of the water. I'm not down with the tour groups, though. The way things are now, I don't plan on going to Akumal any time but July and August, when it is quiet. My last visits in October and December were too much for me to stomach.
Who's "they," and how are they "pushing it?" Is it CEA people at the booth on the walkway asking people to watch a presentation, or is it the dive shops requiring it when people come in to rent gear? I don't at all object to educating people, I just don't see how it could be mandatory though for every person who steps foot on the beach at Akumal Bay unless there was only one access point, which I don't see how that would be possible.
Properly run, tours would actually be better at policing people and numbers. The guides just need to be educated and certified and held accountable. Where there are marine parks it's done. No park = no real authority to enforce rules. There are plenty of "yahoos" in the water who aren't on tours.
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RE: Akumal Beach new rules - 2/14/2013 11:12:06 AM
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dougboyd
Posts: 58
Joined: 10/4/2004
From: Franktown Colorado
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O.K. Let me get this straight. ABR can bring in snorkel groups by the BOAT LOAD, but the fix is to hassle a couple who come down to the bay for a dip. Absolutely should fix the bay being loved to death. Make perfect sense!!
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RE: Akumal Beach new rules - 2/14/2013 11:19:04 AM
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reefhugger
Posts: 8900
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So they walk around the beach or stop people coming in on the path by the booth?
LOL! You have to keep in mind that most of their volunteers are new every year. Maybe a little more training required in the communication and people skills department.
Educating is a good thing, but I don't see any way to make it required of everyone stepping foot in the bay. They'd have to have only one way in and I sure don't see that happening.
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RE: Akumal Beach new rules - 2/14/2013 11:38:35 AM
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SchnauzerDog
Posts: 6354
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That's virtually impossible to enforce with that wide beach entrance.
I wonder if it's that new little kiosk, on the beach just north of Lol Ha, which rents out snorkel gear. Another new twist is guys trying to stop all the cars coming from the highway, wanting to sell snorkel tours etc. Either one could be trying to sell this.
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RE: Akumal Beach new rules - 2/14/2013 12:59:26 PM
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tmbutler
Posts: 2053
Joined: 11/16/2005
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I snorkeled Akumal bay 2 or three times in the first couple weeks of our trip. I try to get there at sunup, and be done by 9:15 AM at the latest. The masses from van tours are usually just rollin' in. At those times, there may have been only a couple of snorkelers in the water. I saw none of what was mentioned earlier in the thread. How could they enforce that??
I'm not big on more rules, but I'm all for common sense, and protecting the reef (in a slowly losing battle).
TMB
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RE: Akumal Beach new rules - 2/14/2013 1:33:53 PM
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Bosco
Posts: 6895
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As I understand it. Could be wrong.
Some snorkel tours are now hosted out of CEA. Those snorkel tour people attend the presentation.
< Message edited by Bosco -- 2/14/2013 1:34:55 PM >
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RE: Akumal Beach new rules - 2/14/2013 4:28:37 PM
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coralfan50
Posts: 454
Joined: 12/4/2008
From: Northern Minnesota
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quote:
ORIGINAL: reefhugger
quote:
ORIGINAL: sfspanky
They were doing that back in October, but they were really pushing it in December. Something has to be done. Too many people in the water standing on coral and grabbing the turtles. I'd certainly be happy to pay a fee to get certified to snorkel in the bay. Some sort of a card that you carry to show you know what you are doing and are responsible. That would keep a lot of the yahoos out of the water. I'm not down with the tour groups, though. The way things are now, I don't plan on going to Akumal any time but July and August, when it is quiet. My last visits in October and December were too much for me to stomach.
Who's "they," and how are they "pushing it?" Is it CEA people at the booth on the walkway asking people to watch a presentation, or is it the dive shops requiring it when people come in to rent gear? I don't at all object to educating people, I just don't see how it could be mandatory though for every person who steps foot on the beach at Akumal Bay unless there was only one access point, which I don't see how that would be possible.
Properly run, tours would actually be better at policing people and numbers. The guides just need to be educated and certified and held accountable. Where there are marine parks it's done. No park = no real authority to enforce rules. There are plenty of "yahoos" in the water who aren't on tours.
Wife & I were there for the 1st time during our 12 day trip on Jan30th. Got there around 8:30 AM. Was stopped in the walkway between Lol Hol & Dive shop. Several guys from dive shop standing there tried to stop us. We just kept walking so one came after us saying we needed to have vests, rent their equipment watch video. I told him I had my own vests & equipment & had been coming here for 10 yrs & I knew how to respect the reef & turtles. He followed us right up to Lol Hol when I went to rent a beach chair then he left. We did see them stopping alot of people coming down that pathway.
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RE: Akumal Beach new rules - 2/14/2013 5:33:32 PM
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panesh
Posts: 1470
Joined: 11/27/2009
From: San Rafael, CA
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quote:
ORIGINAL: sfspanky
The guard in front of MexicArte was redirecting traffic down the left path by the information booth,
They've been doing that for years. I'm pretty sure they just don't want you walking on HAC property. That's what they have asked me in the past. I usually walk around them anyway. You can walk back that way but unless you are stayinig there they direct you to the path.
We are usually in and out of there by 9:30-10am anyway after arriving just after 7:30.
< Message edited by panesh -- 2/14/2013 5:34:59 PM >
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