4-7-2011 Akumal Yal Ku Lagoon

4-7-2011 Akumal Yal Ku Lagoon

I paused on the moss covered steps to slip into my fins as I looked into the clear blue water below. Small stripped fish swam in random patterns beckoning me to come in. I put on my mask and set the snorkel then slipped into the chilled water of the Yal Ku lagoon. Viewing the rock formations below brought dimension to the beauty of the area. Colorful fish swam around the crevices of the large boulders. The water was so still in this cove it made it easy to float on the surface with a few kicks of the flippers to propel around the edge where the fish swam.
Other snorkelers dotted the surface of the quiet water along with schools of 10 or more learners wearing bright orange or yellow safety vests in classes. They talked and kicked up the water as they churned through the area.


There are rustic benches of planks of wood to sit on through-out the park. Sign remind you not to wear sunscreen unless it is environmentally biodegradable. Ours probably isn’t degradable so we wore a t-shirt. It is easy to get sunburned with the intense sun reflected off the water.

As I rest on the bench, I notice a family in the distance chatting up a storm by calling out orders to their little girl to not climb on the rocks, come over here or look over there. The dad was wearing sunglasses and carrying his snorkel and mask in his hand. How can that really work? The mom was in a blue life vest, floating high around her head, with her mask and snorkel propped up on her forehead going through the water vertically. She must have been toe tipping through the water on her sandals. What a different experience for them. The really should have taken some lessons with the others to better understand the concept of snorkeling. If they bothered to rent half of the equipment, it wouldn’t have taken much to get the whole set.

Leslie and Kevin from Bailey, Colorado, floated up to us and said hello. I hardly could recognize them in face masks and snorkeling gear from this morning when we had chatted at breakfast. They were celebrating their 32nd anniversary and loved to snorkel and watch the world below the surface of the water. Leslie knew just where to find the big turtles in the thin grasses 30 or so feet from the edge of the ocean. Today they decided to check out the lagoon.

In the morning we walked from the resort north toward along the beach to one area of Akumal where there are small shops and a few restaurants. We heard the cab ride to the Yal Ku lagoon would be $6. It was $8, but worth it on a warm day. We road through bumpy residential roads, that were in need of repair, viewing large beach homes along the way. Yal Ku is a charming area that accesses the lagoon. We paid the $9 / person entrance fee and walked through gardens of bronze sculptures and thick foliage into paradise. We had been there before with John and Rachel. It is still delightful. On the way back Leslie and Kevin gave us a ride on the back of a golf cart they had rented for the morning.

Back at the resort a hamburger or for me cheese burger, no meat hit the spot. Juicy watermelon and a cup of chocolate ice cream topped it off.