When was the World Environment Day set?
Climate change is a very real threat to our world, and we are already feeling many impacts across the planet. The Riviera Maya, for instance, with the recent super blooms of sargassum. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Environment
Scuba Diving in Playa del Carmen
Scuba diving in Playa del Carmen has become a very popular activity for tourists and professional divers from all over the world. Playa del Carmen offers novice and expert courses and tours of various levels of difficulty, making it ideal for everyone interested in diving.
Playa del Carmen is a popular Caribbean destination, with beautiful calm beaches, white sandy shores and a vibrant culture and nightlife. When it comes to destinations in the Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen offers an interesting mix of real Mexico and a modern city.
Playa del Carmen is located 45 minutes south of the Cancun International Airport, and sits along the Mesoamerican Reef; the second largest barrier reef in the world. The Mesoamerican Reef is 600 miles (965 km. long) and it is renowned for its abundance of fish life and variety of diving sites.
The Mesoamerican Reef has a wide variety of animal life such as turtles, groupers, barracuda, and tarpon. Other animals that can be found in the reefs are: seahorses, pipefish, fire worms, and all sorts of tiny shrimp and crabs.
Scuba Diving in Playa del Carmen: Once in a lifetime experiences
If you visit Playa del Carmen, and you are interested in a diving tour; make sure to shop around for a certified provider. Check sites like Tripadvisor or PADI to make sure you are picking the right provider for you! There are however, diving experiences that are unique, and shouldn’t be missed by any diver visiting the area.
Whale Shark
(May-September)
The whale shark is the biggest fish in the world, it can grow up to 40 feet in length and can weigh up to 13.6 tons. Despite its enormous size, it does not pose any danger to humans since it feeds on phytoplankton, microalgae, plankton, krill and small nektonic life, such as small squid or vertebrates. Do not miss the opportunity to swim close to these gentle giants, a magical experience you will never forget!
Sailfish Adventure
(December–March)
Swim with one of the fastest fish in the ocean, the sailfish can reach speeds of up to 68 mph. During winter, the sailfish arrive in the Mexican Caribbean, near the shores of Contoy Island; attracted by the abundance of sardines in this area. Contoy Island is a nature reserve and a beautiful tropical paradise, this tour is an excellent opportunity to see a variety of native animals in their natural environment.
Bull Shark Dive
(November–March)
Experience the dive of a lifetime with these amazing creatures! The bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) is a robust shark with a flat rounded snout, grey top and white bottom. The larger females can grow up to 11 feet long, weighs upwards of 500 pounds and live over 15 years. A bull shark is a unique species that can tolerate freshwater, hence these species have been found up rivers and have been responsible for attacks on humans and other species. The attacks of Bull Sharks have inspired movies like jaws, where sharks attack their prey in the open sea, near the shore and even rivers!
Searching for the adventure of a lifetime, look no farther, scuba diving on the Mesoamerican Reef. Don’t miss one of these wonderful experiences! Visit Playa del Carmen.
Cenotes Are a Natural Wonder – So Let’s Protect Them!
If you’ve ever been to a cenote here in the Yucatan Peninsula, you won’t hesitate to call these beautiful, natural pools of water a natural wonder. I have no idea if they have that distinction “officially,” but they sure should.
In case you don’t know about them, cenotes are naturally-occuring pools of water which form in sink-holes opening up to the water table; they connect to the area’s vast network of underground caves and rivers. They are wonderful for snorkeling, swimming and even diving.
One point about cenotes that many people don’t know about is that they are also a sensitive eco-system; besides the plant and animal life within them, water from cenotes can also make its way to the Caribbean Sea and impact the equally sensitive coral reef ecosystem.
Many parks have rules posted, like no using sunscreen or insect repellant because these can harm the life inside the cenote.
Thankfully, the effort to protect these beautiful phenomena is going to the next level with Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) now producing a document and education program to teach property owners what steps to take to protect themselves and the cenote’s ecosystem.
Here’s an excerpt from an article on INAH’s website:
“In order to strengthen the protection and conservation of the region’s cultural, archaeological, historical and paleontological heritage specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) created a statutory provision for the proper use of the cenotes, caves and underground of the Yucatan Peninsula.
“Archaeologist Antonio Huitron, director of INAH Site Operations, said the document will serve to educate the owners and users of caves and cenotes. It will present the actions to be followed to safeguard and care for them, as well as legal restrictions from various levels of government.”
(Source, in Spanish)
The article also notes that there will be obligatory registration of cenotes so that they can be recorded in the Public Registry of Monuments and Archaeological Sites for protection.
While the article does not specify exactly which rules will be in the document and education program, let’s hope that the program helps to improve the protection of this natural wonder!
For more information on eco-friendly areas and activities click here!
-by Thomas Lloyd
What JFK Has to Say for World Environment Day (Wordless Wednesday)
