Akumal is located on the eastern side of Mexico's southern peninsula, called the Yucatan, which points north towards Texas. The Meso-American Reef is located in the Caribbean sea, and extends from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen. Within this stretch is Akumal's two bays: Half Moon and Akumal. The coordinates are latitude 20° 23' 45.22" N and longitude 87° 18' 52.40" W.
The reef around Akumal is not a continuous line of solidified calcium structures. Instead, there are dense masses of reef, which can be cut off from one another by sections of no reef, and coral gardens, which host marine plants. At Akumal, there are two reefs, a shallow and a deep. The shallow reef is about 25 to 45 deep, while the deep reef is found at 50 to 70 feet. The reef can extend to 140 feet deep.
Living around the reef are more than 500 different species of fish and four different types of sea turtles. In the summer, the water will be around 85°F and between 75°F and 78°F in the winter. Barracudas, porkfish, grunts, snappers, blue chromis, groupers, parrot fish, and wrasses can be found in the Akumal reef. Nurse and whale sharks, eagle rays and dolphins may also be seen.
Scuba diving at Akumal centers around a non-invasive technique in order to preserve the reef and the marine life that depends upon it. When the water is clear, visibility can be up to 150 feet. But when the water is rough, in which the visibility can be 50 feet or less, diving can be prohibited.
The reef and the life it supports can be damaged by pollution and invasive boat or human interaction. There are two local groups that manage and oversee reef safety: the Centro Ecologico de Akumal and the Akumal Council.
