Yal Ku Lagoon is unsafe and unsanitary. The lagoon resembles a fish tank that has not been cleaned in years. The water is an unsettling brown color. There are MAYBE 6 fish in the whole lagoon. Don't waste your time or money. I was never so happy to take a shower after I got out of the lagoon. Save your self that trouble and park at the Luna Azul Condos and you can snorkel off the beach for free. The warter is calm and you can swim with sea turtles.

I completely disagree!! We were there in October of 2004 on a rainy stormy day (it rained all but the first and last day of our vacation) and we saw plenty of fish. You're not going to see a huge variety of fish as on the reef or much of any coral, but from what I remember we saw huge parrot and lots of Sergeant Major fish as well as a grouper toward the opening. The underground rock formations were beautiful to look at. The salt and fresh water mix made our view at times blurry, but all in all we could see just fine. We were unable to get close to where it opens out into the ocean due to waves from the storm, but I would assume there would be plenty of things to see there as well when the ocean is not so churred up. I am a seasoned diver, not a newbie snorkeler and we still enjoyed ourselves. For the few dollars it costs to get in, its a bargain and we felt we had the place to ourselves. I liked it so much, this year we are spending a few days in Akumal to snorkel in the lagoon and off the beach.

JR may have not enjoyed his experience at Yal Ku Lagoon...but it is certainly not unsafe and unsanitary.

I am not a marine biologist but could there have an algae bloom or change in water temperature that caused the water to turn brown? Perhaps an ocean current pushed something into the lagoon...?

I would go back here as well. I think Akumal is a great place to visit, especially for families.

Hey - JR may have somethin' here - wha't the deal - that "Site" is heavily publicized as a "Premiere" Attraction for the area - it's a "Line Leader" for Akumal! If JR is right - those folks that have bookoo pesos invested in their "upscale" condos better find out what's goin' on!! I appreciate his perspective - I'm certainly gonna demand a "check out" access and take a look before I fork out my shekels!!.....Vicki was there 10 months ago??! - that's an "Ice Age" ago! Maybe "Emily" cleared 'er out a lil' or WORSENED? Anybody out there got an update?

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Hubby and I rented a house on the beach in Akumal Sur in Jan & Feb of this year, and we visited Yal-Ku Lagoon a couple of times. I was very impressed, and we thoroughly enjoyed the hours we spent in the water there. I enjoy underwater photography, and there was no shortage of marine life to take pix of, including a barracuda or two. The water was no worse than anywhere else we dove/snorkeled; it was actually more clear and 'calm' than open water. Although I must say that there were some times that it was rather interesting seeing through due to the brackish mix!

I'd say that the only down-side to being at Yal-Ku lagoon was when, during one of our visits, we were invited by a commercial guide (I'd been talking to him about the fish) to walk out the short way - through one homeowner's property. He charges fees for people to use his property, and wanted to charge us to walk on his pathway vs the way we'd gone in!

We loved Yal-Ku lagoon, and I'd enjoy visiting it again. It is NOT commercial, as are many of the other places 'featured' or advertised!!

cheers,
Rustee
(Oregon, USA)


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I would have to disagree as well. We spent a week in Akumal 7/16-7/23
and spent a large part of a day at Yal-Ku. I found the grounds to be lovely.
The water was clear and clean and we saw a great variety of fish throughout the day. It was definitely worth the few pesos they charged us to enter and we would likely go back in the future.

Disagree with JR as well. JUST came back yesterday from a week long rental on the lagoon. We snorkeled the bay, the beach, Playa del Carmen, and the lagoon. Loved them all, saw unique fish in each including spotted rays, stingrays, huge baracuda, sea turtles, eel, plus all the expected tropical pretties.

Yal Ku offered some of the clearest water we experienced, and we really enjoyed the rock formations and small tunnels, the abundance of fish, and the park access to resting spots on land. Staying on the lagoon, we didn't have to pay for entry, but having been there I would gladly pay in the future. We had no unsafe or unsanitary experiences while there.

All in all, loved it and can not wait to go back. I thin the entire group of 20 that were there throughout the week with us would agree. Go! Enjoy!!