Level: Free shore access This spot have a free shore access: you can go snorkeling there freely and without having to book a tour or pay an entrance fee.
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Last updated on September 3, 2023
Playa Xahuayxol is a wild beach in the south of the Riviera Maya, located about an hour’s drive from Mahahual. Uncrowded, it faces a shallow grassy flat, punctuated by numerous coral patches. Snorkeling the area, you will spot a great diversity of fish, including angelfish, grunt, surgeons and damselfish.
Playa Xahuayxol is located in the south part of the Riviera Maya, about an hour’s drive south of Mahahual. Access to the beach is free.
You can get into the water wherever you want from the beach, facing the reef. At low tide, entering the water can be difficult because there is not enough water on the reef to snorkel.
The area to explore includes the seagrass and reef areas facing the beach. The reef is not regular along the coast, and is interspersed with several passes.
On this spot, the depth is limited (↕3-6ft/1-2m), making it very easy to spot underwater life from the surface.
The diversity of fish is great. Damselfish, French angelfish, grunt (several species) and sergeants majors gather around the coral patches, while yellowfin mojarras cross the seagrass beds from time to time.
Cabañas Ecoturísticas Costa Maya, offers accommodation without any comfort just in front of the reef.
These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
