Mexico is one of the most popular vacation destinations, especially for Americans. As one of the most accessible and convenient countries to access for a quick getaway, long-term stay and everything in between, it’s no secret as to why Mexico is the preferred choice.
Although, Mexico doesn’t exactly hold the best reputation. Any time mainstream news sees an avenue to badmouth our southern neighbor they tend to take full advantage of the opportunity.
By now, frequent travelers surely know that Mexico has so much more to offer than what is often misrepresented in the media.
With immaculate cities such as Mexico City and mega-popular beach resort hotspots like Cancun and Los Cabos, these incredible places quickly change the narrative.
The good comes with the bad and vice versa just about anywhere. It’s no different for 2 of Mexico’s most popular beach getaways.
Tourists visiting Los Cabos and the Mexican Caribbean are urged to be cautious on these beaches right now.
What’s Going On In Los Cabos?
Travelers jet off to Los Cabos year-round for the ultimate vacation filled with luxury and pristine beaches.
Known for spectacular views and calm waters with gorgeous hues of blue, vacationers love to spend countless hours at Santa Maria Beach, El Chileno Beach, and El Medano Beach, to name a few.
Unfortunately, there have been some incidents that future and current Los Cabos tourists should know about.
Without being too graphic, fatalities have occurred in Los Cabos’ waters recently. As tragic as that may be, the best move going forward is to use these disheartening circumstances to educate tourists on the risks of swimming at Cabo’s beaches.
Earlier this week, one tourist lost his life in the popular day-trip town of Todos Santos, which shows this isn’t an issue solely affecting Los Cabos but southern Baja in general.
Prior to this incident, someone was found lifeless in Cabo San Lucas just before Valentine’s Day. While these victims are more than a name on a list, these tragedies go on and on to the point that beachgoers should be aware of the dangers.
It’s human nature to say, “that won’t happen to me”, but nobody is invincible and can find themselves in a dire situation at any given time.
What’s Going On In The Mexican Caribbean?
There is no destination more popular for Americans to take a beach vacation than Cancun, and rightfully so.
Gorgeous and easily accessible, Cancun is the perfect place for a break from life’s stresses and never seems to fail.
Well, that is until now. The Mexican Caribbean is filled with vacation hotspots ranging from Cancun proper to smaller beach towns and islands, including beautiful Cozumel.
So let’s start there – Cozumel is one of the main destinations tourists should keep an eye on for beach hazards, and it all boils down to an invader nobody would ever want to encounter.
No, it’s not an icky sargassum monster; it’s the excruciating painful Portuguese Man o’War. This aquatic alien is commonly mistaken for jellyfish, the same way koalas are mistaken for bears.
Given their nearly unmistakable resemblance to jellyfish, it’s easy to make that assumption. However, this species is actually a siphonophore composed of multiple organisms, each with their own role, which is why they’re defensive if provoked.
Although not typically aggressive, all it takes is light contact with a single tentacle to find yourself in a world of hurt, which can cause welts, nausea, shortness of breath, and even be fatal in rare instances.
Vacationers visiting both Cozumel and Playa del Carmen are being strongly advised to be aware of one of the ocean’s most mysterious and fearsome predators.
These beaches are where tourists should be most vigilant:
- Xpu Há
- Akumal
- Playa Del Carmen
- Cozumel (West)
- Puerto Aventuras
- Playa Pariaso
- Grand Sirenis
- Punta Maroma
Mexico’s Beach Flag System
Popular beaches in Mexico likely have a colored flag posted in plain sight for tourists to see. There is a color-coded system in place to determine levels of beach safety.
Think of it as traffic lights where green means go, yellow means stay cautious, and red means don’t go.
The caveats being black, which means the beach is off-limits and white meaning there are jellyfish sightings.
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