With an abundance of pristine beaches and beautiful-looking surf, the attraction to go swimming in Mexico is not surprising.
The first few times I hit the beaches, I felt pretty invincible but the more I learned I realized I should not be treating ocean swimming in the same manner as hitting a pool.
There are certainly times when it can be completely safe to wander into the open water, BUT there are elements to be aware of – from sea life to currents.
In fact when I went to check out some of the “virgin” beaches of the Costalegre, I ran into two incidences where locals made me aware that within an hour of my arrival a couple of people had gone swimming and only a few of them returned. This isn’t to scare you…just to make you aware that there are conditions that arise that can make it unsafe to swim.
What are some precautions that you can take?
- Familiarize yourself with the flag system. If you see green – feel free to head into the water. If red – stay as far away as possible. Yellow – proceed with caution.
- Talk to the locals. They usually have a pretty good idea if there is something to be concerned about.
- Watch the locals. If they are willing to go swimming, it’s probably okay to go in.
- Swim in sheltered areas. There are some great bays that shelter you from some dangerous waves but still give you a chance to swim in nature. Yelapa is a great example of this.
There are no guarantees that even if you abide by these ideas that you will have a danger-free swim….but you will certainly be increasing your odds of a relaxing and refreshing adventure.
