If you’re into sunsets over the water, unfortunately you probably won’t discover many along the coast of the Riviera Maya. With the Yucatan shoreline facing east, sun admirers must go for the morning glory, waking up early to catch the first rays of dawn splash across the turquoise seas of the Mexican Caribbean.
The good news is, you don’t have to go far to watch the sun dip into the ocean just before nightfall. Hop on a 40-minute ferry to Cozumel and you’ll have a spectacular view of your day coming to a sweet, peaceful end…
Originally a tropical storm, Hurricane Rina reached high winds threatening a category 3 hurricane just a couple days before landfall in the Riviera Maya. As Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Cozumel and the rest of the Mexican Caribbean prepare for the impending storm, the latest repors show Rina is again losing strength. After hovering as a category 1 hurricane, the NHC has just announced that Rina has weakened even more:
“…NOAA HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT FINDS THAT RINA HAS WEAKENED TO A TROPICAL STORM…”
10:00 AM CDT Thu Oct 27
Location: 19.2°N 87.0°W
Max sustained: 70 mph
Moving: NNW at 6 mph
Min pressure: 989 mb
In the meantime, the Mayan Riviera continues to wait…
The crystalline sea of Playa del Carmen, Mexico is often as placid as a lake. The great expanse of turquoise and sapphire waters is as calm and inviting as a sparkling resort pool. But, when waves do break, body surfers can be spotted diving and rolling onto shore.
As the thesurfingsite.com puts it, “more of an art than a sport, body surfing is pure communion with the ocean.” We agree. Yet, here in the Riviera Maya, simply gazing out at the stunning, jewel-colored seascape is enough to draw any beach-goer into communion with the Mexican Caribbean…
Cruise ships dot the horizon of the Riviera Maya daily as they make their rounds to the infamous cruise destination of Cozumel. More than two million tourists visited Cozumel in 2010. That figure is quite astounding when you consider that the population of the island is approximately 100,000. Most of 2010’s record-setting visitors arrived by the more than 1000 cruise ships that dock on the island each year. Cruise ships dock at one of three piers: Punta Langosta Pier, International Pier and Puerta Maya Pier. Located in the middle of downtown San Miguel de Cozumel, Punta Langosta is most central pier.
Thirty miles long and ten miles wide, Cozumel represents Mexico’s largest Caribbean island. Just six miles from the mainland, the ‘Island of the Swallows’ is also easily accessible from Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Two companies, UltraMar and Mexico Water Jets, operate ferries that run daily between Playa and Cozumel.
Quiet, sandy beaches, ancient Mayan remains and world-class scuba diving among the glorious corals reefs of the Arrecife Palancar in the island’s electric blue waters are among the top reasons why millions visit the island each year.
