Mexico Expedition – Marine Only

Introduction to diving and marine research
2 & 4 week projects available in 2026

Mexico & Akumal

Duration

2-4 weeks

Interests

Marine

Opwall fee

From $2,320.00 ($232.00 deposit)

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Overview
Objectives
Skills you gain
Costs to Consider
Site Conditions

2026 Dates

2 weeks marine only – 20 July – 4 August
4 weeks marine only – 6 July – 2 August

Akumal Bay

The marine site is situated in Akumal, which is part of the Mexican Caribbean Biosphere Reserve. If you are not already dive trained, you can spend your first week at this site completing a PADI Open Water dive training course, before moving onto the Caribbean reef ecology course in your next week. This course consists of lectures, morning and afternoon in-water practicals, and trains you in some of the survey techniques used in the marine environment to assess the status of reefs and their associated fish communities. If you are already dive trained or just wanting to snorkel your first week is on the Caribbean reef ecology course and the second would be spent working with different researchers on site. Projects you will join include monitoring of sea turtle abundance, sea turtle grazing of seagrasses and seagrass biomass in Akumal Bay as well as coral reef restoration and coral reef monitoring.

Key Activities

PADI Open Water dive training course: This course involves a combination of theory lessons, confined water dives and Open Water divers to gain an official SCUBA qualification.
Caribbean marine ecology course: This course consists of lectures and in water practicals either by diving (if a qualified diver) or snorkelling. The lectures cover an introduction to the Akumal and the Mexican Caribbean Biosphere Reserve, marine survey techniques, diversity of coral reefs, threats to coral reefs, mangroves and seagrasses, and the future of coral reefs
PADI Open Water referral course; For this option, students need to arrive having already completed their theory and pool training components with PADI.
Seagrass quadrat surveys: 1m quadrats are used to assess the coverage of the three different species of seagrass in Akumal Bay, assess turtle grazing and coverage of epiphytes growing on the seagrasses (indicators of water quality)
Turtle and tourist abundance transects: a series of belt transects are used to assess the distribution of sea turtles in Akumal Bay in relation to tourists
Reef monitoring: skills learned during the reef ecology course are used to monitor reef ecosystem health using transect surveys for coral, fish and invertebrates. For this option students need to be dive trained and have completed the Caribbean reef ecology course

Mexico Marine Research Objectives

At the marine site, research is focused on assessing the efficacy of the Akumal marine protected area – a conservation zone created after Opwall data demonstrated its outstanding biodiversity value. Monitoring here focuses on the abundance and health of seagrasses and the impact of snorkel tours on the abundance and health of sea turtles. Research also aims to monitor the combined impacts of water quality and turtle grazing on the abundance and health of the seagrass ecosystem. In addition, students will have the chance to work alongside our team at Akumal Dive Center to complete their PADI open water dive training and complete a Caribbean reef ecology course in which they will learn about the major conservation issues with Caribbean reefs and will participate in variety of techniques for coral reef monitoring.

Attend lectures on Coral reef ecology course
PADI Open water dive qualification
Learn how to collect data underwater through SCUBA diving or snorkeling

Opwall fee.
Cost of international flights into and out of Cancun.
Cost of internal travel to and from the start and end point of the expedition, plus any hotels you might require. The standard package costs around £297 or $416.
Extra nights’ accommodation in Cancun costs around £83 or $116 (breakfast included).
Airport transfer outside of standard package days costs around £55 or $77
Park entrance fees are £20 or $28.
Dive equipment rental – £60 or $84 per week or equivalent in pesos for a full dive kit. If you only wish to snorkel and want to hire snorkel equipment, the cost is £35 or $49 per week. Please note that wetsuits/rash vests cannot be provided – you should bring your own.
PADI eLearning materials (if you are completing your Open Water qualification) – £75 or $105 approx.
Mexico charges a tourist tax, currently approximately £14 before leaving the country to travel home.
Vaccinations and prophylactic medicines – cost can vary depending on your healthcare provider.
Standard travel insurance – cost can vary, for 2 weeks it can range anywhere from £40-80 or $40-150.

Most of our volunteers fundraise for their expedition costs. Find out more.

Climate
In Mexico it is hot and humid. Temperatures rarely drop below mid 20s even at night. It is unlikely to rain much, but you do get occasional heavy showers during the season.

Fitness level required
Low on the marine site. On the marine site lower levels of fitness are required (although you will likely be very tired at the end of the day after the in-water sessions).

Creature comforts
On the marine site the facilities are a little less rustic – you sleep in bunk beds in dormitories about 10 minutes drive from the beach. There is good phone signal and the site is well supplied with shops.

Locations

Mexico
Akumal

Mexico

Mexico is a large country with a population of over 120 million people though this is largely concentrated in densely populated cities with over 9 million of living in Mexico city alone. Mexico is a country famous for it's amazing beaches, fantastic wildlife, Mayan temples and of course the fantastic food! Spanish is the most common language across Mexico though in some of the areas we work then various dialects of Mayan are also very commonly spoken.
Learn about Mexico
Akumal

Set away from the main town of Akumal, students stay in purpose built accommodation set in a pleasant forested area. They will sleep in bunk beds with dormitories spread across three floors. Rooms are shared with up to 14 people. Each dormitory has its own set of showers and toilets. There is a communal eating area and lecture areas on each floor. From here there is a ten minute drive to and from the beach each day. The dive training centre located at the beach.
Learn about Akumal

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Preparation

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Posted on 15th February 2021

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