Officials Urge Caution On The Beaches Of Cancun This Winter

Cancun is a vacation paradise, especially at this time of year when it’s cold at home and so warm and sunny in Mexico. However, despite this, local officials are urging tourists to be cautious on those glorious beaches. While you might think they are speaking of violence or crime, they are urging caution due to Mother Nature. In the last two weeks, five people have lost their lives on the Cancun beaches by drowning.

Cancun seeing record visitor numbers this winter

According to the Cancun Sun, Cancun is receiving record numbers of visitors this year and, despite all the extra lifeguard support on the beaches, tragedies are happening. Juli Cesar Gomez Torres, Secretary of Citizen Security in Quintana Roo spoke of the dangers:

The beaches, although they are very beautiful, the sea, sometimes with the waves and the wind, does not have the best conditions to enter. However, there are people who venture and, well, these situations happen.

Warning flags on the beaches

Beaches in Mexico feature a warning flag system and the flags change depending on the latest weather conditions. If visitors are unclear as to the meaning of the flags, they should check with a lifeguard. Also, the conditions can quickly change so check out the latest status often.

The system works like a traffic stoplight. Green means it’s safe to enter the water, yellow tells visitors to exercise caution, and red is a warning that the water is off-limits to swimmers. There is only one worse condition than red, and that is a black flag, which warns that the beach is closed entirely.

In November 2023, officials were already urging caution before the high season, while announcing that more lifeguard safety support will be available. However, while they say is it crucial to be aware of beach safety, most beaches in the Cancun hotel zone are relatively safe for tourists.

Other things to do in Cancun

For anyone heading to Cancun this winter, don’t let this worry you too much – as long as you are cautious and note the warnings, you can still have a great time at the beach. However, for those bad weather days, there are plenty more places to go and things to do in and around the hotel zone. Retail therapy is there for the having along the coast, as well as restaurants serving a great range of food.

Bad wave days can also be spent visiting the amazing Mayan archaeological sites along the coastline, including El Rey, El Meco and San Miguelito. Even more spectacular ruins can be visited a little further afield in Chichén Itzá, Tulum, or Cobá.

Nature lovers can book a boat tour out to Isla Contoy to visit the nesting sea turtles. Here, loggerhead, green sea and hawksbill turtles can be seen under the right conditions. Bird watchers can enjoy spotting the more than 150 bird species living in the area.

The best way to handle your day is to head to the beach and check if the flag is green. If it isn’t, enjoy these wonderful alternative adventures in Cancun and try the beaches another day.