Bahía Petempich
- National reef park offshore
- Gentle entry, shallow for a long way
- Suits families with young children
- Resorts at the southern end
- Reached from a highway turn-off
- Lifeguards in the resort section
Overview
Bahía Petempich is a long, gently curving bay north of Puerto Morelos, a little under nine kilometres from the town centre, reached from Highway 307 near Km 328. The sand is fine and white, and the entry to the water is gradual and shallow for a long way out, which is why the bay is popular with families.
The southern end of the bay is lined with large resorts and condominium developments, and that is where the services are, including lifeguards and snorkelling and diving operators. Away from the resorts there is little, so anything needed on the quieter stretches has to be carried in.
The bay fronts the Parque Nacional Arrecife de Puerto Morelos, the protected section of the Mesoamerican reef off this part of the coast.
Our current condition score for this beach is .
Our photographic record
Each photograph is published unedited and in date order, and is retained so the record builds rather than resets.
No photographs of this beach have been submitted yet. The grid below fills in as contributors send them.
Position relative to the Atlantic sargassum belt
Puerto Morelos has a barrier reef lying close inshore, a short distance off the beach. It breaks the swell, which is why the water inside is generally calmer than on unprotected parts of the coast.
The reef shelters the bay; it does not keep sargassum out. Material can still cross it or come in around it when the wind and current bring it in.
The sargassum season
What reaches a beach on a given day depends on the wind and current of the days beforehand rather than on the month alone.
The regional pattern is covered in our guide to sargassum season in the Riviera Maya.
Choosing a hotel on this stretch
The properties along the southern part of the bay are large all-inclusives and condominium developments, several of them beachfront. On a bay of this length it is worth asking how far a property is from the others and how it manages its own frontage when sargassum arrives.
The bay suits a quiet trip with small children, since the water is gentle. What it lacks is a walkable town: Puerto Morelos, with its restaurants and shops, is a drive rather than a stroll.
Access and parking
The bay is reached from a turn-off east of Highway 307 near Km 328, along a municipal access road. The municipality of Puerto Morelos announced the second phase of that road's reconstruction in May 2026, so works may be under way.
Access to the beach is free, but the resorts control much of the frontage. A visitor not staying at one of them can walk in from the highway along the paved access road, an out-and-back of several kilometres in total. The colectivos running along Highway 307 between Cancún and Playa del Carmen stop at the junction, and a taxi is the simpler way to reach the sand.
Once on the beach, the shoreline is federal land in Mexico and walking along it is permitted. Facilities belong to the resorts, so bring water, food and shade.
Check live conditions before you go
The reef shelters this bay but does not exclude sargassum. Our live card for Bahía Petempich carries the current condition score and the most recent contributor photographs with their dates.
See live conditions, photos & cams →