Akumal celebrates anniversary with festivities and dive festival

From an article posted on PR-Inside.com:

The picturesque coastal town of Akumal on the Riviera Maya in Mexico will celebrate its 50th birthday on May 29, 2009.

The relaxed, laid back community between Playa del Carmen and Tulum will host a 3 day festival to commemorate 50 years since Pablo Bush Romero 'rediscovered' Akumal on an expedition to the area's famous Matanceros shipwreck.

Local real estate agent, RE/MAX
Investment Properties, said Akumal's secluded, unspoilt location offers some excellent real estate opportunities. Visitors to the celebrations could even fall in love with the area and decide not to leave.

Apart from its breathtaking ocean side and exciting list of outdoor activities, one reason for this gorgeous resort’s popularity is its relaxed atmosphere and tranquil tropical lifestyle. Bedded into breathtaking nature and lined by magical white beaches, Akumal real estate is the perfect comfort for mind, body and soul.

The Matanceros wreck was a frigate class Spanish merchant ship that crashed into the coral reefs just offshore on February 22, 1741.

When looking for the wreck, Pablo Bush Romero was so taken with the beauty of Akumal's white sand bay he purchased it from a land owner and founded a city consisting of a small resort catering to scuba divers.

To this day, Akumal has preserved its unique character and resisted the commercialization seen in some other Mexican Caribbean resorts.

The festival will include live music, entertainment, food, drink and a fishing tournament. It is open to the locals and tourists alike, from May 29 to May 31.

The Pablo Bush Romero Dive Festival takes place on May 30.

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Dive Festival added to Akumal 50th Anniversary Celebration

Divers plunge into the festivities on May 30th as part of a three-day celebration to commemorate 50 years since Pablo Bush Romero first arrived in Akumal, Mexico, on an expedition to the Matanceros shipwreck.

Divers on Akumal’s reefs find schools of fish like they have never seen before!

Among those reefs and fish, divers can search for treasures during the Pablo Bush Romero Dive Festival! The Akumal Dive Shop has already donated a Technisub compact pro mask ($175.00 value), Aqua lung new sling shot fins ($225.00) and Aqua lung titan regulator ($500.00), as well as a complimentary hat and t-shirt for every participating diver. Those are treasurers worth the hunt! And we'll be getting more prizes before the divers hit the water.

For a deco stop, a featured speaker will share diving trips that most divers can only hope to experience.

In the evening, divers and friends will gather at the Lol Ha beach bar to claim their treasurers, carry their buddy for 100 feet for more treasures, show their C-cards to find the oldest among them, and engage in other antics.

This will be a dive festival like Akumal has never seen before! Book your flight, and reserve your dive times with the host dive shops -- Akumal Dive Center and Akumal Dive Shop.

Check the dive festival details! And be sure to get to Akumal on May 30th!

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Details of the First Pablo Bush Dive Festival

The treasure hunt. “Treasurers” will be dropped at various dive sites, and divers will search for them. Divers must register for a fee of $20, which includes a t-shirt and free drink at the Lol Ha Beach Bar (on the beach of Akumal Bay). The Akumal Dive Center is the host dive shop for the treasure hunt. To reserve dive times or get more information about diving in Akumal, visit the Akumal Dive Center (www.akumaldivecenter.com) or Akumal Dive Shop (www.akumaldiveshop.com). The treasure hunt registration fee does not cover any dive costs. Register for the treasure hunt at the Akumal Dive Center or Akumal Dive Shop.

At the “Matanceros Expedition“ celebration (5:30 – 11:00 p.m., also at the Beach Bar) the names of the divers with the treasurers will be drawn from a hat and the diver will choose a real treasure (BC, mask, fins, and other prizes for example) as the diver’s name is chosen.

Fish identification class. Free at the CEA Center. Open to anyone who wants to sharpen their ability to identify fish in Akumal Bay and nearby reefs.

Dive buddy dash. Rule #1 in diving: Take care of your buddy. In this dry land event, divers will carry their buddies 50 feet. The winning diver and buddy win free drinks. Only diver (with a C card) can carry a buddy, who doesn’t have to be a diver – we suggest a lightweight lady.

Who’s the oldest diver? Youngest? Et cetera. Any diver can bring a C card to prove that they’re the oldest diver at the Matanceros Expedition celebration. We’ll find the youngest diver, too. Bring along the oldest piece of dive equipment and win a prize. Divers making their first open water dive during the festival get a prize.

Schedule
9:00 am - Registration
12:00 pm - Fish ID presentation
1:00 pm - Diver treasure hunt
3:00 pm - Diver treasure hunt
5:30 pm - Matanceros Expedition celebration
6:00 pm - Diver dash
7:00 pm - Diver awards/drawings

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Thank the celebration sponsors and contributors

Sponsors:
Hotel Caribe Akumal
Lol-Ha Restaurant and Beach Bar
Akumal Dive Center
Akumal Dive Shop
Centro Ecológico Akumal
Corona
Travel Services of Akumal

Akumal business contributors:
Locogringo
La Buena Vida / Vista del Mar
La Cueva del Pescador
Que Onda
La Lunita Restaurant
Condominios Playa Caribe
Akumal Real Estate
Super El Pueblito
Turtle Bay Bakery
Ixchel Boutique
La Galeria
La Calaca
Akumal Villas
Akumal Direct
Akumal Rentals
Galeria La Manai
Lucy’s kitchen
Imelda’s good food
Mexico Maya
CaribeCondo
Bill in Tulsa
Caribbean Fantasy
Hertz Car Rental
Las Casitas Akumal
Las Villas AKumal
Hacienda de la Tortuga

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