Let’s get this out of the way first: Use this post for information or entertainment only, please do not use this post for navigation.
If you’ve ever seen the movie,Y Tu Mamá También you may remember the beach and bar scenes at the end of the movie. Very serene and uncrowded beaches built by nature for the characters. Yep, Bahias Maguey y Organo are the very same beaches where the end scenes of the movie were filmed and made famous. In fact these beaches are now so famous, even during Covid they were crammed with people, every one of them wanting that perfect influencer picture on a perfect white sand beach.
After a three day run straight from Acapulco to the Bays of Huatulco, we headed toward land to figure out where to go. We had not made a solid reservation at the marina (Marina Chahue) in Huatulco because we didn’t exactly know when we could get there….and we had some notion of anchoring in the bays around Huatulco to wait out a great weather window to cross the Tehuantepec. The geographical area across Mexico that is called the Tehuantepec produces heavy winds and fetch funneling through a very small area that produces some of the roughest sea conditions on the West Coast….meaning these events are taken very seriously by cruisers and modern shipping. The events themselves are often called T-Peckers….or some other name. This can be very rough weather but modern weather predictions have made these events more safe, often being able to predict them very clearly. Cruisers (like us) wait for good weather windows in the Bays of Huatulco or Marina Chahue….watching the weather closely.
So upon getting in toward land, we proceeded to check out the area. First we started by heading into Bahia de Santa Cruz Huatulco proper….quickly taking in all the pangas and panga mooring balls and deciding this probably wasn’t the place for us. The swell rolling into the area didn’t help either.
Next, we came round and decided Bahias Maguey and Playa El Organo would be fine for the night, we were exhausted. So we headed in that direction, finding the swell slightly reduced and a good spot to set the hook.
Upon arriving Bahia Maguey we were thrilled to see several cruising boats we knew…Boundless and Conversations. But, they were prepping to get into the marina with the high tide. We still needed to get a slip, so we decided to stay on the hook that night and try to get into the marina in the morning. Regardless, even with three cruising boats in the bay, there’s ALOT of room there and we were well off the beach and still in 30 feet of water. Once in the bay, we found a spot in the vicinity of the other cruising boats but not too near them and dropped the hook in 30 feet of water. We had just completed 245 miles down the coast using a total of 39.75 gallons of diesel, which averaged about 6.21 miles per gallon.
That afternoon, we launched the dinghy and checked out the beach at Playa Maguey…but the vibe was boring and there were lots of people around….so we loaded the dinghy back onto Tulum and felt lucky to get a slip for the next day. However, we had to go into the marina early, on the 0830 high tide. Marina Chahue is a great little marina…but a bit shallow in sections and a bit rustic on facilities, which it makes up for with decent prices and folks that really go out of their way to help out as much as they can.
Here’s more info:
Ease of anchoring: We set the hook in 30 feet of water well offshore. No problem setting the hook and getting a good spot.
Noise at anchor: Yes. There was noise, it was a weekend.
Provisioning: Yes, if you wanted to get into Huatulco.
Cellular reception at anchor: Yes, spotty.
Wifi in the anchorage: Nope.
Water Clarity: Nope, because of the swells and or muddy bottom.
Protection: Yes, from the west. But the bay was completely open to the East,,,,,which means that winds from the T-Peckers can funnel right into the bay. And they often did. This was the driving reason we wanted to get into Marina Chahue as soon as possible.
Bugs: None.
Beach: Yes, beautiful beaches worth noting.
Would We Go Back: Yes, to Marina Chahue. There’s just not enough protection in the Bays of Huatulco for our liking….especially if a big T-Pecker comes through.
We’re a small website dedicated to travel with family. One of the things we write about is places we’ve visited in hopes of inspiring you and your family….but our writing is not for navigation or any exact science. Take our writing in stride, as we do it for you and for fun…but not too seriously.