Tourism officials are quick to brag that Mexico has 6,000 miles of ocean coastline and too many swimming pools to count. Very little is said, however, about an almost complete absence of lifeguards, rescue boats and other safeguards for swimmers. In fact, on busy public beaches and even in most hotel pools, it's swim at your own risk. Unless you're a strong, practiced swimmer, be very careful when swimming in the ocean. Depending on the tides and weather, some of Mexico's most popular beaches have crunching surf and strong, unpredictable currents.
Conditions change very quickly and even experienced swimmers can be taken unawares.
If body surfing is on your list of 'must experience' vacation thrills, go carefully. I can testify from painful personal experience that there's more to this sport than merely throwing yourself in front of a wave. Even a relatively small surf can give you a memorable beating. Against our advice, a friend challenged a powerful, fast-breaking surf near Manzanillo one afternoon. After being pounded and scraped across the bottom, he crawled from the sea with a bloody head and a badly sprained shoulder.