Quite possibly a stupid question about beach erosion

[TMel]

Just read a trip report and saw some photos on Trip Advisor that there is a little erosion at the RPDC. Clearly, it isn't the worst I've seen/read about, and regardless, it won't ruin our vacation....but I am curious.
Does beach erosion improve over time ?

[Babaloo]

Originally Posted by TMel

Just read a trip report and saw some photos on Trip Advisor that there is a little erosion at the RPDC. Clearly, it isn't the worst I've seen/read about, and reguardless, it won't ruin our vacation....but I am curious.
Does beach erosion improve over time ?

yes...it improves
or it gets worse
...but the beach around the RPDC is not known for eroded beaches, unlike the beaches in Playacar...

[Kellyk]

Not a stupid question!

I remember my first trip to Playa in '99. The beaches were HUGE! My next trip, a year later, we were walking back up the beach from the south end of town and there was so much erosion that we had to almost walk single file in front of Bl** Par*** and that whole area or be soaking wet. Of course that changed fairly quickly. Erosion comes and goes...sometimes it changes faster than others.
RPDC beach has always been nice and wide and I don't imagine that it's changed all that much since I saw it in March.

Have a great time!

[absoluteAL]

Originally Posted by Babaloo

yes...it improves
or it gets worse
...but the beach around the RPDC is not known for eroded beaches, unlike the beaches in Playacar...

I was at the RIU Yucatan today and walked the beach north and south of there. I have never seen so many "beached whales". These are huge bags (neoprene or polypropelene I would guess) that are filled with pumped in sand. Some bags/whales are on the beach and others are in the water close to shore. They are supposed to help reverse beach erosion I assume. They are quite a sight - also there was a bunch of beached whales laying on the lounge chairs

[TMel]

I've got til January, so plenty of time for it to improve (or, as Babaloo pointed out, worsen. Hadn't even crossed my mind ).

Thanks for the input Tried googling it, but feeling a little lazy tonight. Not even going to lie...

[Buggirl]

Originally Posted by absoluteAL

I was at the RIU Yucatan today and walked the beach north and south of there. I have never seen so many "beached whales". These are huge bags (neoprene or polypropelene I would guess) that are filled with pumped in sand. Some bags/whales are on the beach and others are in the water close to shore. They are supposed to help reverse beach erosion I assume. They are quite a sight - also there was a bunch of beached whales laying on the lounge chairs

yeah- not quite Artificially messing with the natural ebb and flow of tides will only make things worse.... Speaking of the RPDC- that nice pier keeps the sand beautiful and wide for RPDC guests and washes away the beach on the south side of the pier. I forget the technical term for that- but it is a clear trend you can see repeated at many east coast US beach destinations....

Let nature be- it'll take care of itself...

That said- the RPDC does have a consistantly beautiful beach (it certainly was in May), so I think you have a good choice there Not to mention you're right in town so you'll get to explore Playa

[absoluteAL]

Originally Posted by Buggirl

yeah- not quite Artificially messing with the natural ebb and flow of tides will only make things worse....

As far as the "beached whales" in use at Playacar, I have been told that the beaches are much better, i.e. wider since these "whales" were placed along the beach.
When I had a house in Ocean City, MD the city tried alot of "cures" for beach erosion and I am not sure if anything ever worked successfully as I have not been there for 15 years. A early problem with beachfront condos was that they were built on the ocean side of the dune line. Dune lines were destroyed in the name of "progress". Over the years this has been found to be a big mistake.

When I lived in Boca Raton, FL, when there was beach erosion from hurricanes and storms, the only solution that was found was pumping in sand to widen the beach. A foreign company was brought in to pump sand from way off shore. The beaches in Boca after sand pumping were very wide, that is until the next storm or hurricane washed the sand away. So, it was a continual process or a temporary fix to the problem.

If you notice that the sand on alot of the beaches in Playa are not as white and fine as they were before Wilma hit, it is because MX had truckloads (many many truckloads) of sand brought in to fill in the eroded beaches caused by the hurricane.

[actran]

Originally Posted by Babaloo

yes...it improves
or it gets worse
...but the beach around the RPDC is not known for eroded beaches, unlike the beaches in Playacar...

Babaloo - I've read that men use and average of 2000-4000 words a day, compared to women using about 7000. I'm guessing you are in the 2000 range

[Babaloo]

Originally Posted by absoluteAL

As far as the "beached whales" in use at Playacar, I have been told that the beaches are much better, i.e. wider since these "whales" were placed along the beach.

Not true.
The beach erosion has gotten consistently worse since the geotubes were placed.
The erosion used to "fix" itself in a matter of days or weeks.

[kwagner99]

Originally Posted by absoluteAL

They are quite a sight - also there was a bunch of beached whales laying on the lounge chairs

Hey! I came home a week ago!