“If I can do it…. you can” was heard throughout Akumal the end of May . Gabriel Najara not only came to Akumal Bay for water activities with his family, he also touched many hearts and spirits of the community sharing his remarkable stories and outlook on life. You see, Gabriel Najara was born without arms and legs. Yet he was still able to enjoy snorkeling, scuba diving, viewing Mayan ruins, jungle walks and floating down the river in the SianKann Biosphere.
This remarkable man was invited to Akumal by EZSnorkel founder Guillermo Camarena many months ago. When Gabriel was ready to come, Akumal rolled out the red carpet for him and his family. Guillermo Camarena has worked to try to improve handicapped accessibility in our area for many years and this event helped bring attention to the fact that paradise is for everyone – it just takes innovative planning and logistics to make our beaches, hotels, water activities, and tours easily available to all.
Gabriel is a motivational speaker who travels all over Mexico. He gave two presentations in Akumal, one in the Bay area in English, and another in Akumal Pueblo in Spanish, which nearly 400 people attended. Gabriel spoke for two hours, sharing his story of growing up and his philosophy for living a happy, fulfilling life. He states that everything begins with a THOUGHT, then a FEELING. But if we don’t take ACTION our dreams will not come true. If you want it, go for it! To see more, go to EZSnorkel.com
Gabriel enjoyed the EZ Snorkel ride and afterwards went into the blue to snorkel on his own. This determined man had no fear and did it all. Gabriel had dreamed of scuba diving one day, and with the determination of Guillermo Camarena his dream came true. An amazing certified handicap dive instructor, Francesca Colombo-OWSI and Akumal Dive Shop welcomed the challenge. To watch some amazing underwater footage of these events, go to :
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bV9Oz5B3eA
www.youtube.com/watch?v=feZr2cXTGcI
After a busy morning in the water, you’d think it was time for R&R, but Gabriel was ready to do more. So off we went to Selva Maya escorted by Edventure Tours for zip-lining and snorkeling in a cenote. Gabriel and the team climbed the stairs and traveled over the swinging bridges to arrive high in the tops of the trees. All were hooked onto the zip-line and flew through the air, laughing and screaming the whole way. Afterwards, back down the stairs they went to the cool cave for a dip in the chilly cenote water among stalactites and stalagmites and oh yes, BATS!
Gabriel took time with the kids from the after-school program at Hekab Be Biblioteca, telling them a story while making a boat with his feet – these children’s lives were inspired by the gift he gave.
The family truly enjoyed Akumal, and most of all they loved the people.
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This event was a dream of Guillermo Camarena, he had lots of help: EZ Snorkel, Fundacion Tao, Hotel Akumal Caribe, A.C.E. Team United, Cancun Accessible, Mexiconservacion, X’mirna’s Coffee Town, Centro Ecologico Akumal and Hekab Be Bibilioteca.
Our entertainment sponsors were Turtle Bay Bakery and Restaurant, La Cueva de Pescador, LolHa Restaurant, La Buena Vida, Pancho Villa, Tequilaville, Paul’s Ice Cream Shop, X’mirnas Coffee Town, Ultimo Maya, and Mirna’s mom.
Without the support of the following our activities could not have happened: Akumal Dive Shop, Akumal Dive Center, Pastor Muyil Sian K’aan tour, Selva Maya/Edventure Tours and EZ Snorkel.
This event was produced and made possible by the many volunteers of the A. C. E. Team United-they were our photogs, our strong arms, our backbone and always there when needed. Special thanks to Edgar for his professional underwater filming.
Special thanks to all of you who helped make this family’s first trip to Akumal a Five Star Experience.