Tulum sets a catch-and-release shore fishing tournament on Playa del Pueblo for December 20

Tulum will hold a catch-and-release shore fishing tournament on Playa del Pueblo, in the hotel zone, on Sunday, December 20, 2026, from 6:00 a.m. to noon. Entry costs 500 pesos, the prize pool is 30,000 pesos, and every fish caught goes back into the sea.

The event, called "Pesca y Libera, El Gran Desafío del Caribe," was presented by local business owners and private-sector representatives as part of an effort under the "Tulum Renace" name to bring visitors to town through sport and recreation, Web Tulum Noticias reported on November 2. It has the backing of the Circuito Peninsular de Pesca Deportiva, a peninsula-wide sport fishing circuit, and of the Tulum municipal government.

The details

The prize pool of 30,000 pesos is split among the top three: 15,000 pesos for first place, 10,000 for second and 5,000 for third. Registration is 500 pesos, and the first 150 people to sign up receive a commemorative shirt. The organizers named two contacts for registration and information: Augusto Bates, one of the event's promoters, on 984 202 6755, and Raúl Nucamendi on 984 216 0053. The tournament runs under the motto "Fish, conserve and enjoy," and the catch-and-release format is presented as a message about marine conservation. Bates described it as part of a wider effort to encourage residents to take part and to showcase the municipality's natural attractions.

One practical point the announcement does not cover. On October 28, Quintana Roo's finance ministry, Sefiplan, published its calendar of recreational sport fishing tournaments and told anyone taking part to obtain a digital permit with a QR code, which it describes as a requirement for the activity, issued online at derechosdepesca.qroo.gob.mx. The December tournament is not on that calendar, and whether its registration includes the permit has not been said, so it is worth asking when you sign up.

A young tradition on this coast

Organized shore fishing tournaments in Tulum are recent. In December 2025, a tournament at Caleta Tankah that Diario Cambio 22 described as a first for Tulum drew 248 anglers from Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Akumal, Puerto Aventuras, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Chetumal, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres and Holbox, and from Mérida and Progreso in Yucatán. There were 22 catches and every one was released; the winning fish was a jurel, or jack, of 6.3 kilograms, and second place went to a snook, or robalo, of just over 4 kilograms. In March 2026, Quintana Roo Hoy reported that a tournament under the Gran Desafío del Caribe name had drawn more than 150 competitors in Tulum; the report did not say whether it was fished from the shore. It was won by Jesús Martínez Castillo, a teacher from Felipe Carrillo Puerto, with a jurel toro.

The December event is modest in scale: a morning on the beach, open to anyone with a rod and 500 pesos. One tournament will not change a season on its own, and the organizers have not published an expected turnout. For residents who fish, and for visitors who want a different reason to be on the beach before the crowds, the date is worth noting.

Sources: Web Tulum Noticias, "Tulum impulsa una estrategia para reactivar el turismo con un torneo de pesca en la costa," November 2, 2026; Jorge Castro Digital, Sefiplan fishing calendar and permit, October 28, 2026; Diario Cambio 22, Caleta Tankah tournament, December 23, 2025; Quintana Roo Hoy, December 21, 2025; Quintana Roo Hoy, March 23, 2026.