There are two beaches between Laguna Makax and El Garrafón National Park. Playa Lancheros is a popular spot with an open-air restaurant where locals gather to eat freshly grilled fish. The beach has grittier sand than Playa Norte, but more palm trees. The calm water makes it the perfect spot for children to swim—although it's best if they stay close to shore, since the ocean floor drops off steeply. The souvenir stands here are fairly low-key and run by local families. There is a small pen with domesticated and quite harmless tiburones gatos—nurse sharks. (These sharks are much friendlier than the tintoreras, or blue sharks, which live in the open seas, have seven rows of teeth, and weigh up to 1,100 lbs.) You can swim with them or get your picture taken for $1.
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