Coz dive report, May11-17

[The Professor]

We just returned from a weeks diving at Coz. The Hotel cozumel and Resort has been completely repainted, had new glass installed and new air conditioning systems in all of the freshly painted rooms. The food has improved substantially. Now for the diving ! I have about 150 dives at Coz over the past several years and what I saw this time was sad. There are still plenty of fish of the usuall wide variety but the reefs, both shallow and deep are in bad shape. All of the coral formations that have horizontal or near horizontal growth habits are covered with sand from 1/8th inch to as much as one inch with sand. Vertical coral faces are hanging tough. By far the worst wall dive was Santa Rosa as far as sand coverage is concerned. I actually found myself fanning some of the sand off the coral heads. By far the best shallow dive was Columbia Shallows which seems to have escaped the ravages of the sand snowstorm. Columbia pinnacles and Palancar Horseshoe were two of the more sand-free dives. Other shallow sites that were in fair shape were Tormentos and Delilah. The sand of course willl/has killed the coral. It will take years for them to reach the majesty that they had prior to Wilma. The divemasters were still great and the diving is stilll exciting but forget the pre-Wilma luxuriant coral growth. There were plenty boats out and lots of divers but for you purists out there--hope for the best !

 

[vox]

The sand of course willl/has killed the coral. It will take years for them to reach the majesty that they had prior to Wilma.

Are we really talking about _years_ for regrowth?

Say it isn't so!

 

[dvr4lyf]

Tahnks for the report!! Sounds bad. I've never been, being newly certified, but it's almost unimaginable to think that one of the most beautiful reefs in the world is lost, not just to us but to the ecosystem! Wish there was more we could do!! Can you even clean the reefs after something like this?

Thanks again!!

 

[Christi]

Are we really talking about _years_ for regrowth?

Say it isn't so!

Gee, sand in the ocean, who would have thought?

There has always been some degree of sand on the reefs in Cozumel. It is a natural cycle and the currents cause sand to drift as well as clearing it. The ocean floor is SAND...there will always be sand here.

Yes, in certain areas there is more sand than before, but in some areas there is actually less sand than before. There are also areas of the reef that were completely buried even before Wilma, for who knows how many years which are now completley or partially exposed and many are mistaking this for "newly damaged" or "newly buried" reef.

To say that "All of the coral formations that have horizontal or near horizontal growth habits are covered with sand from 1/8th inch to as much as one inch with sand" is simply not an accurate statement. Some of them, such as Yucab and the shallows at Santa Rosa, yes...but not ALL reefs. Please lets not exaggerate. There is sand dusting, there are areas with worse damage than others, but there is MUCH more like the images below than not.

If you (collectively speaking) dive the reefs focusing on the damage with the thought stuck in your mind that "there was a hurricane, it MUST be bad" rather than what's not damaged, well then that's all you're going to see. Alot of people don't even know the difference because the diving is in fact still very, very good here and still better than many other locations.

All of the photos below were taken within the last 2 months. Some as recently as this past week.

 

[Christi]

Tahnks for the report!! Sounds bad. I've never been, being newly certified, but it's almost unimaginable to think that one of the most beautiful reefs in the world is lost, not just to us but to the ecosystem! Wish there was more we could do!! Can you even clean the reefs after something like this?

Thanks again!!

It's a matter of perspective. As a new diver, I promise you will not visibly see the damage and you will still be awestruck by the formations, marine life, etc.

The reef is not "lost." It would take much more than Wilma to cause that level of destruction. The reefs here are MASSIVE.

Don't decide that it isn't worth going based on one person's report. There is a plethora of reports, which are neither overly glowing nor overly negative.

Read this one, as I think it is one of the most accurate and objectivereports I've read. There is actually a thread about this report in this forum.

http://dive.scubadiving.com/members/tripreports.php?s=3308

 

[Nevis Diver]

Tahnks for the report!! Sounds bad. I've never been, being newly certified, but it's almost unimaginable to think that one of the most beautiful reefs in the world is lost, not just to us but to the ecosystem! Wish there was more we could do!! Can you even clean the reefs after something like this?

Thanks again!!

I have been certified a little over a year, have conservatively logged 77 dives, 29 of which are around Cozumel. I did not see the reefs until about a month after Wilma came through. The reefs are beautiful, period. Beauty can be relative and certainly in the eyes of the beholder. We Cozumel newbies actually have an advantage over the naysayers because we are babes in the ocean and are not spoiled by previous visions of splendor.

I empathize with those that have had the bottom drop out of their hearts because of the difference in the reefs of Cozumel. I really do. But you know what? The ones that look for more than a real life picture show keep coming back because it is still beautiful, affordable, professional and fun.

Do yourself a favor and go to Cozumel. Either go with divers you know and will be a good dive buddy by helping you feel comfortable in your first few dives or go with a smaller dive shop (there are quite a few) that will take the time to help you.

 

[GDCB]

Do yourself a favor and go to Cozumel. Either go with divers you know and will be a good dive buddy by helping you feel comfortable in your first few dives or go with a smaller dive shop (there are quite a few) that will take the time to help you.

Can you suggest a few smaller dive shops?

Carl

 

[sasscuba]

Cozumel diving was fantastic last month. Yes a little damage but come on it is in great shape considering.....

 

[nikyyo]

I was in coz during the first week of February and my experience was pretty similar to yours professor. Santa Rosa was indeed sanded over badly as were many of the other sites I visited. Hopefully time and currents will once again return Cozumel to what it once was or close to it.

 

[Nevis Diver]

Can you suggest a few smaller dive shops?

I cannot personally recommend any small dive shops as I have only dived with Dive Paradise which is maybe the largest operator on the island. If you dive with them try to get either Nacho or Jose and tell them you are a new diver and would they help you out. They would be glad to, as would many if not most, of the DM's on the island.

Go to the main Cozumel forums page and "Search this forum" for "small dive shop". You will get a plethora of recommendations and personal experiences. If you have not dove in the Carribbean yet I would love to see your face at the end of your first Cozumel dive...priceless.