Possible southern reef closure

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I got to this thread late - and thought I had 'discovered' the issue when it was mentioned on Facebook! :dork2:

Anyway ... I've always wondered what vacationers who don't dive do with their time. Maybe our upcoming trip will give me an opportunity to find out? Even if we didn't dive, we'd still be away from the daily grind. Can't beat that.

I hope they figure out a way to go forward to protect and preserve the reef - including doing whatever is necessary to deal with sewage, etc.
 
Judging by the many, many threads in the Cozumel forum, mostly people like to eat. Check out the other threads on food but you will also find many, many other suggestions of things to do such as trips around the island, snorkelling, museum visits, movies, tequila and chocolate tours, shopping, bars, cooking classes etc. etc. I am not providing links because I don't want to derail the thread.

Anyway ... I've always wondered what vacationers who don't dive do with their time. Maybe our upcoming trip will give me an opportunity to find out? Even if we didn't dive, we'd still be away from the daily grind. Can't beat that.
 
Final Comment by Me:

This whole thing is absurd. The reefs are being attacked by Lion Fish, then some bacteria that infects hard corals. Over time nature will protect or change itself. We hope the Lion Fish will eventually be overcome by natural predators…which they will. IN the meantime WE can provide temporary protection of the Cozumel reefs from them but over time nature will -- no matter what we do.

The same holds true of the coral disease. The reality is that no matter the "plan" of the local idiots we can't stop it but surely over time, nature will. If you love brain corals you may be disappointed during your lifetime, but eventually nature will fix it, perhaps with more beautiful results.

On the other hand, reducing human's impact on the existing reefs is not a bad idea, like stopping raw sewage in the south. In my mind that is the only plan that would produce any near term results. If the "idiots" come up with other grand plans, be skeptical, no matter what the so called local "experts" think or make secret behind the scenes plans.

That's It

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers
 
I am not sure what the problem is with the way this forum sends email alerts to its threads, but the email notice I got shows Deepsea21 saying "I'm not sure how he [El Graduado] can claim 'This government takes environmental laws and Cozumel's environment seriously' given the cruise port expansions over the years with yet another one now being considered..." and now Deepsea21's post doesn't not show this statement.

Dave also posted "Government talks the good talk about the environment, and actually enforce some pretty serious rules AT TIMES. But over and over during my 27 years here I have seen those rules overlooked or ignored when the rich and powerful are involved."

I would like to address both of these statements at the same time.

Guys, I agree with what you are saying, BUT... you are talking about the "past 27 years" in one post and "over the years" on the other. I was being specific when I said "this government", meaning the current municipio's government that was elected a year ago and was not a party to the deeds (or lack of action) by previous governments. I am estimating what will happen in the future based on what this current government does and not what previous governments have done.

The current presidente of Cozumel, Pedro Joaquin Delbouis, is keenly aware of the problems with the reefs, but he is not in charge of the federal reef park. He has some sway, but it is a national park, not a municipal park. He and his administration (this current government) can only do so much.

Pedro is very pro-scuba. Did you know he was the organizer and founder of ScubaFest Cozumel? The annual scuba festival, which was very focused on ecology and marine ecosystems, brought in speakers (scientists, ecologists, and the like) from all over the world to make presentations at the Museo de la Isla and other places during each year's events. Pedro personally bankrolled much of the festival's expenses, because it was within his personal financial ability. The festival and the talks and seminars were not something the past municipal governments put on; it was a personal project of Pedro's. Other interested groups and individuals joined in to help, both logistically and financially, but it was not a municipal government-sponsored event by the previous municipal governments.

As far as another cruise ship pier goes, you may not like the idea, but, many people on Cozumel do like the idea. The final decision on whether or not another pier is built on the island will be made by the people living on Cozumel. It has to go through a public hearing process. That is the same process that turned down (twice) the improvements at the property on the coast at Palancar that everyone has been talking about.

You can certainly voice your preferences, but your voice represents a minority of the people, and unless you are a voting resident of Cozumel, it won't help much. I am not saying I am personally in favor of more piers or cruise ships, just that there are more people on Cozumel who earn livings from what crumbs the cruisers drop in Cozumel than there are people who making a living from the diving industry. Things change over the years and the amount of money coming into Cozumel from cruise ships is one of them.

If the people of Cozumel do approve (and by approve, I mean do not oppose) a new cruise ship pier, I doubt that it will be built within the park boundaries. So far, it seems they are favoring somewhere south of the passenger ferry pier and north of the park boundary.

Anyway, to make a long post longer, I just wish that my posts were clearer and had not been misconstrued to make you think that I was saying that the previous administrations were blemish-free, in terms of their environmental records.
 
I got to this thread late - and thought I had 'discovered' the issue when it was mentioned on Facebook! :dork2:

Anyway ... I've always wondered what vacationers who don't dive do with their time. Maybe our upcoming trip will give me an opportunity to find out? Even if we didn't dive, we'd still be away from the daily grind. Can't beat that.

I hope they figure out a way to go forward to protect and preserve the reef - including doing whatever is necessary to deal with sewage, etc.

I've told many friends if I wasn't going to dive, I wouldn't go to Cozumel. It's not that I dislike Coz, it's just that other places have better things to do on land. Costa Rica is a blast for a very active vacation. Providenciales has an amazing beach and water. St Lucia is just awesome. And, then, there's all the islands I haven't visited, yet.

Cozumel is nice, but it's not the first place I would recommend to a non-diver.
 


A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

USA political discussions will not be tolerated in this thread
 
My guess is they misinterpreted closed until next year as closed for a year

To be fair, I don't think they ever promised it would re-open in early 2020 just that they would consider it.
 
I didn’t dive today and was curious if you were allowed to SI at palancar pier if anyone knows? My wife dove with a group that always goes there but didn’t today. She said guys in black were enforcing the closure
 
Perhaps its his choice of dive ops or travel companions.

I’ve seen poor trim and the occasional diver impact the reef but never more than once or twice. And yes I have seen dms/guides motion divers away from the reef.
No kidding, they learn quick. Most hard coral will shred you quicker than a vega-matic! :eek:
 
Anyway, to make a long post longer, I just wish that my posts were clearer and had not been misconstrued to make you think that I was saying that the previous administrations were blemish-free, in terms of their environmental records.

Thank you for your posts! I am happy to hear the new elected officials respect divers but they don't have much power as they closed the healthiest southern reefs to divers. Whatever goes on in Cozumel is none of my business as I am a guest in your country. Close your reefs, open your reefs, restrict diving here and there... I booked my 2-1/2 December dive to Coz months ago so I can't cancel. Next year's travels my wife and I will be heading back Belize or visiting Roatan for the first time.
 

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