Royal Caribbean Destroys Acres of Pristine Reef

[Pedro Burrito]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Merged three threads and moved them both to Cayman Islands forum.

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[Wookie]

Sounds like carnival was never held accountable for the first incident, which occurred where the ship wasn't supposed to be. This occurred where the ship was supposed to be, so I'd expect more of the not being held accountable to continue.

I know the company doing the restoration on the Carnival reef. In fact, I sent the lead scientist this video. They may not be being held accountable for the damage criminally, but they are pouring dollars into the restoration. By the bucketload.

 

[oldschoolto]

You can't stop growth.. Better to build a new peir and stop further damage to the reef system...

Jim...

 

[Bill Parker]

Why isn't there no anchor buoys so the pilot can see where the reef is from the surface?

 

[PeterNBiddle]

Wouldn't it be great if you just happened to be diving with one of these?

Portable Air Hacksaws Designed and Manufactured by CS Unitec

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[billinwilliamston]

It certainly appears that the CIG wants tourists who drink $25 margaritas out of souvenir glasses and then move on more then they want tourists who stay for a week or two and dive.

 

[Wookie]

It certainly appears that the CIG wants tourists who drink $25 margaritas out of souvenir glasses and then move on more then they want tourists who stay for a week or two and dive.

Lets look at the numbers for Key West. Every cruise ship that pulls in pays the government $10 a head for a landing fee. That means Tthe city of Key West makes $120,000 on a day that 2 cruise ships are in town. Additionally, the pier owners (oh, the city of Key West and the Westin) make an additional $10 a head for docking fees. That's a quarter of a million a day for a 3 cruise ship day. Those cruisers spend an average of $50 a day in town. That was from a study done by NOAA a couple of years ago, I'll look it up if you need proof. They don't use any of the town's services, all they do is hammer the reef. They buy booze cruises on Fury, Sunset, and Sebago at $100 a pop. They buy 3 t-shirts, and 6 Bud Lights on Duval Street, and they go away by 6 PM after missing Sunset, the best part of Key West.

Those who come for the weekend spend an average of $1,000 a head for the weekend. The city generates no direct revenue from this.

Those who come for a week spend an average of $2500 a head. The city generates no direct revenue from this.

Who do you think the city is going to cater to?

I don't have any idea about the numbers for Grand Cayman, but I would bet that the results are similar. I would hazard a guess that the cruise ship companies are spending a ton of gold to help push the cruise ship piers through, and will help in construction costs, because going pierside is way better then tendering ashore (in the eyes of the cruise line). They may destroy a bit of reef in the construction, but there won't be near as much blowback as from this video showing chain damage to a reef that falls something short of "pristine" in my eyes.

Piers are a win-win for the cruise lines, and cruise ships are a win-win for the government. I know we love to hate cruise ships for any number of reasons, but look on the good side. I've never lived anywhere where the property taxes are as low as they are in Key West. The cruisers come, spend a ton of cash (not individually, but as a herd), and leave by nightfall. What could be better than that, would you rather see 10,000 divers a day on Grand Cayman's reefs, with the associated infrastructure that goes with that, the sewage treatment plants and the hotels on the beach and the 2 stroke oil in the water?

 

[diversteve]

Sadly I think you're right. Besides the direct involvement financially of the cruise lines, next month alone Georgetown is going to see 180,000 cruisers. I don't know but I'd have to believe that's more than all the divers that go there all year.

If all spend $20 + the dock fees are the same as Key West - although I suspect they're a lot higher - that's $7Million. No way the dive industry generates an equivalent amount. Some of the dive operators will even benefit from it since the cruisers getting off the ship faster means a higher chance they can walk to the operators offering morning dives away from the area out on the wall. Except Eden Rock which is likely to be paved over in the process but I'm sure they're being compensated. Where the pier is projected even moves divers off the ships closer to Fosters who currently (and has for awhile) owns the cruise contracts.

The city generates no direct revenue from this.

No resort tax in Key West? IDK - just asking...

 

[Wookie]

No resort tax in Key West? IDK - just asking...

Of course there is, and it's stiff. But that's an indirect tax to the consumer that goes into cost of doing business. The $10 a head for the arrival tax as well as the $10 a head landing fee goes straight into the city coffers. No one is going to vote against hosing the cruisers, you have to answer when you tax the businesses whose owners vote for you, or don't. So, what I meant was that the city gets 20 bucks a head from an entity that doesn't work or live here, versus 20% of the nightly rate from someone they have to look in the eye at city council meetings.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Sigh. It makes such a sense but relieves me not. Perhaps key West and grand Cayman do right with the money but I still fear for lesser countries where there's more corruption and/or innocence.