stevenq99
Contributor
There also seems to be more and larger Lobsters.
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Colombia Shallows was mostly spared by Wilma, so the delicate structures that come up near the surface survived the storm. Other reefs were not so lucky. The turtle population has been steadily growing in more recent years due to their protected status and the establishment of the turtle hatcheries on the island and on the mainland. I do, however, miss the turtle steak.I did not dive in Cozumel pre Wilma so can not compare but i Have done 5 weeks of diving on semi annual dives post Wilma and I have seen it improve each year. Having said that I once did a dive at Columbia shallows and the reef was alive with sea life and then did it a year later and it was just ho hum. So it depends on the day. Over all I have never been disappointed.
Gaffer
But what used to be an abundance of huge groupers has now turned into only the occasional BIG Grouper, and many more smaller ones. And Morays seem to have become both less common and more aggressive - used to see LOTS of Morays, all hiding in their holes in the reef (especially at Cedral and Tormentos, which had tons of Morays); now, there seem to be fewer Morays, but the ones that are there will often come out of the holes and swim with divers - waiting on a free lionfish meal, no doubt. And yes, the Lobsters seem to have become more common and bigger - have seen a few real monsters in recent years.
I def do notice the increase in turtles and sharks, but decrease in moray's.....