(3/21/05) Cruise ship damages reef and almost runs down dive party

[tracygibson]

I also was there during that week and was on the Carnival Valor. I didn't see or hear anything about it but we were diving at Chakanaab (not near the terminal). I'm suprised that anyone would dive there though. That place is packed with ships and there are hundreds of great spots to choose from. There was another Carnival ship that docked next to us that morning and left at the same time @ midnight. It is really unusual for a ship to dock that late in the day so either the timing is wrong or there were some extenuating circumstances.

 

[Ayisha]

It is really unusual for a ship to dock that late in the day so either the timing is wrong or there were some extenuating circumstances.

Not necessarily. Two and a half years ago, some of our divers surfaced under the hull of a cruise ship when we were doing a night dive at Paradise reef. My buddy was getting low on air, so we had long been back on the boat.

We saw that the divers were at the surface under the ship, and the ship was blasting it's horn repeatedly. Everyone on our boat acted like DM's. We threw a line out, pulled the divers quickly onto our boat, and everyone grabbed gear off the divers to get them up quickly. The coastguard was between our boat and the ship, and was also blasting it's horn to keep the ship from leaving. One videographer caught it all on video. It was a scary experience, even from the boat.

I agree that it's too close to the cruise ships, and I've never found Paradise reef to be well preserved or colourful. It might be worse now... :icorolley

 

[TxWingnut]

Why should the divers have any recourse? There was no mention of anybody actually being injured?
If they all got out undamaged then they've all had a thrill and got a story to tell.
Or is it only fun if you find somebody to process?

It would be quite different of course if somebody was killed or injured.

The Mexican Judicial system does not have a provision for recovery (ie money) under personal lawsuits. The judiciary is a closed system not anything like the US court system.

 

[Aaron Neely]

I couldn't agree more.I have nothing against the mindless hordes who flock to these floating gluttony fests, I just wish they'd quit ruining the diving for the people who want to enjoy the great expanse of nature, so they can greatly expand their waistlines. I've been diving Cozumel for over15 years, the cruise lines have ruined the island, every daythe streets are mobbed with the masses of idiots looking for that last hard rock cafe t-shirt and then in the saddest example of Pavlovian reflex they evacuate the island at noon so they can get their free lunch on the buffet boat and then they rush back out to the island so they can crowd up the dive boats. I won't even go onto the bad diving I have witnessed from thepeople of this mindset. Cozumel. Grand Caymen. Curusao. the list goes on all I can say is It pays to go to the small out of the way spots, for now at least , they haven't gotten so greedy that they destroy the natural resources that made them so exotic, all in order to stick a few more dollars in their pockets.

Wow.....Bitter? I think that without the cruiseships Cozumel would be a poverty ridden place. I take a cruise every year...Why? so that I can dive 5 different islands in 1 week without having to worry about "no fly" time and accomodations. Whats wrong with staying on a boat and waking up on a different beautiful island every day? I notice you didnt mention the "all inclusive" resorts in Cozumel,or even Cancun. The "free lunch" there is no different than a cruise ship lunch. And to say that Cruiseship divers are "bad divers"??? whats up with that? NO matter what you think people dont take cruises for the "free food" you can get that anywhere. They take it for the reasone I listed above. I believe that oil tankers do more damage yearly to the precious oceans of the world than cruiseships,but yet you drive your car each day Oh and those dive boats you are on need oil too. maybe since you boycott cruiseships because they do damage you should buckle up and not be so hipocritical and boycott oil production as well.

 

[jlayman800]

Whats wrong with staying on a boat and waking up on a different beautiful island every day?

I haven't been able to locate a cruise like the one you describe. Can you give us a recommendation? I really enjoy cruises but haven't found one that caters to divers.

Just as the last poster indicated, I eat like a pig for a week and gain 10 pounds on each cruise. Maybe having a dive-intensive cruise would help with the weight gain.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Just as the last poster indicated, I eat like a pig for a week and gain 10 pounds on each cruise. Maybe having a dive-intensive cruise would help with the weight gain.

Don't count on it ... last month I stayed at CocoView for a week, ate like a pig and put in 26 dives in 6 days ... and gained about 6 lbs ... :11:

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[carldarl]

Gee... I guess I am doing it all wrong. Our dive/cruise trip in February ended with me losing about 4 pounds. The 6 dives I got on 3 different islands must have done something. The one thing I did gain was bottom time without the hassles of driving, flying or dealing with tech wannabe's bashing cruise crusaders like me. Maybe I need to go back, do the trip again and see what I did wrong.

 

[BurBunny]

I haven't been able to locate a cruise like the one you describe. Can you give us a recommendation? I really enjoy cruises but haven't found one that caters to divers.
QUOTE]

Other than luxury lines like Windstar and Star Clippers who truly cater to divers, the key is the itinerary. Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival, for example, have Western Caribbean itineraries which go to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize and Roatan in 7 nights. Or even better, try a Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan. Usually 5 different ports, of which on average 4 have good to excellent diving, such as Curacao, Dominica, etc. Or, if you can take a bit longer and want a combination relaxation with lots of diving, a 10-nighter on Princess or Holland America out of Ft. Lauderdale gives you a couple extra days at sea, but also hits those great Southern Caribbean islands.

The key is to find the itinerary, then set up the dives on your own.

-Amber

 

[tracygibson]

I did the Carnival 7 day Western Caribbean that you mentioned. I was only able to dive Cozumel on our last port day because of a nasty cold I caught a few days before our cruise. Talk about torture. Some of the world's greatest dive spots and I'm stuck on dry land. I went to the ship doctor thinking he could hook me up with some powerful longacting meds...and what does he do? Flags my ship account and cancels my dives. I cooperated until the last day, but then took a cab to a dive shop on the beach at Chakanaab (not the greatest choice). But from what I heard, Roatan and Belize were awesome. A word of advice to all who cruise and dive. If the ship docks in a place where you have to take tenders in (no dock), book your dives through the ship as an excursion. They averaged @ $100 per person (a little more in Belize) but you were the first off the ship and had no worries. If there is a dock, do your research beforehand, and set up your own dives. It's cheaper and they are really flexible plus you dive in smaller groups. But there are dives available at every port from the ship. Just make sure you book them before your cruise on the cruise line's web site because they sell out on the first day of the cruise.

 

[Hank49]

Don't count on it ... ... and gained about 6 lbs ... :11:

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Must have been muscle from lugging your tank and gear out to do the shore dives.