scubacoz22
Contributor
Here is the latest Cozumel update. Kathy in Texas
October 27, 2005
Using our Cozumel Staff and a reliable phone link I have been working on getting status information on as many hotels and locations as I can. But it is impossible to get many of the details being asked for and predicting when damaged hotels might open would be ridiculous. I would like to offer some general guidelines for consideration which will be condensed into Dave's Rules.
1. All photos that you see on the web are the ones showing the most devastation. Nobody takes a picture of something that is OK and there is a lot of Cozumel that is still OK. And most of you know how hard working and industrious the Cozumelenos are so Dave's rule #1 is: Believe that there is still a lot left in Cozumel, and what is a mess, will soon be cleaned up.
2. Most serious and long lasting damage from this hurricane was the duration of wave action. It should then be obvious that proximity to the water and height above the water are major determinants of damage. If one is worried about a hotel that is right on the water, or between the main road and the water, there should be serious concern about the possibility of reopening in the short term. Hotel Presidente has announced a planned January 31st opening, Melia Mayan has announced that they will be closed at least 3 months as has Caribe Blu and others. The Fiesta Americana has announced a December 15th opening. I suspect however that some of them may never reopen.
Now, you should keep in mind that there are many hotels with minimal damage that are going to stay closed until the end of the money losing low season and must use the hurricane as an excuse. Or some may be negotiating with insurance companies by staying closed to protect possible compensation. After all, it is low season and even in normal times they are losing money by staying open.
So, Dave's rule number 2 is to expect that waterfront hotels may not be available until after the New Year, and apply reasonable skepticism to any other claims.
3. There are many hotels that ought to be open soon and even quasi waterfront ones like the Hotel Cozumel, Coral Princess, Fiesta Americana and Villa Blanca that should be able to overcome the minimal damage they suffered. Virtually all of the downtown hotels could be open tomorrow if power is restored.
Dave's rule #3 is to be suspicious of waterfront hotels being opened any time soon, but expect all off the water hotels to be able to open very soon.
4. Businesses off the main street can be in full operation as soon as power is restored. These include most of the favorite restaurants such as Prima, LaChoza, El Capi Navigante. And regardless of posts about being unable to get food, that was a very short term problem and will be solved very quickly if it is not already. Dave's rule #4 is to expect that you will be able to visit most of your favorite places in Cozumel.
5. The major factor in the restoration of the normal infrastructure, and the ability to provide a quality vacation will be the electrical power. Indeed, by Wednesday night power was restored to the Chedraui supermarket and portions of the Corpus Christi area. The Mexicans know that tourism is the life blood of Cozumel and a major source of income to the country overall so there will be a massive effort to get things back in order. Perhaps a more important factor is that the Governor of the State of Quintana Roo is a former Mayor of Cozumel and all of his family and friends live in Cozumel--they will not let Cozumel be forgotten. The preliminary anouncement was that power will be restored to all of the island within 45 days, but that means every last palapa in the jungle. The priority will of course be the business areas. Dave's rule #5 is that you should wait for power to be restored before coming to Cozumel, but expect that it is possible any time after November 15th.
6. There have been many dive shops that have suffered damage to both boats and facilities. But sinking a boat is not the calamity that many envision. In the case of outboard powered boats it is pretty simple. We at Aldora over the years have had 4 or 5 cases of boats going down and in most cases we were able to get them running and working again in a matter of a few days or less (one time 3 hours later). Those with diesel inboards are more complex and may be complicated by the shear numbers that have to be fixed, but they will be. As long as the hull of the boat was not cracked open repairs should be able to be done in fairly short order.
As for facilities being damaged, that is easily overcome in many cases. Indeed, for our first 3 years of operation, Aldora Divers did not even have a facility. For many shops the tanks are just rented on a daily basis from the compressor shop and maintenance and gear is stored off the water. It is my opinion that most dive shops will be physically able to be back in operation very soon.
Financial problems are another issue though. While physically able, many shops have just finished a very low season in which most of their financial reserves needed for survival were already eaten up by the recovery from hurricane Emily in July. Whether they have the resources to pay for repairing damages and stay in business is another question.
Given all that, it is possible that the availability of dive boats may be limited in the near term so Dave's Rule #6 is to make assured dive reservations before coming to Cozumel.
7. There have been many posts by concerned people about ways to help their friends and the generally wonderful people of Cozumel. I think the absolute best way to do so is to plan a trip here and make it soon and frequent. Your presence is all these people need, that is work and they know how to do that. And I sincerely believe that you will find the experience to be better than ever before. Sure there will still be lingering damage to look at, and you may not be able to do everything like you used to, or your favorite beachfront hotel may never open again, but in every cloud there is a silver lining.
At least for a while, the thundering herd of cruise ship weenies may no longer be there in such numbers, the reefs will be less crowded, everyone you see will be grateful for your presence, and you can feel very good about helping the people restore their lives, and become a part of creating the new, old Cozumel. Dave's rule #7? Come down and figure it out your own!
Any questions regarding Wilma, follow this link
Regards
Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers
October 27, 2005
Using our Cozumel Staff and a reliable phone link I have been working on getting status information on as many hotels and locations as I can. But it is impossible to get many of the details being asked for and predicting when damaged hotels might open would be ridiculous. I would like to offer some general guidelines for consideration which will be condensed into Dave's Rules.
1. All photos that you see on the web are the ones showing the most devastation. Nobody takes a picture of something that is OK and there is a lot of Cozumel that is still OK. And most of you know how hard working and industrious the Cozumelenos are so Dave's rule #1 is: Believe that there is still a lot left in Cozumel, and what is a mess, will soon be cleaned up.
2. Most serious and long lasting damage from this hurricane was the duration of wave action. It should then be obvious that proximity to the water and height above the water are major determinants of damage. If one is worried about a hotel that is right on the water, or between the main road and the water, there should be serious concern about the possibility of reopening in the short term. Hotel Presidente has announced a planned January 31st opening, Melia Mayan has announced that they will be closed at least 3 months as has Caribe Blu and others. The Fiesta Americana has announced a December 15th opening. I suspect however that some of them may never reopen.
Now, you should keep in mind that there are many hotels with minimal damage that are going to stay closed until the end of the money losing low season and must use the hurricane as an excuse. Or some may be negotiating with insurance companies by staying closed to protect possible compensation. After all, it is low season and even in normal times they are losing money by staying open.
So, Dave's rule number 2 is to expect that waterfront hotels may not be available until after the New Year, and apply reasonable skepticism to any other claims.
3. There are many hotels that ought to be open soon and even quasi waterfront ones like the Hotel Cozumel, Coral Princess, Fiesta Americana and Villa Blanca that should be able to overcome the minimal damage they suffered. Virtually all of the downtown hotels could be open tomorrow if power is restored.
Dave's rule #3 is to be suspicious of waterfront hotels being opened any time soon, but expect all off the water hotels to be able to open very soon.
4. Businesses off the main street can be in full operation as soon as power is restored. These include most of the favorite restaurants such as Prima, LaChoza, El Capi Navigante. And regardless of posts about being unable to get food, that was a very short term problem and will be solved very quickly if it is not already. Dave's rule #4 is to expect that you will be able to visit most of your favorite places in Cozumel.
5. The major factor in the restoration of the normal infrastructure, and the ability to provide a quality vacation will be the electrical power. Indeed, by Wednesday night power was restored to the Chedraui supermarket and portions of the Corpus Christi area. The Mexicans know that tourism is the life blood of Cozumel and a major source of income to the country overall so there will be a massive effort to get things back in order. Perhaps a more important factor is that the Governor of the State of Quintana Roo is a former Mayor of Cozumel and all of his family and friends live in Cozumel--they will not let Cozumel be forgotten. The preliminary anouncement was that power will be restored to all of the island within 45 days, but that means every last palapa in the jungle. The priority will of course be the business areas. Dave's rule #5 is that you should wait for power to be restored before coming to Cozumel, but expect that it is possible any time after November 15th.
6. There have been many dive shops that have suffered damage to both boats and facilities. But sinking a boat is not the calamity that many envision. In the case of outboard powered boats it is pretty simple. We at Aldora over the years have had 4 or 5 cases of boats going down and in most cases we were able to get them running and working again in a matter of a few days or less (one time 3 hours later). Those with diesel inboards are more complex and may be complicated by the shear numbers that have to be fixed, but they will be. As long as the hull of the boat was not cracked open repairs should be able to be done in fairly short order.
As for facilities being damaged, that is easily overcome in many cases. Indeed, for our first 3 years of operation, Aldora Divers did not even have a facility. For many shops the tanks are just rented on a daily basis from the compressor shop and maintenance and gear is stored off the water. It is my opinion that most dive shops will be physically able to be back in operation very soon.
Financial problems are another issue though. While physically able, many shops have just finished a very low season in which most of their financial reserves needed for survival were already eaten up by the recovery from hurricane Emily in July. Whether they have the resources to pay for repairing damages and stay in business is another question.
Given all that, it is possible that the availability of dive boats may be limited in the near term so Dave's Rule #6 is to make assured dive reservations before coming to Cozumel.
7. There have been many posts by concerned people about ways to help their friends and the generally wonderful people of Cozumel. I think the absolute best way to do so is to plan a trip here and make it soon and frequent. Your presence is all these people need, that is work and they know how to do that. And I sincerely believe that you will find the experience to be better than ever before. Sure there will still be lingering damage to look at, and you may not be able to do everything like you used to, or your favorite beachfront hotel may never open again, but in every cloud there is a silver lining.
At least for a while, the thundering herd of cruise ship weenies may no longer be there in such numbers, the reefs will be less crowded, everyone you see will be grateful for your presence, and you can feel very good about helping the people restore their lives, and become a part of creating the new, old Cozumel. Dave's rule #7? Come down and figure it out your own!
Any questions regarding Wilma, follow this link
Regards
Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers
The really bad thing about Chakanaab is they just got done rebuilding from Emily, I hope the owners have deep pockets and can rebuild.....
