Cozumel palm trees & sand

[jasonX5]

Okay, we all know Wilma caused a lot of damage i.e lost sand and torn up trees. What's Cozumel's plan on replacing palm trees and sand? I assume most beach front property hotels were hit hard in the sand area. Where are they getting the new sand from and when will they be finished?

Without palm trees it won't make Cozumel feel as islandy (is that a word? ) What are their plans for this? Most trees were hit pretty hard from what I understand. How many trees will it take to replace the battered ones and where will they be obtained from?

In short, if anyone knows any logistics and timetables for the trees and sand I would appreciate it.

 

[loudives]

Palms will grow new Branches pretty quick. In DEC I was there and already saw new growth. They also were replacing some that got ripped out along the main tourist street. Don't think that a "battered tree" has to be replaced, I would guess that only about 10% need replacing, 50% are growing new branches, 40% look just fine. There is plenty of sand around the island and the government and private sector were rearranging it also. Most resort hotels were busy rebuilding there beaches and planting new.
Some places don't even look as if they were affected except for loss of leaves. The old trees in the Plaza have been trimmed and now look like Japanese Bonsai trees, They did a good job of saving most of them and making them look good.

MANY REPORTS OF MAJOR DAMAGE ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED ie. "Barracuda hotel completely gone" It was open for business in 4 weeks and is putting in a pool.
My guess is that every thing will be back to normal by mid march. Except El Presidente, now they got really banged up!

 

[opalobsidian]

I am in COZ right now, I think the trees are greening up nicely! -some species are recovering quicker than others, but all of them, like the locals themselves, are getting on with the business of life. I can tell that some palms along the water front have recently been replaced as some still have wrappers on them.

I find the situation in COZ quite inspirational and not in the least depressing, unless the sight of a closed McDonalds gets you all verklempt. It´s wonderful to see all the reconstrucion- everyone busily rebuilding and spiffying. I wish we could get our American towns back on their feet as quickly and optimisticly!!!

Also, quite frankly, I find the ruins of a mall much more interesting than an active one open for business!

Pamela

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Does anyone have any news on the Casa Del Mar, their dive shop, and the surrounding area? Right after Wilma, the whole place looked like it had been hit by a bomb. The actual hotel was fine, with only minor damage, but everything else was devastated. What's up with the docks for the cruise ships? Any plans to repair them? What about the overpass between the Casa Del Mar and the diveshop?

 

[jasonX5]

hmm.. interesting I'm glad the trees can make a recovery. When do you guys project a FULL recovery of Coz??? I mean all piers open, beaches back to their old selves or better, all businesses open, flights returning to normal, Chanakannab reopen etc...

From what I've gathered would it could be Jun-July would this be correct? My final most terrifying question "WHAT IF" another Wilma comes through on next hurricane season????

 

[H20Bubbles]

My final most terrifying question "WHAT IF" another Wilma comes through on next hurricane season????

That is the risk that is taken living in an area that is prone to natural disasters. Would some business close, would some people leave... perhaps. However, given the spirit that Cozumel is showing I would assume that they would pick up the pieces and rebuild again.

If you live your life every day worrying about "what if", what is the purpose of getting out of bed?

 

[Christi]

Okay, we all know Wilma caused a lot of damage i.e lost sand and torn up trees. What's Cozumel's plan on replacing palm trees and sand? I assume most beach front property hotels were hit hard in the sand area. Where are they getting the new sand from and when will they be finished?

Without palm trees it won't make Cozumel feel as islandy (is that a word? ) What are their plans for this? Most trees were hit pretty hard from what I understand. How many trees will it take to replace the battered ones and where will they be obtained from?

In short, if anyone knows any logistics and timetables for the trees and sand I would appreciate it.

Just a few comments/thoughts because all of these questions have been covered over and over again...except for the Palm Tree question...and I like palm trees too

Also, see Gordon's thread "Cozumel Currently" for his most excellent assessment...others have chimed in as well. Diveborg posted some really good stuff about his recent trip as well...sorry, I'm too tired to do a search and find the links for you right now

Palm Trees:
Have you ever wondered why palm trees are so prevalent on islands and coastal areas? Well, I decided it's because they are tough resilient little buggers and can withstand strong winds, salty air, intense sun, etc. etc. That's my non-expert opinion

After Emily, alot of them were knocked over, but they propped them right back up and it was as if nothing ever happened to them. Wilma of course took more of a toll on them and we did lose many...but the palm trees along the main roads and waterfront were replaced almost immediately....with some cute baby palms which grow incredibly fast.

In general:
The island is already almost completely back to normal as discussed in numerous trip reports and by several of us locals. The only thing still really lacking are the bigger resorts, and regular flight schedules by some airlines and charter companies, and of course the busy flow of visitors that we typically have this time of year. Continental has of course stepped up to the plate and has been flying daily flights from Houston since Christmas. Beaches are slowly coming back...diving is remodeled but still great...and the people are happier to see you than ever.

Bubbles, thank you for the kind words about the island and the people...so very true...you can't keep Cozumel down for long! It's true that there are risks in living where we do...but NOTHING could have prepared us for Wilma...not even the experts predicted her to do what she did.

We had a bad year...double whammy with Emily and Wilma...but it's only made the island stronger and new and improved when it's all back up!

Jason...don't worry about "what if” We WILL have another hurricane, it's just "when?" Prior to Emily, it had been 10 years (Roxanne, 1995 - Cat 3/4) prior to those 7 years (Gilbert, 1988 - Cat. 5)

Come on down and enjoy your trip and enjoy the SPIRIT and beauty of Cozumel...I promise you won't feel anything else like it

:wave-smil​

 

[jasonX5]

Just a few comments/thoughts because all of these questions have been covered over and over again...except for the Palm Tree question...and I like palm trees too

Also, see Gordon's thread "Cozumel Currently" for his most excellent assessment...others have chimed in as well. Diveborg posted some really good stuff about his recent trip as well...sorry, I'm too tired to do a search and find the links for you right now

Palm Trees:
Have you ever wondered why palm trees are so prevalent on islands and coastal areas? Well, I decided it's because they are tough resilient little buggers and can withstand strong winds, salty air, intense sun, etc. etc. That's my non-expert opinion

After Emily, alot of them were knocked over, but they propped them right back up and it was as if nothing ever happened to them. Wilma of course took more of a toll on them and we did lose many...but the palm trees along the main roads and waterfront were replaced almost immediately....with some cute baby palms which grow incredibly fast.

In general:
The island is already almost completely back to normal as discussed in numerous trip reports and by several of us locals. The only thing still really lacking are the bigger resorts, and regular flight schedules by some airlines and charter companies, and of course the busy flow of visitors that we typically have this time of year. Continental has of course stepped up to the plate and has been flying daily flights from Houston since Christmas. Beaches are slowly coming back...diving is remodeled but still great...and the people are happier to see you than ever.

Bubbles, thank you for the kind words about the island and the people...so very true...you can't keep Cozumel down for long! It's true that there are risks in living where we do...but NOTHING could have prepared us for Wilma...not even the experts predicted her to do what she did.

We had a bad year...double whammy with Emily and Wilma...but it's only made the island stronger and new and improved when it's all back up!

Jason...don't worry about "what if” We WILL have another hurricane, it's just "when?" Prior to Emily, it had been 10 years (Roxanne, 1995 - Cat 3/4) prior to those 7 years (Gilbert, 1988 - Cat. 5)

Come on down and enjoy your trip and enjoy the SPIRIT and beauty of Cozumel...I promise you won't feel anything else like it

:wave-smil​

Thanks for your reply Christi. I'm going to try and come down asap!! Viva Cozumel

 

[halocline]

Does anyone have any news on the Casa Del Mar, their dive shop, and the surrounding area? Right after Wilma, the whole place looked like it had been hit by a bomb. The actual hotel was fine, with only minor damage, but everything else was devastated. What's up with the docks for the cruise ships? Any plans to repair them? What about the overpass between the Casa Del Mar and the diveshop?

Yep, I just got back from staying right next door to Casa del Mar. The hotel is supposedly opening pretty soon, maybe within a week or two, for sure by the end of the month. The outside walls for the Del Mar Aquatics building are still there, but I'm having trouble picturing the whole dive shop building right now, because scubashack WAS attached to it but is now a pile of rubble, and that's what's in my memory. There was a worker clearing out the debris all week. The pier on the north side of Del Mar is fine and I jumped off it for shore dives; only 20 yards or so from the old scubashack pier which was also destroyed. I guess Del Mar lost a lot of tanks and probably some gear; lots of dive shops in the area lost tanks but are just renting. Scubashack is now operating out of the Village Tankah (where I stayed) just across the street. The overpass is still there, but the stairs leading down to the side walk are gone.

The cruise ship piers at La Ceiba, as I'm sure you've read, are badly damaged, all cruise ships are using tenders to transport passengers to shore. You can bet they'll rebuild those ASAP, but funny, I did not notice anyone working on them. La Ceiba is under construction, and there's a lot of condo construction just across the street and a little south. Ernesto's is rebuilding too; they were working on the palapa while I was there and doing some work on the shore on the south side of the building. There's a little cove there for entry/exit for shore dives; I did a night dive there on Friday when the harbor was closed and it was pretty choppy; getting out was a little challenging but not too bad.

 

[jawfish]

Cozumel is not just a destination, it is a "state of mind" and one of the coolest places to dive!