Hello and Hurricane Updates from Christi's house in Cozumel...

[Moodiejeff]

I am thoroughly confused.

No doubt

 

[pilot fish]

Christi said that everything is getting covered with mold. The sun is now out and the water is receeding and with no power there is very little ventilation so the moild is growing on everything.

Since I have allergies to mold, mold spores and dust, effects respitory and eyes, this has me concerned. I really want to rebook so I hope the mold takes a hike. Is that possible in 4 weeks? Chilling and patiently waiting for good news. Is THAT possible?

 

[pilot fish]

No doubt

And you would like to unconfuse me?

 

[chuck86]

You are right!!! You are thourghly confused!!! No I am not Christi's mom I am a really good friend of Christi's and her mother and I have been in comunication with each other.

 

[chuck86]

Since I have allergies to mold, mold spores and dust, effects respitory and eyes, this has me concerned. I really want to rebook so I hope the mold takes a hike. Is that possible in 4 weeks? Chilling and patiently waiting for good news. Is THAT possible?

After what I have seen in the pictures coming out of Cozumel, I would say that you might as well be lookin at sometime after the first of the year. I would almost bet that they don't have electricity for 3 to 5 weeks.

 

[SadiesMom]

I need a little clarification here, if possible...

We have a trip scheduled with Christi on Dec 17-23rd. We were to stay in the Casa Mexicana, which from an Aldora post is reported to be open even now running on generators. I feel confident that if the CM is open now, it will be available in 2 more months.

From the above post, am I to assume that Christi won't be in a position to take out divers for 4-5 months? If that is the case, then I need to make other arrangements immediately. (the deposit is not an issue)

I suppose I should wait and see what shakes out of all of this, but if it is clear there is no way Christi can be ready in 2 months then there is no point in delaying changing plans.


Advice?

WOAH!!! That's not at all what I said! Christi's concern is handling people who cancel, not that she can't take out divers. In fact, Shamu (Christi's boat) came through fairly well...the hull was intact with only a few dings from flying objects and her motor may or may not have been submerged...that has yet to be determined. If it was, then she'll have to do some work on the motor, but she'll get that done as quickly as possible to get Shamu back in the water and take care of her divers.

As long as there are hotels for people to stay in, Christi will be ready to take out divers. Her concern was primarily that so many hotels were damaged. Please DO NOT cancel ANY RESERVATIONS with ANY dive op until you've confirmed with them their ability to take you as scheduled! I have no doubt whatsoever that your trip in December with Christi will be on as planned...

 

[mattmexico]

WOAH!!! That's not at all what I said! Christi's concern is handling people who cancel, not that she can't take out divers. In fact, Shamu (Christi's boat) came through fairly well...the hull was intact with only a few dings from flying objects and her motor may or may not have been submerged...that has yet to be determined. If it was, then she'll have to do some work on the motor, but she'll get that done as quickly as possible to get Shamu back in the water and take care of her divers.

As long as there are hotels for people to stay in, Christi will be ready to take out divers. Her concern was primarily that so many hotels were damaged. Please DO NOT cancel ANY RESERVATIONS with ANY dive op until you've confirmed with them their ability to take you as scheduled! I have no doubt whatsoever that your trip in December with Christi will be on as planned...

Special Bulletin – Hurricane Wilma

ProTec Newsletter October 2005



With great sadness I am writing these lines about Hurricane Wilma. The ProTec Newsletter can be subscribed and un-subscribed on our www.protecdiving.com web page, front page in the lower right corner. So please let your friends know that they can receive our Newsletter or if you don’t like to get it please do not hesitate to un-subscribe.



Thanks you for continued support.

ProTec Team


Here is the latest news as of Monday, October 24th, 19:00
Hurricane Wilma has hit the Riviera Maya hard. The eye of the hurricane came through Cozumel and Playa del Carmen on Friday evening 23:00. The storm was big and very slow with lots of rain. Large parts of towns and roads where or are still flooded. Today was a beautiful day, sunshine and a flat ocean.

Cozumel
Cozumel took a direct hit. Its been hit hard. The car ferry got immobilized just prior to the storm and stranded in Chinchorro bank, leaving no ferry transport for help or electricity workers to get to Cozumel. Three cruise ship piers have been badly damages or a partially gone. The caletta marina was badly hit with a lot of boats sitting in it. The northern marina was hit hard and is partially gone. I fear for the worst there, I would assume a lot of schools have been hit there too, destroying the infrastructure to teach the kids.

Puerto Aventuras
Puerto Aventuras got hit again as with Emily with a lot of damage, powerloss, trees, to condos, houses and buildings and 10 smaller boats sunk in the marina. I have not been in the Poblado yet but hope that the damage there is not too bad.

Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen took a direct hit and its been hit hard. 5th avenue is damaged glass and palapas. Ocean side buildings are flooded with a couple of feet of sand. Mamitas beach club has been hard but will be rebuilt I am sure. In Playacar beach side buildings have lost there foundations, the beach road is gone at parts. Two planes on the airport flipped. A large number of building is damaged beyond repair. The Super San Francisco Supermarket lost a entire wall.



The good news. Since you are reading this newsletter I had to have electricity and internet access. Amazing how fast parts of town got power back. Utility and emergency crews working restless to restore power and water. Security forces showing presence. Neighbors helping each other, restaurants and stores are open. No gasoline though but since we have partially electricity it can't be far away.



Puerto Morelos
Puerto Morelos got hit hard. The road between Puerto Morelos and Cancun is closed since a large section of it is flooded completely. The road from the gas station to Puerto Morelos proper is flooded too. The gas station is working though. Quite a few of the large power towers are broken. A lot of the palapa roofing is gone but restaurants and stores are open



Cancun
Cancun took a direct hit. The airport is closed but is supposed to be back open by Wednesday. We heard reports that the lagoon in the hotel zone connected with the ocean on the locations. We heard as well that there where some riots, martial law has been declared in Cancun and a curfew is in place. The hotel zone is largely damaged and flooded, the inner town areas are damaged too.



Akumal, Tulum
Small damage only, have not been there, heard its still going, they selling gasoline in Tulum

Whats gonna happen ....
I am not the greatest optimist on the planet but for Tulum, Akumal, Puerto Aventuras and Playa del Carmen I can see its gonna bounce back pretty soon. The way things do improve and the ferocity of the emergency work force to bring it back will succeed pretty fast. There will be areas that will take some more time but in general I am looking optimistic into the future.

ProTec is open, we are diving the caves but the ocean diving is gonna take a while to come back, mostly the boats into the ocean and gasoline.
Just because we got hit by a hurricane we did not disappear, neither a lot of the other dive shops or hotels in the area.

Having just been through the hurricane and its aftermath I am looking far north to Florida where a lot of our friends are just happened to be in the way of windy Wilma. Our thoughts are with you guys and gals.


As always if you are close by and want to chat or give us a call or email please feel free to do so.

info@protecdiving.com
0052-984-8031168

Your ProTec Team

 

[chuck86]

I totally agree!! No one should cancel anything until they have talked to the op and are sure that it can or can not be done. These people will really surprise you in the line of getting things done.

Everybody just needs to step back and take a deep breath and give these people some time. As soon as they can and as soon as they have the ability they will answer any and all questions. But first they must do the things they need to do just to survive like eat and drink water and rest. They have been through a big ordeal, lets all give them a chance to get their stuff together.

 

[wb416]

I totally agree!! No one should cancel anything until they have talked to the op and are sure that it can or can not be done. These people will really surprise you in the line of getting things done.

Everybody just needs to step back and take a deep breath and give these people some time. As soon as they can and as soon as they have the ability they will answer any and all questions. But first they must do the things they need to do just to survive like eat and drink water and rest. They have been through a big ordeal, lets all give them a chance to get their stuff together.

Just gotta love mob frenzy.... like you said... give 'em time, and if original accomodations were damaged, perhaps those with "eyes on sight" can help direct vacationers to things that are functional. But yeh... let them have some breathing (and sleeping) room first.

 

[pilot fish]

After what I have seen in the pictures coming out of Cozumel, I would say that you might as well be lookin at sometime after the first of the year. I would almost bet that they don't have electricity for 3 to 5 weeks.

Thanks Chuck. From what I'm hearing from you, and Christ thru you, it looks dire in the short run - months. Maybe I should cancel out completely.