How is Palancar Horseshoe doing?

[mstevens]

In December we ran into patches of very poor visibility at spots along Palancar Horseshoe and Palancar Gardens. This seemed clearly related to freshwater runoff from the island shore due to the very heavy rains - it was possible to see halocline-like optical distortion running in streams from the direction of shore. It seems very unlikely to be from mainland runoff, since that would be an awfully long way for freshwater to travel perpendicular to the prevailing currents without near-total dilution.

It seems very plausible that overgrowth of algae or cyanobacteria could occur in areas of abnormal salinity or concentration of contaminants from runoff, although I can't say I noticed any such areas nor that any show up in our photos.

 

[fishi]

In December we ran into patches of very poor visibility at spots along Palancar Horseshoe and Palancar Gardens. This seemed clearly related to freshwater runoff from the island shore due to the very heavy rains - it was possible to see halocline-like optical distortion running in streams from the direction of shore. It seems very unlikely to be from mainland runoff, since that would be an awfully long way for freshwater to travel perpendicular to the prevailing currents without near-total dilution.

It seems very plausible that overgrowth of algae or cyanobacteria could occur in areas of abnormal salinity or concentration of contaminants from runoff, although I can't say I noticed any such areas nor that any show up in our photos.

What we saw wasn't halocline-like optical distortion. It was slime in the water.

 

[diverokc]

I am a inspector for storm water quality. It could be an alge bloom caused by the runoff of nutrients just like what happens here. I always get up early when im on the island and watch all the locals pouring soap and bleach on their sidewalks and washing it off. Also unsure of regulations for wastewater and all that stuff that could cause problems to. I can only imagine some of the sewer overflows in cozumel. Just wash it off, but it goes somewhere .

 

[Mossman]

I am a inspector for storm water quality. It could be an alge bloom caused by the runoff of nutrients just like what happens here. I always get up early when im on the island and watch all the locals pouring soap and bleach on their sidewalks and washing it off. Also unsure of regulations for wastewater and all that stuff that could cause problems to. I can only imagine some of the sewer overflows in cozumel. Just wash it off, but it goes somewhere .

Add the impact of multiple giant cruise ships to the local pollutants. Cozumel's reefs would be dead if it weren't for the strong currents keeping everything washed clean.

 

[Mike]

Cruise ships? I don't think so. They may impact Cozumel above the surface by dropping 10,000 people into the streets, but the ships themselves being polluters? The local dive industry's outboards have got to be far harder on the waters of Cozumel.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

Right on Mike.

Plus anything they drop in town really goes to Cuba.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

 

[sharky60]

giant algae blooms, cruise ship pollutants, sewage run off...

...last time I was diving on coz the water was clear, warm and the only thing visibly floating in it was plankton...

 

[ibj40]

I've been diving Cozumel since the mid-80's, but don't go back there as often as before. We were on Columbia Shallows in May 2012 after several years' absence, and surprised to notice the same thing, on the Northern end of the dive. I'm not a Marine Biologist (however I do work for an agency that deals with water supply and wastewater treatment), and it was pretty much the same type of organism that is being described here. With the proximity to the multiple AI's down in that area, I was under the impression that it was being fed by nutrient run-off or leaching from their wastewater systems. Wasn't aware that it had moved off shore and infected the outer reefs. Pity!

 

[fishi]

Well it's been a year and the cloud is still there. I see little patches of red slime algae all over Palancar now. I took some video so you can better understand what I'm talking about. We did our safty stop on the edge of the cloud. This cloud seemed a lot cleaner than the one we got into last year. Maybe it's a halocline, and not a algae bloom?


http://vimeo.com/114147851





[video=vimeo;114147851]http://vimeo.com/114147851[/video]

 

[sharky60]

yeah, I've never seen anything like that at Horseshoe, or any other site for that matter.

Possibly could have been an isolated "bloom" that has since died out?