TripAdvisor is just another Russian style troll farm/whore house, too contaminated to sift the legit from the bogus. I give far more credence to fellow Scubaboarders or Undercurrent.org.
Uh.... Undercurrent? Yea you might want to rethink them. They recently posted and emailed their 'expertise' on the subject:
"
Cozumel Closes Down Part of its Marine Park:
How it May Affect You
The southern part of Cozumel Marine Park will be closed beginning October 7 until at least January, seriously limiting where dive boats can go. If you’re thinking about a trip to Cozumel, you may wish to reconsider. If you already have plans, you may wish to contact your dive operator to see how the closures will affect your diving.
The Marine Park includes the southwest quadrant of the island’s coast. The harder-to-reach northern and eastern sites will still be open, but, because of strong currents, only experienced divers prepared to make what can be lengthy and arduous boat journeys in rough water should consider diving these sites. These include the sites from El Mirador on the more exposed east coast, to Baja de Molas at the most northerly point.
The areas where most diving in Cozumel occurs -- from Palancar Gardens (on Cozumel’s southwest quadrant) to Maracaibo, and Playa Bosh in the extreme south (including dive sites Columbia, Punta Sur, and El Cielo) will be closed so government scientists may investigate the causes of ‘white syndrome’ affecting hard corals there and gauge the amounts and effects of pollution discharged by the large hotels that border the marine park.
Local dive operators say popular sites that can still be accessed by dive boats include Barracuda Reef on the extreme northwest coast, the wreck of the C-52, Tormentos Reef, San Francisco Reef, Santa Rosa, El Cedral, and Punta Delila on the west coast.
White syndrome starts with the coral showing well-defined areas of whitening, which then expand and, apparently spread to all other coral colonies by contact, mainly through divers touching infected coral during dives. Otherwise known as stony coral tissue loss disease, it’s affecting reefs in Florida too (Undercurrent April 2019).
If you have plans to go to Cozumel, contact your travel agent or dive operator on Cozumel."
So I, I think, politely mentioned some mistakes:
I am a frequent Coz diver. In fact I have close to 500 dives and all but 4 check out dives have been in Cozumel. I had to question a few things in your recent email. I don't know that it is fair to say 'most diving' occurs in the closed area. Yea Columbia and Palancar get a lot of first dives in a 2 tank trips, but there on lots of people diving the other sites. I think the more southern sites are not as heavily hit. Punta sur, the Maricabos and such are deeper, so new or occasional diver are going there as much. Even Maricabo shallows, isn't. You mention El Cielo. That isnt a dive site. Its a shelf of white sand with starfish where party boats go and people stand in the water with chips and guac. Now the northern sites outside the part get a lot less action as the are kind of advanced, at least the common ones. Aldora has staked out some less advanced sites, but they do require more care as they are more remote. Loose a motor down south and you drift to down to town. Lose one up north you drift to Cuba. However, my opinion is the sites in the park that are still open are terrific. I love Paso del Cedral and wall. Flying along the pass is a really fun dive where you cover a lot of ground and see a lot of stuff. And the rest have a lot to recommend them. So much so that I don't see a lot of the north sites or east side getting a lot more activity. Its a lot more work to get to them.
Now on your remarks on SCTLD, I have not read anything that says it is mostly spread by divers. Is there research to back that up? What I read it they don't know but suspect runoff and pollution and temperature might make coral more susceptible to it. I haven't heard of anyone else closing reefs to protect coral. Heck, I think the Marine Park kind of admits they don't know that this does any good, but they want to try 'something' and see. I feel it is kind of a PR campaign and the plan is very likely gonna change. There is apparently an issue that Coz collect a ton of marine park user fees that go to Mexico City to support all the National Parks, but Coz doesn't get back nearly what they send it. Its Mexico and these things happen. Especially with an article like yours, the diver dollars might start weight on the hotels and restaurants and if they get upset, the powers that be likely will bow to pressure.
I am all for saving and helping the reefs, but I don't know there is an answer. FL hasn't found one, have they? Anyway, I will still be diving Coz repeatedly. In fact we go home a week ago and we just decided to pop back this Wednesday to grab some dives in the closure area before it closed. And I will be back in December and happily dive whatever is open. I am amazed and delighted by everything I see in every site. I can't compare it outside Cozumel as I have no experience, but I also haven't felt the need either! Oh and is the C-53. The wreck dive on the Felipe Xicotencatl. I thought that dive was getting a little bored with it after 2 dives over 10 years. I took my niece back this summer as she wanted to see it. However, in a swim through it I found a school of glassy sweepers hanging out. I could have watched them all day. Anyway, I thought I would share a reg Coz divers perspective on things on what might have been a little unfair to Coz diving. "
