scubacoz22
Contributor
I got this off the aldora website today www.Aldora.com anyway thought yall might be interested in what it says. Kathy in Texas
Hurricane Wilma Wrap Up
January 6, 2006
In late October 2005 Hurricane Wilma greatly affected most all of the northern Yucatan Peninsula, causing serious and in some cases long lasting damage to many areas-- especially the waterfront properties on the island of Cozumel. In addition, the underwater areas of most interest to scuba divers and snorkelers also suffered various effects of the large waves that accompanied the storm. We will try to discuss those affects of the storm and the recovery.
First, almost all waterfront properties suffered damage. This included as well the downtown shops just across the street from the waters edge. Many piers were damaged or destroyed and about ½ of all boats were as well. One saving grace was that the Ferry Pier was saved from major impact and in the aftermath was immediately available for the recovery effort.
That recovery was absolutely amazing, as just about everyone on the island pitched in. By 2 weeks after the eye of Wilma left Cozumel most dive boats were back in operation and by November 14th the downtown was back in operation and the island was able to host cruise ships. To put this in perspective, the Category 5 Wilma, -the strongest hurricane every recorded in the Atlantic basin- sat directly on Cozumel for 30 hours. Several years earlier a Category 3 storm hit Grand Cayman for 8 hours and they were not able to recover for 1 whole year! By Christmas most all of the island has been restored with the exception of some of the very large waterfront hotels who are probably involved in insurance disputes or taking the opportunity to do major remodeling. All of the popular restaurants and bars are open including all hotels near town and the waterfront Villa Aldora. At this time, the reality is that above the water it would take someone very familiar with Cozumel to note the changes.
The availability of air transportation is another issue. Given that there were highly sensationalized reports of damage to Cozumel many people cancelled plans, thus the demand for airline seats did not return to levels that would make the routes profitable for the airlines. Some of the airlines handled the cancellations better than others but given the high cost of fuel and the ill health of the airline industry it is difficult to blame them totally. As the New Year opened Mexicana and Continental had resumed daily service and American Airlines and Delta had resumed service on some days. It is expected that by February all airlines previously serving Cozumel will be back to daily schedules. But to get to Cozumel many have reverted to what has always been a good alternative, flying into Cancun and taking the ferry over. Other sections of this web page provide advice on that path.
As for diving the good news is that not much has changed. The deeper reefs are actually more interesting now as the big waves moved sand that had accumulated over the centuries and new and bigger swim throughs have emerged. Indeed the bottoms of the big coral heads now have a 6-foot high white band of newly exposed surface. And there is no shortage of fish life. For the shallower dive sites there has been damage to the coral head tops, especially to lettuce and finger corals. But to those not very familiar with the reefs, they would not notice much of anything amiss. Immediately after diving resumed the authorities stopped diving on some reefs, and night dives but those temporary measures have expired and we are diving as normal.
The hardest hit underwater locations are as expected, the very shallow snorkeling sites, typically 10-15 feet of water. In some areas it is reported that formerly popular snorkeling sites look like cleaned pavement. On the other hand, there do remain some excellent places to snorkel in Cozumel, it is just that the mass market tours on huge boats will not be able to go there. In particular, the mini-wall snorkeling in front of the Villa Aldora and Coral Princess hotels is spectacular and actually better than before due to increased depth and new habitat for fish.
An inconvenience for some will be the loading of dive boats which no longer have access to piers. We understand that the Hotel Cozumel pier is back in operation as is the Aldora Pier downtown and the dock at the Villa Aldora. But for others, they will have to load the dive boats at Calleta Harbor under pretty ugly conditions which at least require a taxi ride from anywhere.
In summary, the diving in Cozumel is changed a little but is certainly not destroyed or even seriously damaged. There are still lots of marine life with no discernable reduction, and the walls and huge coral heads are more interesting than before. But the is a significant reduction in the opportunity for snorkeling, at least in the easy to reach, mass market areas. The only lingering affect above the water will be a temporary reduction in the availability of hotels and airline flights into Cozumel.
If you have any questions regarding Wilma Recovery Information, please feel free to send us an e-mail using the e-mail link below.
Wilma Recovery Information
Hurricane Wilma Wrap Up
January 6, 2006
In late October 2005 Hurricane Wilma greatly affected most all of the northern Yucatan Peninsula, causing serious and in some cases long lasting damage to many areas-- especially the waterfront properties on the island of Cozumel. In addition, the underwater areas of most interest to scuba divers and snorkelers also suffered various effects of the large waves that accompanied the storm. We will try to discuss those affects of the storm and the recovery.
First, almost all waterfront properties suffered damage. This included as well the downtown shops just across the street from the waters edge. Many piers were damaged or destroyed and about ½ of all boats were as well. One saving grace was that the Ferry Pier was saved from major impact and in the aftermath was immediately available for the recovery effort.
That recovery was absolutely amazing, as just about everyone on the island pitched in. By 2 weeks after the eye of Wilma left Cozumel most dive boats were back in operation and by November 14th the downtown was back in operation and the island was able to host cruise ships. To put this in perspective, the Category 5 Wilma, -the strongest hurricane every recorded in the Atlantic basin- sat directly on Cozumel for 30 hours. Several years earlier a Category 3 storm hit Grand Cayman for 8 hours and they were not able to recover for 1 whole year! By Christmas most all of the island has been restored with the exception of some of the very large waterfront hotels who are probably involved in insurance disputes or taking the opportunity to do major remodeling. All of the popular restaurants and bars are open including all hotels near town and the waterfront Villa Aldora. At this time, the reality is that above the water it would take someone very familiar with Cozumel to note the changes.
The availability of air transportation is another issue. Given that there were highly sensationalized reports of damage to Cozumel many people cancelled plans, thus the demand for airline seats did not return to levels that would make the routes profitable for the airlines. Some of the airlines handled the cancellations better than others but given the high cost of fuel and the ill health of the airline industry it is difficult to blame them totally. As the New Year opened Mexicana and Continental had resumed daily service and American Airlines and Delta had resumed service on some days. It is expected that by February all airlines previously serving Cozumel will be back to daily schedules. But to get to Cozumel many have reverted to what has always been a good alternative, flying into Cancun and taking the ferry over. Other sections of this web page provide advice on that path.
As for diving the good news is that not much has changed. The deeper reefs are actually more interesting now as the big waves moved sand that had accumulated over the centuries and new and bigger swim throughs have emerged. Indeed the bottoms of the big coral heads now have a 6-foot high white band of newly exposed surface. And there is no shortage of fish life. For the shallower dive sites there has been damage to the coral head tops, especially to lettuce and finger corals. But to those not very familiar with the reefs, they would not notice much of anything amiss. Immediately after diving resumed the authorities stopped diving on some reefs, and night dives but those temporary measures have expired and we are diving as normal.
The hardest hit underwater locations are as expected, the very shallow snorkeling sites, typically 10-15 feet of water. In some areas it is reported that formerly popular snorkeling sites look like cleaned pavement. On the other hand, there do remain some excellent places to snorkel in Cozumel, it is just that the mass market tours on huge boats will not be able to go there. In particular, the mini-wall snorkeling in front of the Villa Aldora and Coral Princess hotels is spectacular and actually better than before due to increased depth and new habitat for fish.
An inconvenience for some will be the loading of dive boats which no longer have access to piers. We understand that the Hotel Cozumel pier is back in operation as is the Aldora Pier downtown and the dock at the Villa Aldora. But for others, they will have to load the dive boats at Calleta Harbor under pretty ugly conditions which at least require a taxi ride from anywhere.
In summary, the diving in Cozumel is changed a little but is certainly not destroyed or even seriously damaged. There are still lots of marine life with no discernable reduction, and the walls and huge coral heads are more interesting than before. But the is a significant reduction in the opportunity for snorkeling, at least in the easy to reach, mass market areas. The only lingering affect above the water will be a temporary reduction in the availability of hotels and airline flights into Cozumel.
If you have any questions regarding Wilma Recovery Information, please feel free to send us an e-mail using the e-mail link below.
Wilma Recovery Information