Paradise Reef, overexploited

[WSOPFAN]

This should not surprise anyone........been happening for a long time and digging open that new Marina is making it worse.

Por Esto! | Yucatán

COZUMEL, January 27 .- The reef "Paradise" is damaged by excessive incursion of tourists, besides the visit of people furtively, giving rise to step up surveillance to prevent damage to the marine ecosystem, and aims to reduce the number of visits, reports Ricardo Gómez Lozano, director of the Cozumel Reefs National Marine Park.
He reported that currently reefs and Chankanaab Paradise, located south of the island and at points close to the city, are the most visited daily for up to 700 thousand people a day in high season there are boats that sometimes arriving at this point two times a day and even three times and at least 500 thousand visitors are received daily in low season, which has produced the pair of reefs are the most "pressured", but especially Paradise by the constant visitor traffic at times during water activities with fins hit the reef.
He said that the coral reefs farther south do not suffer from this "pressure", because its very remoteness does not allow the easy to reach, whereas the two mentioned above are visited by people who sometimes furtively damage this barrier reef This has led to the Marine Park authorities interposed Profepa complaints and the PGR, which until last year opened 22 cases against people who caused some damage to the reefs.
Add that have seats in 236 4 000 vessels authorized to enter this coast, and will analyze the possibility of reducing the register of visitors and to find a dealer that is causing the misuse of your permit you may be removed.
"The Paradise reef is in very poor condition.Although a healthy reef can recover alone, but we need to regulate the inflow to not keep pushing, "he said.
To reduce the number of visits to the reef to keep Paradise is laudable, but it is known that this particular reef is exposed to contamination with stone material, specifically sascab, derived from marine Fonatur is built a few meters away and earlier this year was filtering sascab to this area, and diving connoisseurs say that opening the mouth to enter the sea water artificial being created, the water will enter with force and drag all the material put in life threatening the reef.

I think 700,000 and 500,000 a day should be more like 700 and 500 per day. Nice translation......

 

[Christi]

Well - today on Paradise - 90 minute dive with 5 eagle rays, a school of squid 3 seahorses and a turtle!

 

[sharky60]

we did a section of Paradise I haven't been to before last April, (kind of Southish?), an exeptional dive. saw several baracuda, one MASSIVE one, spotted yellow rays, and plenty of sealife in general. sea hoses were spotted by others on the dive, but I get to see them.

the construction on both ends of Paradise do make one a little jumpy, but for now, it is still on of the top "must do" dives on the island, day or night.

 

[azscubadude]

the construction on both ends of Paradise do make one a little jumpy, but for now, it is still on of the top "must do" dives on the island, day or night.

Plus if they reduce or restrict the visits to this reef won't it will just overload the others close by..

Years ago I used to go to Provo (Turks & Caicos) at lot. They pushed ecology and reef conservation a LOT (a good thing), requiring the Live-a-board operators to put in mooring rather than anchors, etc. It was all good until the government decided to expand the airport. They brought in huge ocean going barges and dredges and all but destroyed some of the best reefs in the area, huge anchors dragging right across the coral.

The dive operators and enviro people were up in arms and tried to stop it but government just ignored them and did whatever they wanted to do..

 

[Tigerman]

This should not surprise anyone........been happening for a long time and digging open that new Marina is making it worse.

Por Esto! | Yucatán



I think 700,000 and 500,000 a day should be more like 700 and 500 per day. Nice translation......

It WAS crowded when I was there a few years ago, but 700 does sound a lot more likely than 700,000
Unless its supposed to be 700,000 dives a year that is..

EDIT: Come to think of it 700,000 dives a year would be nearly 2000 dives a day on average, still sounds a bit much to me.

Plus if they reduce or restrict the visits to this reef won't it will just overload the others close by..​

Years ago I used to go to Provo (Turks & Caicos) at lot. They pushed ecology and reef conservation a LOT (a good thing), requiring the Live-a-board operators to put in mooring rather than anchors, etc. It was all good until the government decided to expand the airport. They brought in huge ocean going barges and dredges and all but destroyed some of the best reefs in the area, huge anchors dragging right across the coral.

The dive operators and enviro people were up in arms and tried to stop it but government just ignored them and did whatever they wanted to do..​

In the Egyptian red sea they do the same, except EVERYONE need to use the moorings unless they do the dives as drifts - which means the boats is away from the reefs. The dive shops is also requiering check out dives from everyone regardless of certification level before they take them to the national park areas. Of course you still get some crap divers out there, but it does help a lot.

 

[annlaur]

It WAS crowded when I was there a few years ago, but 700 does sound a lot more likely than 700,000
Unless its supposed to be 700,000 dives a year that is..

EDIT: Come to think of it 700,000 dives a year would be nearly 2000 dives a day on average, still sounds a bit much to me.

Proper translation : between 1500 and 1700 people a day.

 

[ggunn]

Proper translation : between 1500 and 1700 people a day.

Even that number seems high to me.

 

[annlaur]

It does seem like a lot. But being shallow, beautiful and so close to town/Caleta/cruise ship piers, Paradise is very popular with snorkeling tours, beginning scuba divers, night dives, afternoon dives… My guess is those numbers emcompass all those activities as well as the different parts of Paraiso, the reef itself that is reached by boat as well as the shore section behind Caleta. The place was packed the couple of times I shore dived there (but certainly no more than 50 to 100 people at a time in that specific area).

 

[Mike]

Don't those giant Fury snorkeling catamarans (4 now) take snorkelers to paradise reef? I thought they also take snorklers to Palancar Horseshoe also?

Seems the marine park authorities are the ones to determine the uses of the reefs and monitor their health.