Poll - Will this partial closure of marine park affect your future plans to visit Cozumel?

[M@lly]

Booked for december/January. No change of plans.

 

[ggunn]

My situation is a little different as well; my family and friends have been gathering on Cozumel every Spring since 1977 and I have attended every year since the mid 1980's. Most of the group does not dive; this all started as a fishing trip and it still sort of is. We have plans again this May and I won't be changing mine.

 

[Germie]

I expect prices will go down as the most interesting places are not an option anymore. We had interest in 1 day Cozumel diving, but it was already extremely expensive. So we did not book, and said we will see it there. Now I think we will skip a day sportsdiving on reefs and only rent tanks for caves.

 

[NDL_Diver]

We have been going since the mid 1990's. The reef and fish life has dramatically decreased since then.

We still go! People who visited 25 years ago or longer know what i mean. It is still lovely but the reefs are only part of our enjoyment of Cozumel. The weather, food, locals are the reason we go back.

 

[Lorenzoid]

We have been going since the mid 1990's. The reef and fish life has dramatically decreased since then.

We still go! People who did not visit 25 years ago or longer know what i mean. It is still lovely but the reefs are only part of our enjoyment of Cozumel. The weather, food, locals are the reason we go back.

Coz can't rest on those laurels forever. There may be a tipping point.

 

[Christi]

I expect prices will go down as the most interesting places are not an option anymore. We had interest in 1 day Cozumel diving, but it was already extremely expensive. So we did not book, and said we will see it there. Now I think we will skip a day sportsdiving on reefs and only rent tanks for caves.

Haha - don't count on that - our operating costs won't change and we operate on narrow margins anyway.

 

[Astran]

We have been going since the mid 1990's. The reef and fish life has dramatically decreased since then.

We still go! People who visited 25 years ago or longer know what i mean. It is still lovely but the reefs are only part of our enjoyment of Cozumel. The weather, food, locals are the reason we go back.

I first visited Coz about 15 years ago and found the deep Palancar walls to be awesome. I guess at that time they were already in decline but as a less traveled diver at the time, with not much to compare it to, I found it to be amazing. When I returned a year or two ago it appeared a nuclear bomb had gone off there and the walls were almost completely devoid of any sort of marine life and healthy corals. It was frankly rather depressing, and the only thing that saved the trip were 3 particular reefs that were still fairly healthy.

That much being said- although I enjoy walking down the main drag and making fun of the harassing shop owners trying to lure you into their shops, and I enjoy the various dining options and the whole "feel of the island", it is not even remotely worth the time, effort and expense to get there- especially with yet another reason not to go there. Even though the reefs that I enjoyed are not part of the closure (I think), they will probably get fairly crowded with boats and divers making the experience even less enjoyable.

Cozumel is the only non-domestic diving destination I've repeated but now it's off my "To-Do" list until further notice, probably forever.

 

[RockiesFan]

Coz can't rest on those laurels forever. There may be a tipping point.

I suspect they are already at the tipping point.

 

[Trailboss123]

I voted "I will go anyway"
I booked flights for an 8 day mid-November trip about 3 days prior to hearing about the Palancar/Columbia reef closure. I will miss not being able to dive those sites on this trip, but I will be going to Cozumel annually regardless. In my opinion, Cozumel, even without these dive sites, still represents some of the best, least expensive and easily accessed diving in the Caribbean. Then you throw in the wonderful culture, people and food scene and for me it is a pretty irresistible destination.

 

[lthomas132]

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got til its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Joni Mitchell