Possible southern reef closure

[ReefHound]

No, it's an issue presented in the initial news release.

No, it wasn't. And I'm not talking about the relevant effects specifically to Cozumel but the endless arguments about whether it's real or a fraud, natural or caused by man, and so forth. And it inevitably leads to politics.

 

[Norrm]

Well, regardless of what one might feel about the effectiveness or lack thereof by closing off some reefs to divers, one thing is perfectly clear- the reefs are in big trouble in Cozumel (and elsewhere) and the government is concerned about losing tourism dollars.

I dived the Palancar system back in 2005 and then a year or two back, it went from a flourishing environment full of healthy corals and fish to a desolate wasteland that I have no interest in revisiting any time soon. So I get it.

One of the biggest problems that I would think would be an easy fix is to hold divers more accountable for their underwater actions and pressure DMs and instructors to do more to prevent diver damage to reefs. I've seen way too many careless, sloppy divers contacting the bottom, or hitting or touching coral, sometimes even intentionally and the DMs do nothing.

Maybe put a "Reef Marshall" on dive boats - to supervise DMs more than the divers and make sure they're including in their dive briefing some strong words about preventing the problem- maybe even have repurcussions such as no more diving that day if a diver is seen damaging the reefs - and blame the government not the dive operator (who is always afraid of losing business but is losing the bigger picture by not enforcing good diving practices).

 

[ReefHound]

One of the biggest problems that I would think would be an easy fix is to hold divers more accountable for their underwater actions and pressure DMs and instructors to do more to prevent diver damage to reefs. I've seen way too many careless, sloppy divers contacting the bottom, or hitting or touching coral, sometimes even intentionally and the DMs do nothing.

Maybe put a "Reef Marshall" on dive boats - to supervise DMs more than the divers and make sure they're including in their dive briefing some strong words about preventing the problem- maybe even have repurcussions such as no more diving that day if a diver is seen damaging the reefs - and blame the government not the dive operator (who is always afraid of losing business but is losing the bigger picture by not enforcing good diving practices).

I doubt that would make an iota of difference for the reefs. The boats taking the divers to the reef are probably a much bigger problem than the divers themselves. Boats leak oil and gas into the water and emissions into the air. Just look at the water in the marina.

The best thing divers can do to have the biggest effect would be to stop using toxic sunscreens and bug sprays. Another thing, though I'm not sure how the logistics would work, would be disinfecting gear to help prevent the spread of diseases. NOAA has specific guidelines for gear disinfection.

 

[cicopo]

Norrm, there may be another reason the reefs looked better in 2005 than in later years & that reason was Hurricane Wilma. If you dove before it hit that year things changed rapidly while it stalled over the island destroying things in & above the water.

 

[scubadada]

You can download the 2018 Healthy Reefs Initiative report card from here: Healthy Reefs for Healthy People Initiative releases 2018 Mesoamerican Reef Report Card - AGRRA It makes for very interesting reading regarding the many pressures our reefs are under. It does not take into account, Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, a recent addition to the list of risks to our reefs.

 

[ChrisM]

So it is being reported by my respected dive op as official - that this is what is going to happen and the only thing to occur at the meeting is telling us it's gonna happen

 

[formernuke]

For those who have been there is it still worth a trip? I'm considering a winter dive trip.

 

[AdivingBel]

I'm seeing it posted outside of SB and FB now. Assume it's official. Hopefully some of the dive ops will chime in. Here's a link (might be behind a partial paywall)

Bleaching triggers closure of access to Cozumel reefs

 

[ReefHound]

For those who have been there is it still worth a trip? I'm considering a winter dive trip.

Yes. I think so. I might hold off on my Feb trip because I don't trust this advisory council not to extend the closures but I personally have always preferred reefs like Punta Teniche, Tormentos, Delila, Santa Rosa, etc. for the abundant fish like. The mountainous coral of the southern reefs are impressive but not as many fish on the deeper reef lines and I've come to detest swim-thrus.

 

[ReefHound]

And there's no way the reef health is going to change in three months so the only thing they are going to be "evaluating" then is the economic consequences of this closure. If divers stay away in droves and it's hurting the dive industry then they will find a reason to re-open them. If divers keep coming and it causes no harm to the dive industry then the closure will be extended and perhaps even expanded north.