Possible southern reef closure

[ReefHound]

I call BS on the number of diver impacts. I've seen some bad divers here and there but the average diver is not hitting the reef six times in 30 minutes.

 

[Steelyeyes]

This climate change pissoff belongs in the Pub. And nobody here has any grounds to be sanctimonious. The carbon footprint from jetting to dive destinations and riding dive boats to the reefs far outweighs any savings from paper straws or reusable shopping bags.

That's why I said "screw it and bought a house in Bonaire. Moving there this winter for good.

 

[Cozdreamer]

It's amazingly sad to me that this thread has had so many views, so many responses, so many pages from all of us who love Cozumel, it's people, and its diving waters YET none of us can make the situation better for the reefs we love.

 

[cvchief]

I am crying for poor paradise, Paradiso, I really like snooping along in there and looking at little stuff. First crap from the Fontur got on the reef. Then they sawed off some reef for the pier. Now I imagine there will be about 12 million snorkelers there once the Columbia Shallows snorkelers come up there plus all the divers that like that kind of shallow dive. You know a ton of divers LOVE Columbia shallows.

It has to go one of two ways right? Either dive business has to drop off because less people are coming with the closure OR the same amount of people kick the crap out the remain reefs (assuming they are right on 29,258 times the reef gets kicked in 4 hours. So that would be what? 60,000 kicks for poor paradiso?)

 

[Memo Mendoza]

Dave Dillehay and Memo Mendoza, l would like to hear your plans for adjusting to the restrictions as they develop. I will be down in March, and maybe things will have changed by then. I won’t miss the Palancar sites that much, except that Bricks was always a good place to finish a dive at Columbia Deep. I would miss the Columbia sites, Punta Sur, Maracaibo and Los Islotes. Possible east side dives further north could be interesting. Personally, I am really happy with Delilah and La Francesca any time. You can always start on the wall and come in shallow. I haven’t seen that much of Santa Rosa or San Francisco lately, but those are good options. I personally think Yucab, Tormentos, and Punta Tunich are under-appreciated. I like the northern sites, and Steve Hazard, Tracey Winholt, and I dove one that was pretty shallow and benign a couple of years ago. I thought Steve had a name for it, but I’m not sure it’s really a recognized site. Did not have the dramatic coral of the south, but lots of critters and we found a huge field of sea grass with clouds of razorfish, algae crabs, and other interesting stuff. You had to go slow and focus, but it was magical. Of course, Barracuda and the “adventure” dives will still have to be restricted to properly qualified divers, but you might want to expand availability of these dives. I know you haven’t had time to develop alternative plans yet, but please keep us posted. Oh, and please, the C-53 is not a good option. Been there, done that, not worth the time or gas. There’s plenty to keep me coming back and I have no plans to change my March plans.

Dear Don,

I'm at leon Guanajuato airport on my way back to Cozumel, I followed the Marine park meeting yesterday live on facebook and I hope all this measurements are for good and set up an example.

I don't remember when was the last time I dove in the Park, all my diving has been out of it for the past 16 years.

I have a meeting with ALDORA SPECIAL OPS team tomorrow morning .

it is our intentions to reactivated the beginners dive sites and intermediate , like the Guarderia , beautiful shallow dive tons of scrolling juvenile fish, patch coral reefs 50 to 60 ft calm current, among many others.

ALL OF OUR DIVERS WILL HAVE THE BEST OPTIONS AVAILABLE ON THE ISLAND IN THE PARK AND OUT THE PARK

WE WILL PRESENT A LOG OF DIVE SITES SOON


Advanced dive sites are frequently dive on the north,

I like to clarify that when I say northern dive sites I don't refer of barrcaduda or San Juan that's downtown those are close to town , and have strong currents.

I mean less frequently dove sites and inside the rada of cozumel , inside banco de cozumel.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

This is why I don't buy lottery tickets. We are arriving on the 5th and are planning our first boat dive on the 7th.

This is going to be awfully strange to the fishes who are used to seeing many divers every day and then, suddenly, nothing.

No, there will be lots of lion fish to entertain them.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

 

[Charred]

So, as an actual scientist who leads a group of scientists (but not marine biologists), this shut down concerns me.

It is very likely that everything they are proposing is ad hoc and not scientifically derived or controlled. In spite of this, it is very likely they will observe some improvement in the corals as the waters cool for the winter after a summer at 85-86 F.

Then in January their psuedoscience will conclude the closure helped and the result will be future closures based on bunk science.

Edit: I am betting Memo (above) sees diseased brain corals up north in those hidden spots he dives that only they go to.

 

[formernuke]

Yup. This was clearly well thought out political move to appease masses who don't know any better.

So, as an actual scientist who leads a group of scientists (but not marine biologists), this shut down concerns me.

It is very likely that everything they are proposing is ad hoc and not scientifically derived or controlled. In spite of this, it is very likely they will observe some improvement in the corals as the waters cool for the winter after a summer at 85-86 F.

Then in January their psuedoscience will conclude the closure helped and the result will be future closures based on bunk science.

Edit: I am betting Memo (above) sees diseased brain corals up north in those hidden spots he dives that only they go to.

 

[ReefHound]

So, as an actual scientist who leads a group of scientists (but not marine biologists), this shut down concerns me.

It is very likely that everything they are proposing is ad hoc and not scientifically derived or controlled. In spite of this, it is very likely they will observe some improvement in the corals as the waters cool for the winter after a summer at 85-86 F.

Then in January their psuedoscience will conclude the closure helped and the result will be future closures based on bunk science.

Edit: I am betting Memo (above) sees diseased brain corals up north in those hidden spots he dives that only they go to.

As I said, I think the "evaluation" will be about the economic effect and the data can be used to justify whatever decision they desire.

If they want to keep the reefs closed then:
Reefs get better - it's working, we need to extend the closure (perhaps in area as well as time)
Reefs see no change - it takes time, we need to extend the closure
Reefs get worse - it's a delayed effect, we need to extend the closure

If they want to reopen the reefs then:
Reefs get better - it worked, we can cautiously reopen and monitor closely
Reefs see no change - it isn't the boats/divers, we can cautiously reopen and monitor closely
Reefs get worse - it isn't the boats/divers, we can cautiously reopen and monitor closely

 

[ChainDiver]

Anyone want to go on a private Sea of Cortez Liveaboard with me an my wife?

Sometime between Oct 7 and October 15, 2019.
For 1500$ a person we get a private charter on El Duque, need four people to reserve the boat.


Into the Blue Dive Adventure 6 days, 5 nights
Highlights: Mobula rays, sharks and giant mantas!
Price: US$1500 per person based on a minimum of 4.

Into the Blue Dive Adventure – Boat Charter, Scuba Diving and Adventure Holidays in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Someone else started a thread in the charter boats sub-forum and I kinda co-opted it after it did not work for him, but I did not get any takers either, so started looking at Cozumel. Maybe with all the eyes on this thread I will have better luck.

My last contact with the El Duque owners was September 6, so I will have to re-confirm if the dates are still available.

Mike.