Possible southern reef closure

[deepsea21]

I doubt this has anything to do with being green, but simply a limitation of the way the systems are designed in some places.

Yes, Coz is all limestone so if one digs down more than a few inches one hits limestone. As such, "septic systems" on the island aren't anything like those elsewhere where there is soil and clay and such. From what I understand, locals that aren't hooked up to public sewer jack-hammer or pick ax a pit in the limestone and that's where all their human waste goes. There's no such thing as drain fields and such. While limestone is porous, anything other than water, urine and feces that goes down a toilet will clog up the pit VERY quickly so no one flushes toilet paper or has a garbage disposal in their sink. My home is on a septic system and sure as heck didn't put a garbage disposal in my kitchen sink when I built it. Also, for some reason most of Mexico is plumbed with smaller diameter PVC than used elsewhere probably because it is cheaper. I am thinking 3" in diameter for waste but perhaps another in the know can confirm? I am quite certain those beach clubs and AI's have systems that provide minimal treatment (if any) at best. They cant have 500-1000 guests all drinking and flushing the toilets and TP into a system that can properly treat that over time for bacteria to break it down. Macerator pumps are most likely used to pulverize everything into a watery mud before it is piped into the sea just like cruise ships do. AI's are basically land locked cruise ships anyway. For snorkelers staying at AI's or visiting beach clubs, I'd be curious how far out you have to fin to find the pipe where all this waste is expelled into the sea. Most (but not all) claims by establishments of being "green" in 3rd world countries are an absolute fallacy and are made for marketing purposes.

 

[deepsea21]

I see people posting about going to other locations to dive during this Cozumel reef closure. However, I think it may just be a matter of time before all these reefs are compromised by humans.

So very correct. As various dive destinations began to be impacted by pollution the response by divers has always been to dive elsewhere and travel further. That worked for a while but these days, no matter where you go or how far you are willing to fly you run into the same situation. Even at the seemingly most pristine sites at the end of the earth the locals will tell you "Ya should have seen it 20 years ago". The ocean environment is changing and it is changing very quickly. Be happy that you lived in this time to see the reefs you have seen because future generations aren't going to see what we have seen and these days now remember at many destinations.

 

[JohnWoods]

I doubt this has anything to do with being green, but simply a limitation of the way the systems are designed in some places.

Well , they are Green Globe Certified .... so maybe it's a tad of both ? You can look up what that means and the criteria in order to be awarded that certification but as a diving tourist I think I'm making a good choice staying there.

 

[Steelyeyes]

Having taken a cruise or two, I know that the ships regularly cruise both the Pacific Northwest in summer and do a repositioning cruise through the Panama Canal for Carribean cruising during the winter. There are also ships that cruise the Mediterranean/North Atlantic during the summer and do the Atlantic/Carribean during the winter.

I have no doubt there are similar situations around Australia/New Zealand and the South Pacific Islands.

This could easily cross-contaminate the entire planet and evolution takes its course, to our detriment. This illness of the coral could be just another invasive species like the Asian carp that are ruining every waterway that touches the Mississippi and the fact there are no American chestnut trees any more.

I'm not saying we are helpless but things set in motion decades ago do not come to a halt in a year or three.

One of my friends was a fine art dealer on a cruise ship for part of his life. One time he started on the ship in New Zealand and over the period of four months or so ended up in Seattle by way of the western edge of the Pacific Ocean to Japan, and Alaska. Those ships do get around and take in and discharge ballast water, and other things on the way. Cargo ships are also possible vectors for the disease too. Islands rely on cargo ships for many things. It would be hard to change that habit.

 

[ChuckP]

One of my friends was a fine art dealer on a cruise ship for part of his life. One time he started on the ship in New Zealand and over the period of four months or so ended up in Seattle by way of the western edge of the Pacific Ocean to Japan, and Alaska. Those ships do get around and take in and discharge ballast water, and other things on the way. Cargo ships are also possible vectors for the disease too. Islands rely on cargo ships for many things. It would be hard to change that habit.

Many moons ago they said zebra mussels made it into the great lakes in ballast water of ships - there aren't many cruise ships in the great lakes, ballast water is ballast water.

 

[knucklebusted]

Many moons ago they said zebra mussels made it into the great lakes in ballast water of ships - there aren't many cruise ships in the great lakes, ballast water is ballast water.

I don't think anyone is claiming cruise ships are the only cause but they are things we have personal experience with that are also thought to be impacting Cozumel

 

[KDAD]

Cruise ships aren't the only ships spreading ballast water around ports but they are the ones dumping 10's of thousands gallons of human and food waste every day legally in international waters.

 

[ChuckP]

Wasn't implying anything good about cruise ships at all - just the ballast water transmission of anything across the globe, zebra muscles, asian carp and more than likely this SCTLD. How the heck you prevent that?

Boats and toilet water: Campers and personal boats, at least on inland lakes have porta potties that get pumped out. Say you have a 50' personal boat, ocean going type thing - what do they do with their waste, sink water and toilet water? The small dive boats out of south Florida with a porta potty, or the Cozumel boats with porta potties - they pump those out in port correct I hope??

The big ships - container ships that travel the globe, what do they do?

Cruise ships - what do they do? I gotta believe they have some kind of water treatment system - I haven't read all the stories behind the fines they've received for dumping.

@Wookie you seem to be the resident nautical dude - do you know what they are supposed to be doing?

 

[Ron Lee]

How Peru disposes of its trash...


Guatemala...


Plus others

This is why the calls for some to ban plastic straws and plastic bags is wrong. My use of those products is not the problem. The problem is third world (at best) countries dump them in water to eventually end up in the oceans.

The banners say "It is everyone's problem." No it isn't. Solve the bad trash problems as you see above and stop trying to ban things I use and dispose of properly.

 

[ThatDogDontHunt]

This is why the calls for some to ban plastic straws and plastic bags is wrong. My use of those products is not the problem. The problem is third world (at best) countries dump them in water to eventually end up in the oceans.

The banners say "It is everyone's problem." No it isn't. Solve the bad trash problems as you see above and stop trying to ban things I use and dispose of properly.

Define "dispose of properly". Does your garbage collection agency reveal what really happens to the things it collects?

Think of what life would be like if we each had to dig our own hole in our backyard to hide our garbage.