Reef Status?

[docmartin]

thanks so much for the update. it certainly helped to alleviate some fears.

 

[zinmaker]

Outstanding, looking forward to diving Cozumel again, soon as I can come up with some cash myself, Dave and Christi, you have me as a customer, thanks for all of your updates! I'm excited about seeing the changes in the C53, and even some potential new dive sites, and by the time I come up with some money, the reefs and all of there life will be back to normal, finding a Spanish wreck would be awesome! with the descriptions of the sand movements under the reefs, new discoveries are very plausible.

 

[Cozoholic]

Thank you for the update Dave..

Just as I suspected - SOMEONE was out diving since Wilma. Contrary to others posts.

 

[Brules]

Can someone explain the bleaching/stress thingy to me?

And thanks for all the info!!!!!!!!

 

[sharky60]

I hear it was a week or two before the currents got the viz back to normal.

And they found a Splendid Toadfish in Denver

Yeah, and a Megladon in Chicago!

Seriously, Coz will return, the reef will return and heal with time, this has all been going on long before any of us were around and will continue long after we're gone.

 

[Moodiejeff]

Apparently some people went out diving today according to this:

travelnotes thread

It could be other shops checking out the reefs or a cleanup. It's just one sentence in a long post.

"There were some divers going out today. Port opened, ocean was very nice and sunny."

 

[Lisa0825]

Apparently some people went out diving today according to this:

travelnotes thread

It could be other shops checking out the reefs or a cleanup. It's just one sentence in a long post.

"There were some divers going out today. Port opened, ocean was very nice and sunny."

Probably was dive shops. Dave of Aldora mentioned they had folks checking on the reef yesterday.

 

[Martha]

Thank you so much for the updates. It's been nice hearing information from someone who actually knows the facts, instead of all the speculation. I appreciate all the time you've taken to keep us informed.

 

[halocline]

Can someone explain the bleaching/stress thingy to me?

Sure, corals are not photosynthetic, but instead have a symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic algae called zooxanthellae that live in the coral tissue. These algae convert sunlight into food energy in much the same way as green plants; in the process converting CO2 into O2. This process not only helps to feed the corals, but has a strong effect on the water chemistry in their immediate vicinity, just like plants havea beneficial effect on air quality. All non-photosynthetic reef inhabitants produce carbon dioxide and consume oxygen, which can lower O2 levels in the area and thus lower the ph of the water in the area; since most reef animals only can survive within a narrow ph range, the activity of the zooxanthellae is important to the overall health of the reef. When corals are highly stressed, typically by temperature swings, water clarity, pollution, or sometimes just really high turbulance, they will often expel the zooxanthellae from their tissue; noone knows exactly why or under what exact conditions they do this. Anyhow, the zooxanthellae are responsible for some of the coloration of the corals, and when they are expelled, the coral will bleach. Usually, after this happens, the coral dies as it is not able to consume enough food to survive, or frequently, the bleaching is a reaction to conditions that would cause the coral to die, and it dies from these conditions before starving. Occasionally, if the conditions return to normal, the coral will accept new zooxanthellae and become healthy again, although this is not often the case, as anyone who has had corals bleach in an aquarium will sadly tell you.

There have been world-wide epidemics of coral bleaching documented; this is indicative of long term temperature increases, increased pollution, and unknown causes. If you've ever seen "before and after" photos of a reef during one of these bleaching epidemics, it's pretty dramatic. Also, it's been seen that in an area where one coral bleaches, sometmes neighboring corals will bleach, even if reef conditions are okay; this is thought to be either some disease that spreads from coral to coral, or some sort of chemical signal that corals send out and receive from their neighbors.

In Cozumel's case, what we can hope is that the bleaching was a reaction to the severe conditions of the hurricane, and since there is a continuous laminar current removing water from the reef and replacing it, hopefully the corals will recover. Time will tell.

 

[scubacoz22]

we will be diving again in a few weeks. Kathy