I got some bad news for you @StreetDoctor. I just got home 6 days ago from 12 days diving in Cozumel. 1 day prior to that, I left Bonaire after 14 days of diving there. If you were disappointed in the Cozumel reefs, then don't bother with Bonaire as there is no comparison. When I backrolled onto Santa Rosa Wall on my first dive, just after coming from Bonaire, the first words coming out of my regulator were, "Look at all of this color and beautiful reef structure and fish." Huge contrast. It would be great to know who you dove with and what dive sites you visited on your 4 dives. My experience does not match yours at all.
No one is going to argue that the reefs throughout the Caribbean and the entire world have suffered and declined over the last 30 years, but as someone who logs an average of 150 dives a year and the vast majority of those in the Caribbean, in my humble opinion, Cozumel has the best diving and the healthiest reefs in the region and I believe that is due to the constant current flow coming through. Probably the reason that the reefs on the Atlantic side of Florida (Jupiter, West Palm and Boynton) are also quite healthy, particularly in comparison to the Keys.
A couple years ago, Cozumel was hit hard with the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease and the reefs looked very sad. Today, they have bounced back and I didn't see any signs of it. I am not discouraging you from going to Bonaire. It is not what it once was, but it is still good diving and some reefs are better than others. And you cannot beat the dive freedom there.
