Hi BFisher,
Ditto Mattboy--a cursory glance over the first couple of pages of the Cozumel forum reveals reams of discussion regarding post-hurricanes Coz. Granted you'll need to wade through an unfortunate number of posts by folks who have an axe to grind, business to promote or just want to create turmoil, but there remains much valuable info.
In the meantime, you might find the following slightly edited trip report from the Apr '06 issue of Undercurrent
http://www.undercurrent.org/ to be of some use:
"POST-HURRICANE COZUMEL
The reefs? Well theyre different
Last year was a rough one for Cozumel. On July 18, Hurricane Emily blew gusts over 150 mph. Then on Oct 19, Hurricane Wilma, at one point the most intense Atlantic storm on recorded history, pounded and drenched the Island for days. Those who were there for Hurricane Gilbert back in Sep '88, which caused a handful of deaths and peeled away the runway at the airport, consistently say that Wilma was more frightening.
While many hotels and homes were seriously damaged topside the Island has bounced back like a champ. All but a few resorts are open and in good condition. A number have taken the hurricane opportunity to renovate and look better than ever. However, El Presidente, one of the hardest hit, has just begun serious rebuilding and Sol Cabanas del Caribe likely never will reopen. Some businesses downtown have closed permanently and many continue to report reduced tourist revenue, but the good cantinas still serve up tasty meals and margaritas.
Nearly every diver pick up pier was destroyed or damaged, but theyre nearly all operational now. I stopped in about 20 shops of the nearly 90 dive operations on the island and business was slow. Several, including two big name operations told me I could have a boat to myself the following day.
Many small dive operations are struggling as Dean Knudson (Golden Valley, MN) reports of Pacuals Scuba Center. His boat was flipped upside down and sunk. Both engines were submerged, He lost his gauges, most weights, and his Bimini top. In February the boat was functional; it had been painted, the fiberglass was new though he still does not have gauges. Pascual asked us to take a taxi each day to the Caleta Marina, instead of meeting us with the boat at our condominium. This was annoying, but understandable, given his fragile financial condition. It would save him money on gas a major expense. One day the boat was crowded with 10 divers. It was difficult to fault him for booking so many, as he had had little to no business since the hurricane and was struggling financially. He managed to lead an interesting dive even for the most experienced participants.
Contrary to what some people who make there money off divers say, there is no debate that the underwater environment has been significantly rearranged for ever. Even to a 32 year Cozumel veteran, many of the 20 or so sites I surveyed in February were unrecognizable. Shallow sites bore the brunt of the damage, and some covered with sand or badly denuded. Bill Allen (Melbourne Beach Fl ) found in February that Tormentos and Paradise are now effectively buried under sand, sometimes feet of sand. Santa Rosa and Punta Sur (deeper reefs) have a good dusting of sand. The underwater scene recovery is already taking place. When the current is running you can watch the sand being blown off the reef structure. Cozimel has changed, and its not all bad. Its all new
The more delicate life such as long tube sponges; sea fans, bushes and rods; fingers, pencil, and thin lettuce leaf corals; and leaved algae were all but obliterated. Hardier growth such as sheet, boulder, brain and star corals and low profile branching tube, elephant ear and encrusting sponges have fared better. However, silt may yet choke existing sponges and corals that are not easily cleansed by the current. While some readers report fish life is as good as ever, others dont see it that way. Surveys by volunteer divers from REEF show a reduction on numbers of many species, especially the sand dwellers.
I was especially upset at San Juan up north and Dalila in the mid south. San Juan provided its customary high-speed ride, but Hawksbills and free swimming eels were nowhere to be seen (though I did see two monsters below overhangs), nor were the verdant gardens of water-cress, hanging vine and other leafy algae. Piles of broken finger coral littered its expanse. Oddly, it even sounded different----quieter. Dalila, once a rolling plain of coral and Gorgonians, looked more like a lunar landscape than a dive site.
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