COZUMEL, MEXICO
January 9-16, 2006
by: Bill Lacroix

Bill and Phyllis also took several top site photo click here to see them.
 

Like many of you, Phyllis and I were disappointed when Todd had to cancel the MSD January 2006 dive trip to Cozumel. Hurricanes Emily (in July) and Wilma (in October) had done enough of their “thing” to Cozumel to require MLT (Worry-Free Vacations) to cancel all of their Cozumel-bound flights. That, of course, affected your and my wanting to “do” Fiesta Americana, the Cozumel reefs, and Cozumel in general with that great MSD flavor. Phyllis and I decided that January without Cozumel was not a viable option; that we would go there on our own. We had to travel through the Cancun airport, secure ground transportation to Playa del Carmen and take the ferry to the island. We stayed at Village Tan Kah as is owned and operated by DIVE ECO-Cozumel (“Roberta’s”). We had an absolutely great time and I had absolutely great diving.

The upside of all this is that Cozumel and its wonderful reef structure are still there. The downside is that Emily and Wilma left some nasty marks on the island; both above and below the surface of the sea. The reefs have sustained a considerable amount of damage. They will come back, but at the moment, there are virtually no sea fans, relatively few tube sponges or rope sponges, severely damaged barrel sponges, many damaged hard coral, many tons of repositioned sand -- some of it over the abyss and other of it repositioned on the sand flats. On some of the deeper sites, the sand “removal” has exposed some of the oldest coral structures you have ever seen and it has provided for some really cool (and new!!) swim-throughs. Many of the sand flats have a new covering of sand; sand that has covered the sea grasses – but I saw many garden eels where I had never seen them before. These “new” sand flats have attracted many more Spotted Eagle Rays than I remember from past trips to these waters. I saw hunting forays by the beautiful Spotted Eagle Rays as they swooped and bounced off the sand as they listened for and dug for whatever it is that they eat. I saw single Eagle Rays, in pairs, in groups of four; it seemed on a couple of dives that I was in Eagle Ray heaven.

Other sea life also seemed to be in greater abundance than what I recall from previous visits. There were several very large Grouper, many of those schools of Grunts and Snapper that watch us as we cruise by on the current. The current was – for the most part – gentle. Following our surface interval and while en route to our second dive (between Palancar Bricks and Paso del Cedral – pretty much just off the end of the Palancar pier) we encountered a pod of Bottlenose Dolphin. Some of us quickly donned our fins, snorkel, and mask and entered the water. WOW. I counted by threes; 3-6-9-… and there were more in the distance. One of them swam to within twenty feet of me, said, “Hi, how ya doin?” and swam on to be with its pod partners. That was an honor and a pleasure I’ve only dreamt about but, until now, have never experienced. WOW, indeed. The reefs and the diving are different but the life-systems that call the reefs their home are bountiful and friendly. I saw a six-foot Green Moray Eel swimming out on the reef as though he owned the place – I guess he does. I saw a Nurse Shark swimming out on the reef. It is a different place. It is a beautiful place. The reefs have suffered much damage but the power of nature will repair them – it is simply a matter of time.

Natural and human-made structures on the surface of the island also experienced much damage but the hard-work ethic of the Mayan Mexican is quickly erasing any evidence of the devastation they have suffered. Palm trees have been and are being replaced; washed out roadways and sidewalks have been replaced; disrupted electrical and plumbing services have been repaired; new coats of paint appear everywhere; storefronts are in varying stages of repair and refurbishing. Piers which were destroyed are not yet replaced. All three cruise ship piers were severely damaged (the Puerto Maya pier, the one which berthed Carnival Cruise Lines ships, was completely blown into the sea) and none of these piers are being used at the present time. The cruise ships anchor (or self-position via GPS) in deep water off the coast and then transport their passengers to shore by way of ferry boat tenders. During the day, the downtown area is reasonably busy with the cruise-ship people. However, after the last tenders ferry them back to their floating hotels, the streets of San Miguel are eerily vacant. It is easy to feel sorry for the locals as they try to rebound from the devastating hurricanes. But, it is equally easy to read their eyes and see the hope that they hold for a better tomorrow. After each visit to Cozumel, I return to Minnesota with a rekindled appreciation for the worth of people. I attribute that to the truly fine quality of the Mayan Mexican and the other “locals” who call Cozumel their “first” home. For some of us it is only our “second” home.

On Sunday, January 15, Phyllis and I rented a vehicle (a chartreuse VW bug with no rear seat top) for the purpose of circling the island to see first-hand what damage had been done to other parts of the island. Like many of you have done, we proceeded east out of San Miguel. The jungle had an apparent wind-blown appearance and the lower land areas were well-stocked with standing waters. Mescalitos looks like … well, like Mescalitos. Other than there being a bit less sand on the beach, the general décor has not been compromised. You might be disappointed to learn that they are putting in concrete and rerod pillars around their perimeter; suggesting that they might be “formalizing” an otherwise casual hydration station. Between Mescalitos and Punta Sur, we counted more than 30 full-width road replacement/repairs. We also counted more than a dozen half-width road replacement/repairs along that same route.

Apparently Hurricane Emily hit the east side of the island more severely than did Wilma. Punta Moreno (that little collection of buildings south of Mescalitos – the one that sometimes hosts surfboarders) is destroyed. They seem to be in the early stages of rebuilding. Next on the clockwise circuit of the island is Coconuts. They suffered severely from Emily; totally rebuilt the facility, completely disassembled it in preparation for Wilma, and reassembled it after Wilma left the area. Coconuts looks GREAT. Chips, salsa, and beer under a new palapa – Sundays don’t get any better than that. Next on the roadway was Chen Rio. They must not have had much damage or they have recovered very quickly. They had so many vehicles parked in their lot that we just breezed on by in our envied-by-all VW.

It was very obvious that much of the sand that was on the beach side of the road was now on the jungle side of the road. You could also see where they had to plow the sand much like we have to plow snow. The beaches are still there but some of them are down to the ancient coral that underlies the entire island. The small barrier hedge and sand dunes on the beach side are pretty much someplace else.

After Chen Rio is Punta Bonita. You recall Punta Bonita as that crisp, clean, white, concrete building set on the beautiful beach in that very large bay of sand. They are open. They did have some damage. They were quite busy with Cozumel locals on this Sunday afternoon. We had an order of ceviche mixto with another beer. Punta Bonita is one of those “really nice” places. Then there is Paradise Café. Sorry, Darlene, but Paradise has left the island. Except for their lovely rest rooms, the entire structure is under total renovation. They are erecting brand new timbers to support the palapa. They are mixing and pouring concrete for an improved base structure. Their beach palapas are still there but only the main pole for each and then that pole is firmly placed into the ancient coral because the sand which used to cover the beach is somewhere else. I don’t know what they can do to replace that much sand. It was really weird to approach that area of the island and not see the Paradise Café. It was especially weird when just across the street stands the Bob Marley bar (I always forget the real name of that place – Rasta’s?) with little more than a scratch here and there (but, given that place, how could you tell anyway?).

As we traveled back toward San Miguel, we stopped at Palancar beach. (It was here where Phyllis asked if this was going to be the last beach for the day. I’m no fool, I can read her – we’ve been married a long time. This was going to be the last beach today.) Again, the low-lying areas are high with water and the beach in front of the bar-restaurant area is tiny compared to what it used to be. But, the sand between this beach and the Palancar pier is much broader than before. Those winds and that surf must have really been something.

BOTTOM LINE: Should you go to Cozumel? I would. But ... I have. And... I will go again. In April, we’re going with MSD and will be staying at the Fiesta Americana. Cozumel is a wonderful place but it needs to be "experienced" – to walk the streets of San Miguel (especially on a Sunday evening after 8:00 when families have gone to church and they gather for ... I don't know exactly what -- it's really "family time" -- but they have a great time and the people watching is great); talk with the shop keepers (the Mayan Mexican is what you see -- honest, hard-working, family-based, ... they are good people); eat in their small but wonderful restaurants; rent a car for a day and drive around the island. ENJOY!!!