T’was a week before Christmas, and not a creature was stirring, not even a…tourist!

Hello All from sunny Cozumel..well, not really sunny yet. It is 5:30 in the morning and a storm blew through last night leaving us with a SW wind…really weird…wind is almost always out of the East or north. Anyway, I digress…

We are down here diving with Ricardo Madrigal and Careyitos Advanced Divers, and the underwater life is great! The fish life is very vibrant and it seems that the reef life is coming back nicely from the ravages of storms the last few years. So diving wise, it is just like Christmas as a child — many cool things to see: turtles, sharks, Eagle Rays, grouper, schools of sardines, and even a few dreaded Lion Fish. I say dreaded as they were not indigenous to this area, but have arrived after being brought into the Caribbean region via shipping and such from the South Pacific region. Oh heck, I digress again…

What is most unusual about this trip is the lack of tourists on the island. Oh sure, there are still the 15-20k cruise ships patrons dropping in everyday to grab some cheap margaritas, a few cheap T-shirts, and then heading back to their ship drunk and sun-burned. The tourists I am referring to that are lacking are the real tourists…the ones who stay on the island for a few days; dive, snorkel, or just get some sun at the many hotels; and spend money at many of the local establishments that make this island what it is…these people are not here.

It is sad, though not unexpected, given the cruise ship traffic…and government deals struck by these companies to make them flourish. I asked one of our regular taxi vendors about this and he said that with 6-8 ships coming in most days, one just had to cater to the cruise ships and their business. That means selling them increasingly larger amounts of water, dumping larger and larger amounts of trash, and building shops closer to the ports for their patrons thus keeping them from venturing into town.

The funny…no, not really…thing I learned is that the “mini-city” built down by the pier area is partly owned by the cruise ships lines…along with many of the jewelry and speciality shops. What a great economic plan…get some drunk ship goers, drop them off in a city you own, and offer them “special” prices on half-assed crap that you make more money on — where the herd goes, the others will follow! Wished I would have thought of it…just not here!

It is just business, and I understand that. What is sad is the short term view many took to make it happen. Instead of making a new “mini-city,” why didn’t the government offer them special deals to re-build and populate the downtown area of San Micelle? That way you would simulate some traffic through your local shops and vendors, and get people to see some of the real people here. Instead, you have a downtown half vacant, with the other half filled with more T-shirt shops and jewelry stores. You have many great local restaurants with only a few patrons a day, while just a few years ago there were lines waiting to get in this time of year.

So at the end of a great week of diving and visiting with friends, we are a bit sad. Hopefully enough will carry on here to keep divers coming to see the amazing underwater life, to hang out and really learn about “Mexican time” and relaxing, and to keep some really cool hi tory and traditions alive for our kids and beyond. Hopefully the government will realize that catering to the cruise business makes for a jealous mistress…when her mood changes, you will have no more boats, no more cattle cars full of 1-day tourists, and no more easy money.