© Song Heming / Adobe Stock
With the Mexican coral reef being home to a multitude of colourful marine life, it creates a hotspot of biodiversity while providing a powerful defence against storms, as it absorbs more than 90% of a wave’s force before it hits the shore.
The tropical waters of Mexico's Gulf Coast are filled with fascinating corals and as the world's second largest barrier reef, the Mesoamerican Reef stretches from the tip of the Yucatan to Mexico's maritime borders and beyond.
Popular coral reefs
Mexico's western shores are a major tourist attraction for divers and snorkelers alike, with Tormentos Reef at Cozumel being among the most popular destination. With strong currents and the shoreline encrusted in whip corals, the ocean is teeming with marine life, including eels, groupers, triggerfish, grunts, angelfish and seahorses. Ideal for intermediate divers, the depth ranges from 50ft to 70ft.
The Palancar reef stretches for three miles, making it the longest single reef in Cozumel. As a result, it is viewed by divers as a selection of different diving sites, rather than one location. It's home to the Palancar Horseshoe - so named because of its shape. The coral reef is famous for its ravines, caves, crevasses and swim-through tunnels, with depths ranging from 25ft to 130ft.
The Cerebros reef is suitable for novice divers and snorkelers, with depths ranging from 20ft to 50ft. Brain corals are the main type - hence its name, as "cerebros" means "brain". It has an abundance of scorpion fish, moray eels, lobsters, crabs and shrimps.
At Chunzumbul reef, which has a maximum depth of around 50ft, the corals are hard and of a variety not often found so close to the shores of an urban area. Boasting a coral cavern in the reef, the whole site is filled with schools of fish and often barracudas.
The Calbo Pumo reef, at the northernmost tip of the eastern Pacific, is home to some 350 marine life species. It is ideal for novice divers and snorkelers and the waters are very warm, as it's located in a microclimate protected by the Cab Pumo Marine Park.
Green insurance policies
Recognising the coral reef's importance, the government has put many measures in place to protect the environment from damage - even going as far as insisting tourists wear only biodegradable sunblock when going in the sea, as regular sun lotions contain zinc and this can harm the coral and sea life.
The reefs are also prone to damage from storms - hurricanes have caused the loss of more reefs in the Mexican Caribbean than any other occurrence. Unfortunately, over the years, the region has seen its live coral reef decline by 80% as a result of damage from storms, bleaching, disease and other threats.
An insurance policy has been put in place to protect the coral reefs from hurricane damage. The policy will fund reef restoration in the event of damage.
Investing in the earth's green infrastructure (in nature) is becoming increasingly popular. For years, environmentalists have insisted that preserving coral reefs and other natural ecosystems is crucial, as it will reduce the onshore impact of storms and will improve water and air quality.
Partnerships
Now governments, business leaders and insurers are starting to agree with the environmental campaigners. Partnerships are developing between environmental organisations and businesses, and they are coming up with exciting new ways of preserving the green infrastructure.
In Quintana Roo, the local government is teaming up with the tourism and insurance industries to share the expense (and the benefits) of protecting the coast's coral reef, thanks to the new insurance product.
The Coastal Zone Management Trust - a partnership between the Mexican government, The Nature Conservancy, the insurance industry and the Cancún and Puerto Morelos Hotel Owners' Association - revealed the scheme at the Economist World Ocean Summit. The money raised through the local tourism industry is being used to buy an insurance policy for the Mesoamerican Reef.
Solent Plastics' Gulper equivalent storage boxes are ideal for diving enthusiasts of all abilities. Our 80-litre capacity, heavy-duty plastic boxes offer huge savings compared with the dive shops.
Please contact us for further information.