The San Antonio Express News published the following report, which describes the conditions of the Cozumel reef system one year after Hurricane Wilma.
"With frequent high winds and rough seas, the reefs are used to strong currents. Perhaps that's why there wasn't as much reef damage as one might expect from the hurricane, which wrecked so many man-made structures. The reefs have been subject to repeated blows from storms for thousands of years.
While Wilma cropped some sea fans and dislodged corals (especially in shallow waters), sea life has returned to normal, according to dive instructor and Akumal Dive Shop co-owner Pablo Diaz.
Our first dive was at the Palancar reef, in the waters near southwestern Cozumel. The ocean floor's wave action was strong, not surprising since dives in Cozumel are drift dives. The surf carries the divers with the current, while the boat follows along, meeting the divers when they pop up out of the water.
On the sea floor, though, we didn't notice any of the destruction of areas above. At the Palancar Caves, we dove down 80 feet, seeing turtles, schools of fish and a bat ray. We swam through small tunnels and gazed at colorful corals and sponges that survived the storm."
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