Underwater sculpture garden helps save Cancun’s coral reefs

by Sean McLachlan on

Cancun’s famous coral reefs have been hit hard lately by storms and pollution, and the Mexican government has come up with an interesting way to let the reefs heal while still attracting visitors. They’re creating an underwater sculpture garden that will bring back the tourists and encourage growth of new coral.

It’s the brainchild of the Mexican government and artist Jason de Caires Taylor, who specializes in the beautiful if rather rare art of underwater sculpture. Most of his figures are human forms cast from real people. They’re made of inert, PH-neutral concrete. This concrete doesn’t pollute the water and attracts sea life. The figures then become platforms for coral and various other marine life, making a strange mixture of the natural and man-made.

Mexican park officials hope the sculptures will draw snorkelers and scuba divers away from the coral reefs, allowing the reefs time to heal. Judging from the photos in this gallery, divers won’t want to miss it. The scenes Mr. de Caires Taylor creates are spooky yet strangely alluring, like the plaster casts of Pompeii victims.

It takes only a couple of weeks for green algae to form on the surface of the sculptures, and coral and other sea creatures will start growing within a couple of months. So not only will the original coral reefs be allowed to regrow, but a new one will also start growing to add to the biodiversity on the sea floor.

Like his previous works in Granada, Chepstow and Canterbury (UK), the sculpture garden in Cancun is located in clear, shallow waters to allow easy viewing, although scuba divers will have the best view because they’ll be able to swim around the art at leisure. The first figures have already been put into place off the shores of Cancun. Hundreds more are planned.

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AeroMexico plane hijacking resolved peacefully

by Katie Hammel on

Shortly after taking off from Cancun on Wednesday, the pilots of AeroMexico flight 737 radioed the control tower to say the plane had been hijacked. The hijacker had showed off a bomb (later found to be fake) and demanded to speak to Mexican President Felipe Calderon. He threatened to blow up the plane, which was carrying over 100 people, and said he needed to warn the President of an impending earthquake.

The hijacker was unable to get into the cockpit, and the plane landed safely in Mexico City, its intended destination. After the plane landed and taxied to a part of the runway designated for emergencies, passengers deplaned, and security forces boarded. They quickly apprehended who they thought were the nine hijackers, but it later became clear that there was only one, Bolivian-born Jose Flores, 44, who told police he was a Protestant Minister and that “it was a divine revelation that made him carry out his actions.” The other suspects, innocent passengers caught up in the confusion, were released.

Most of the passengers had no idea that the hijacking was even taking place until it was over, and no one was injured in the incident. This was Mexico‘s first major hijacking situation since 1972.

[via Washington Post]

Mexican resort beach shut down, accused of stealing sand

by Katie Hammel on

Visitors to a Cancun beach found themselves restricted by yellow crime-scene tape yesterday, when Mexican police cordoned off the beach under accusations that the sand was stolen.

According to the AP release, after Hurricane Wilma washed away much of the resort area’s beach in 2005, Mexico spent $19 million replacing it with sand pumped from the sea floor. That sand has been slowly eroding, prompting some resorts to build breakwaters, which keep their beaches nice and sandy, but result in more sand loss for the surrounding beach areas.

The Mexican police are claiming that the resorts who’ve built these breakwaters are, in effect, stealing the beach from others. They’ve also detained five people they believe were using pumps to bring up more sand from the ocean floor. Mexico’s Attorney General for environmental protection said the beach at the Gran Caribe Real Hotel was made of “ill-gotten, illegally accumulated sand” and decided to shut it down.

Many tourists and hotel guests gathered around the “stolen” beach area and complained about the closure. There was no indication of when the beach would reopen and at the time of writing, the resort’s webcam was not active on its website.

Swine flu symptoms? Next holiday in Mexico is free

by Jamie Rhein on

It’s a bummer to get sick on a vacation. Anyone who has been holed up in a hotel with the chills or worse instead of out enjoying the trip that you paid for can vouch for that. Illness isn’t great for tourism either. Mexico tourism has hit the skids because of H1N1 virus, aka, swine flu. Folks in the Mexico tourism industry have begun to cook up ideas to entice tourists to head south. Here’s one.

In an effort to make amends, and woo tourists into thinking that a little swine flu is worth the risk, three hotel chains: Real Resorts, Dreams and Secrets are offering a screaming deal to anyone who has swine flu like symptoms within eight days after they get home from their Caribbean coast vacation. According to this Daily Mail article, if you arrive home and get sick, you get three years of free vacation fun in Mexico. The eight day limit, I suppose, is to keep people from blaming any old ailment they acquire days, weeks or months later on their beach holiday.

There’s a couple of hitches with this plan. The U.S. is still recommending that people not travel to Mexico unless they really have to and several companies have canceled trips. But, still, it’s a creative odd reverse of what is usually the case of what people want from a vacation.

Most people head to Mexico, or anywhere else for that matter, hoping to NOT get sick. In this case, getting sick is like hitting the lottery. I wonder how many people will be disappointed on the ninth day after they have returned home and wake up without one ache and pain–not even a twinge. Not only do you NOT win three years of free vacation, but you have to go to work. Most people will end up heading to work. Probably all of them. Mexico’s Health Minister has reported that out of the 2,000 registered swine flu cases, only two have been from Cancun.

Daily travel deal – Mexican Riviera all inclusive resort 4 nights + air from $680

by Scott Carmichael on

Sure, the media may be trying to convince us that Mexico is off-limits at the moment, but now the whole swine flu panic is starting to die down, it is time to start checking out some of the bargains to be found.

Today’s deal will fly you to Cancun, and let you enjoy the luxurious Valentin Imperial Maya resort for 4 nights.

The Valentin Imperial Maya is an adult only all inclusive resort, with more than half a mile of white sand beach, located in Playa del Secreto (The Secret Beach) in the Riviera Maya.

The resort offers 3 swimming pools, 8 restaurants, 12 bars and loads of free activities, including water sports and a disco. All your meals and drinks are free, including top shelf brands. Each room even comes with a fully stocked minibar!

Prices start at just $680 (based on a Miami departure, most other destinations are no more than $740). 4 nights not enough? Additional nights can be added for about $60 each. When booking, be sure to include your airport transfer ($50).