The renowned island of Cozumel houses one of the most spectacular reefs on the planet. Every year, thousands of SCUBA divers travel from different parts of the world to enjoy this natural wonder. The island is located in the northwest part of the Caribbean, in the center of the Mesoamerican reef system, with a complex underwater topography and hydrography. His geographical location has the distinctive conditions to make grow amazing coral reef, forming massive reef structures of pinnacles, canyons and coral caves which provide shelter and home to hundreds of tropical organisms from the Atlantic. The characteristics and importance of this ecosystem for the region prompted the creation of a protected natural area. On July 19, 1996, the Mexican Government decreed the south-western part of the island as “National Marine Park”.
The Marine Park has at least 30 dive sites where the mild current moves along the reefs and a large number of sponges (filter organisms) that inhabit the reefs clean the waters flowing from the south promoting the unique clarity of the water . The Marine Park has a total area of 11,986 hectares and has a great diversity of species, inhabiting more than 60 species of soft and hard corals, 160 identified invertebrates, 179 species of fish that have been observed in its waters, 3 species of sea turtles (2 of which nest in the summer months), resting place of a great variety of migratory birds and home to endemic species of flora and fauna. This protected natural area is of great value as an ecosystem, since it functions as a refuge, recovery and reproduction site for many species and is the main attraction of the tourism industry on the island.
The island in times of the Mayan culture was a sacred and cult site, its peculiar nature provides it with a powerful energy of creation and regeneration, however since the creation of the protected natural area the community and businessmen have taken advantage of the resources that the ecosystem provides , the development of the tourism industry has grown exponentially in recent years, generating pressure on the fragility of ecosystems, consequently bringing environmental problems that are reflected in the health of the coral reefs, mangroves and other ecosystems. Part of the community of tour operators and inhabitants of the island has observed the deterioration and has initiated collaborative campaigns in support of the institutions that manage the National Park to protect, conserve and restore ecosystems that are of enormous value to the inhabitants of the island.
Anandive is part of this conservation network, where a core point of our philosophy is to create environmental awareness, respect our environment and feed the vital energy of our Mother Earth.