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Sand Dunes - Amazing Structures Providing Shelter & Food |
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Cozumel is known for its miles and miles of pristine beaches and coastal areas. And all along the island's shoreline there are sand dunes piled up behind these beautiful beaches. As visitors walk along the water's edge and dig their toes into the soft sand, few realize that the health and beauty of the beaches are heavily dependent on the sand dunes just behind them. As more and more research is done on coastal eco-systems, scientists are now beginning to make us fully aware of the critically important role that sand dunes play in our global, coastal eco-systems.
 Sand dunes provide a wide range of habitats for a variety of unusual, interesting and adaptive plants that can cope with unstable habitats. Sand dunes form in relatively exposed locations. All over a dune, very specialized plants adapt to the accumulation of sand around them surviving the continual burial of their shoots by sending up very rapid vertical growth. With the help of these plant shoots, small mounds of vegetation and/or tide-washed debris can form and tend to enlarge as the wind-speed drops behind the mound, allowing blowing sand to fall out of the air stream and accumulate which constantly increases the size of a dune. The plants are physiologically adapted to withstand the problems of high salt contents in the air and soil. Sand dunes support a wide variety of colorful flowering plants, including a number of species of orchid.
 On the inland side of dunes conditions are less severe, and typical grasslands develop containing a wide range of plant life. When enough humus has accumulated within the grassland sand, this more stabilized soil improves water retention and promotes further plant diversity development. Consequently, sand dune systems are excellent places for biodiversity, partly because they are not very productive for agriculture, and partly because these unstable and stable soil habitats are present in proximity to each other. Many dune areas are protected as nature reserves, and some are parts of larger conservation areas incorporating other coastal co-existing habitats like salt marshes, mud flats, grasslands, scrub and woodland.
 All coastal dune ecosystems also support a population of animal species in addition to plant life. Since most animal life requires basic survival elements such as shelter, food and water, it stands to reason that species density in any one area would be dependent on their availability. Small birds, reptiles, crustaceans, and other coastal species commonly call the coastal dunes their home. As the dune system moves from the fore dunes toward the back dunes, with their increased vegetation, the ecosystem becomes more complex, supporting a larger amount of species. Sand dune systems are also very rich in invertebrates including butterflies, moths and burrowing bees and wasps.
 The beach is a margin of sand in a dynamic ebb and flow controlled by tides, winds, currents and waves. The critical factor is the presence of a sufficiently large beach plain whose surface dries out between high tides. Off shore shallow sand banks release the initial energy from ocean swells as they break and send secondary waves with low residual energy gently up and down the beach. The dissipative beaches are wide, gently sloping, slow draining and quite firm underfoot because the fine sand particles fit close together. These beaches support a relatively high variety of burrowing organisms. Because of their shallow gradients, these beaches also act as traps for another group of organisms called diatoms. Diatoms survive between sand grains and provide the chief food for bi-valves and other filter feeders.
  Recreation is a major land use on sand dune areas. Many dune systems are used extensively by tourists, mostly on foot but also for parking cars and in some cases for driving four-wheel-drive vehicles or motorcycles. Moderate pressure by pedestrians may cause little damage, however, excessive pedestrian use and vehicular use in particular, have caused unacceptable erosion on many dune sites.
Many dune systems also support one or more golf courses. Here much of the original vegetation may be retained in the rough, but the communities of the fairways, and particularly the greens and tees, are often severely modified by mowing, fertilizing and re-seeding. Sand dunes have also been affected in the past by housing developments, industrial development, and waste collection areas on or adjacent to them as well as sand extraction.
| What can you do to help protect and conserve Cozumel's sand dunes? |
If you live part time or full time or vacation on the island:
Sign up & participate in ongoing beach cleanup efforts in Cozumel.
Keep your visits to the beaches "green" by not discarding trash. Leave the beach pristine. If you want to go beyond being an environmentally conscious visitor, there are a number of ways you can become proactive in the protection of our sand dunes. Pick up trash as you walk along the shore, and recycle or dispose of it properly. Encourage better behavior by other users; point out regulations and the reasons for them. Report any serious violation you see to the proper authorities.
 If you must cross the dune, pick your way between the plants and avoid already-eroded trails and steep approaches. If there is more than one person, select spots where the dune is shallow and spread out; return to the beach by a different route.
Do not build fires on the beach. While dried driftwood makes great campfires, this and other natural debris washed up by the lake help trap sand, and are the only source of nutrients available for plant growth on the dunes. Also, beach campfires leave unsightly scars and pose a fire threat to surrounding vegetation in this dry habitat.
Do not ride all-terrain vehicles on the beach.
Do not disturb water birds, migrating shorebirds, and nesting shorebirds. They are extremely intolerant of visitors and are easily denied nesting habitat by the very presence of recreational beach/dune users.
If you are a golfer, encourage golf course management policies and practices that are sympathetic to the flora and fauna of sand dune systems.
Support legislation for sound management of the world's coastal areas with your government.
Maintaining sandunes is essentional for Cozumel's future.
Thank you for doing your part to protect and conserve Cozumel's sandunes.
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Some Great Ways to Get Close to Nature!
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 Cozumel Butterfly Sanctuary Tour & PalMar Snorkel Beach Club |
Visit Cozumel's only Butterfly Sanctuary! Merged in 2018 with the Cozumel Butterflies & Botanical Gardens, see multitudes of colors, learn about butterfly habits and the miracle of metamorphosis. Take photos and then stay to enjoy snorkeling and the other ammenities of the PalMar Snorkel Beach Club. Great family fun & excellent value!
Starting at US $8.00!
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| Cozumel - Punta Sur Ecopark, Lighthouse & Snorkeling |
Cozumel's largest natural eco-park featuring a lighthouse to climb, Mayan ruins to see, coves to snorkel, a nautical museum, sea turtle nesting areas, a crocodile sanctuary, an enormous mangrove lagoon where spoonbill flamingos nest and white egrets go hunting daily along with a multitude of other animal species that call the park home. Experience Cozumel's wildlife up close and personal during this unique tour excursion activity!
US $125 Adults / US $115 Kids
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| PalMar Snorkel Beach Club |
Bring your group and spend the day at our PalMar small, private beach facility and enjoy a day of snorkeling at Cozumel's premier beach entry snorkel spot! No crowds here and gates close daily with a maximum of 50 people on site!
US $19 Adults / US $8 Kids - Includes FREE Drinks!
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(03/06/2019) - Exactly as described! Smaller than going to a huge beach club. We arrived around 9:20am from PDC), checked in with their staff (2 hardworking guys) & headed across the street to stake out our location for the day. Awesome lounge chairs (they provide towels that wrap around the chairs) & snorkeling is right there. We snorkeled & rested under a beautiful palm tree reading, watching others snorkel (but not crowded). We ordered lunch (very yummy) & they delivered it right to our lounge chairs! The day we were there there were 3-4 other couples at PalMar, that was it! The staff was very friendly, helpful, called a taxi for us when it was time to head back to the ferry. We brought our own snorkels & rented their flippers & life jackets (tthey have snorkel rentals as well). They had nice changing area/restroom & locker was plenty big to hold our things. This was located adjacent to the pool on the property; but not a long distance at all to the beach, maybe 75 ft? Excellent snorkeling, saw all kinds of fish & coral. I would recommend a life jacket just because it's a big area to cover. In fact, it's one area where the snorkeling boats bring tourists out (but far from us) that would be there for 15 minutes & move on. Lunch - $10 US per person (3 large chicken tacos with guacamole & chips). When you make the reservation you are given specific instructions (which we followed) as to what to tell the taxi driver & we didn't have any trouble with the taxi taking us there. L. & J. Feray ~ Coffeyville, TX USA
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Had a great experience at PalMar! The staff is very friendly and helpful. They pointed out the best place to enter the sea as it has a very rocky shore. Snorkeling was nice for Mexico. The location is the same as the snorkel tours. The tour boats drop people way off shore but they only stay about 30 minutes. At PalMar you have a nice, quiet beach with loungers and shade to enjoy all day. We didn't use the pool. It looked nice and the surrounding garden is very pretty. I would go there again! G. Vogel - May 2016 ~ San Diego, CA USA
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I read about your beautiful beach club and would like some information. We have 7 in our party and would like to reserve as indicated on the INSIDER website. M. Denobrega ~ N/A
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This tiny little jewel of a place made our trip to Cozumel so memorable and is perfect for a cruise ship passenger. It is a quick and inexpensive taxi-ride from either port used by the cruise ships (10 minutes or less). The stately well-maintained estate, grounds, and pool are gorgeous. Just a few steps away, across the street is the private beach owned by PalMar right on the Dzul Ha reef area. I'm not a diver, but even with just my goggles, I saw dozens of fish within just a few feet of the beach. We booked this an affordable excursion and we got so much more than we expected! We arrived early and sat on the private beach reading and enjoying the view. Very soon, the caretaker came over to invite us in, even though we were early. This sweet gesture typified the excellent service we received throughout our stay.
The entry fee included two drink coupons and we enjoyed diet sodas with a meal of chicken quesadillas, guacamole, pico de gallo, and chips. The fare was simple (as the best food always is) and excellent. We also ordered tasty frozen cocktails (mango margarita and pi�a colada), and we definitely felt like "spoiled girls" as we swam, relaxed, and enjoyed delicious food with a view of the ocean.
When it was time for us to go, one of the employees hailed a taxi for us and getting back to the cruise port was quick and easy. I am delighted to give the PalMar Small Beach Club five stars for excellent service and a lovely facility. V. Hallenbeck - October 2015 ~ Winston-Salem, NC USA
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Sherri, We had the most wonderful time with you in May! You and your staff made our weekend there in Cozumel with your great hospitality. The grounds are beautiful, food was great and the snorkeling ~ well my group just could not get enough and were amazed by the tropical sealife there off your beach. We look so much forward to coming back and seeing you again very soon. Tell the staff thanks again and say hello to the family for us as well. Take care:0) ....Happy Cruise Passenger J. Wellborn ~ Cragford, AL USA
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