Costa Mar eco-tourism bookings slide as water quality concerns spread

The Costa Mar Reef Monitoring Network's latest public bulletin, released on September 6, included a visibility warning for the nearshore zone. Water clarity in the main tourist diving area has declined to eight metres in some locations — well below the fifteen-metre average for the dry season. The bulletin noted elevated nutrient concentrations and isolated coral bleaching patches, findings that have circulated widely among international dive-tour operators and tourism websites. The result is visible in the booking ledgers of every major eco-tourism operator in Puerto Azul and the coastal towns.

The Puerto Azul Eco-Tourism Cooperative reported a twelve percent drop in dive bookings for September compared to the same month in 2025. The Playa Blanca resort, which relies on reef tourism for seventy percent of its revenue, said cancellation requests have increased by eighteen percent since the monitoring network's bulletin went public. Resort manager Luis Fernández said the cancellations came with explicit references to water quality concerns. 'Customers are reading the monitoring reports online,' he said. 'They see the bleaching warning and they choose a different destination.'

The timing is particularly difficult because September is traditionally the shoulder month between the summer high season and the October-November peak. Revenue during the shoulder months is crucial for operators to cover fixed costs and maintain their workforce through the slower winter months. A twelve to eighteen percent loss in September bookings translates to a revenue shortfall that will be felt through the end of the year. The cooperative is exploring options to offer discounted rates for October arrivals in hopes of recovering some of the lost volume.