Villa Blanca Reef

In late 2020, a cruise company quietly received authorization to build a fourth pier on Cozumel’s shoreline—directly over Villa Blanca Reef. What followed became one of the island’s strongest environmental movements in recent history. Divers, families, scientists, and small businesses united to protect the reef, organized together, forcing federal authorities to revoke the project’s approval. This is the story of how a community stood together and proved that Cozumel’s reefs are worth defending against big business.