Page 100 - Mexico Diving From the Caribbean to Pacific Isles

In 1891, 29-year old William Wrigley island’s tourism infrastructure. rented for $30.00 a month and cooks were
hired for $5.00 a day, caused a large influx
T opened a business selling baking soda I n February of 1948 a nautical mishap oc- of vacationers that caught the island by
curred which indirectly lead to the huge surprise.
and began giving free chewing gum to his
clients re-orders. Wrigley soon began to

manufacture his own gum and sourced his rush of American tourists racing to visit I n 1956, the Mexican movie director, Rene
chicle directly from the Yucatan. In 1893, Cozumel. The freighter “Narwhal” became Cardona, made the film Un Mundo Nuevo,
Wrigley introduced Juicy Fruit gum, and grounded on the island. The boat’s owner,

a few months later, Wrigley’s Spearmint. Charles Fair, flew down from New York, which was shot in Cozumel’s water by

These two gums became widely popular in landing at the airstrip upgraded during cinematographer Lamar Boden, who would

the United States. By the 1920s, Cozumel World War II to oversee the salvage opera- later be the cameraman for the movie

had become an important port in the chicle tion. Mr. Fair was so impressed by the island Flipper and the Sea Hunt television series

trade and needed a hotel to house visiting upon his return to New York in 1948 he told starring Lloyd Bridges. Un Mundo Nuevo

American buyers and Mexican government his writer friend, John R. Humphreys, about was translated into English and shown on

officials. By 1936 three hotels were built on the island. Humphreys traveled to Coz- American television in 1957 as The New

the island. umel, paying sixty cents a day for his hotel World. The interest of American scuba

W hen natural chicle was replaced by room. He wrote an article on the island divers was perked by the television broad-
a synthetic base during World War that was published by Holiday Magazine in cast. As a tribute to the movie director, a
the August 1955 issue. Entitled Cozumel: reef off Cozumel was named in his honor;

II, the chicle trade crashed and Cozumel’s A New Island Paradise and the Inexpensive Cordona Reef. In 1957, the American scuba

economy was in shambles and hard times Tropical Eden. The islands population was diver Robert Marx along with Mel Fisher

were had by all. During the war years an only about 2,300 at the time and the streets showed up to film an underwater promo

agreement was initially negotiated for the were unpaved. A traveler could get three film for Pan American Airlines. Bob began

United States to fund the construction of meals a day for seventy-two cents. The a tour-guide/dive business. Travel Magizine

an airbase on Cozumel that was not com- article struck a chord with the American in both January and February of 1958 noted

pleted for a variety of reasons. The new and public. The description of the nearby tropi- that TAMSA airline was flying a DC-9 to the

extended dirt runways were, however, one cal island where steak was twenty cents island from Merida for $17.50 one-way.

of the necessary building blocks for the a pound, a five bedroom house could be