Socorros Marine Park Fee Alert

[aquabluegreg]

Hello Scuba Buddies,

I just received a notification that the Marine Park Fee for the Socorro Islands will be increasing as of January 2021. The new fee will be $1500 pesos PER DIVE DAY which translates to about $75 USD per dive day. I have a special trip booked for several divers that is 13 days and includes Clarion Islands and the fee for this trip may be $750 USD per diver.

If you are planning on a trip to the Socorros on any of the liveaboards... Rocio del Mar, Nautilus Fleet, Solmar V, or Vortex, expect to see this new increased fee.

Dive safe...!

 

[Cert1967]

Hello Scuba Buddies,

I just received a notification that the Marine Park Fee for the Socorro Islands will be increasing as of January 2021. The new fee will be $1500 pesos PER DIVE DAY which translates to about $75 USD per dive day. I have a special trip booked for several divers that is 13 days and includes Clarion Islands and the fee for this trip may be $750 USD per diver.

If you are planning on a trip to the Socorros on any of the liveaboards... Rocio del Mar, Nautilus Fleet, Solmar V, or Vortex, expect to see this new increased fee.

Dive safe...!

Great way to boost business - increase the cost of a trip.

Demand for Socorro trips must not be price sensitive. Ten days about $750 more?

 

[davehicks]

I'm not so sure I see this as a problem. With this fee the Mexican government is putting a very clear and tangible price on the value of marine life and it's conservation. If this leads to any improvement in the protection of the Socorro environment and more diligent patrols of the area then I am all for it.

 

[Manatee Diver]

I'm not so sure I see this as a problem. With this fee the Mexican government is putting a very clear and tangible price on the value of marine life and it's conservation. If this leads to any improvement in the protection of the Socorro environment and more diligent patrols of the area then I am all for it.

Somehow I doubt even a fraction of that fee will actually go back to the park.

 

[Living4Experiences]

I'm glad I'm going to Socorro this month before the new fees are implemented. As a single traveler that incurs the single traveler penalty, I always pay more than I should to travel, so after this trip, I won't be returning to Socorro. Given Mexico's corruption, I have no confidence that any of the fee will go to marine conservation, unfortunately.

 

[Cert1967]

I'm not so sure I see this as a problem. With this fee the Mexican government is putting a very clear and tangible price on the value of marine life and its conservation. If this leads to any improvement in the protection of the Socorro environment and more diligent patrols of the area then I am all for it.

The fee - which was a flat $28 per trip IIRC - goes straight to the marine park? Well, that makes all the difference.

If $75 a day is good for the park, why not make it $100 a day? Why not higher?

How does this work? The Nautilus Explorer's Dec 12th trip is ~$367/day, $75/day extra is +20%. CAD would be $95.40/day park fee, total CAD $575/day.

If the Nautilus fleet could have boosted their price by 20% they likely would have done so. Plus 20% is a hefty price increase no matter how you look at it. Will it affect demand? Well, @living4experiences says, "I won't be returning to Socorro".

Bet the Socorro boats are thrilled?

Where does the money go? Every dollar of the Cozumel braclet cost goes directly into the Cozumel marine park - right? Fair is fair, I'm sure the dollars stay in Cozumel. Socorro, it will all be OK - big money coming in.

@davehicks
Hey, Dave are you splashing out the new daily fee on an upcoming trip to Socorro? If not, given that you think the fee increase is "putting a very clear and tangible price on the value of marine life and its conservation", surely you are sending a check to protect the park - right? Always easy to spend someone else's money.

Price elasticity, well solve the equation for a negative PE and you have a money making machine.

If only we could tax ourselves to prosperity.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Where does the money go? Every dollar of the Cozumel braclet cost goes directly into the Cozumel marine park - right? Fair is fair, I'm sure the dollars stay in Cozumel. Socorro, it will all be OK - big money coming in.

According to locals in the Cozumel forum very little of the marine park fees comes back to Cozumel.

 

[Cert1967]

According to locals in the Cozumel forum very little of the marine park fees comes back to Cozumel.

Why would that be?

Surely the Cozumel/Mexico government is enlightened enough to realize that putting a very clear and tangible price on the value of marine life and it's conservation, by spending every dollar on the park, is all for the best?

Collected for the park = spend on the park, right?

 

[Manatee Diver]

Why would that be?

Surely the Cozumel/Mexico government is enlightened enough to realize that putting a very clear and tangible price on the value of marine life and it's conservation, by spending every dollar on the park, is all for the best?

Collected for the park = spend on the park, right?

To quote a Mexican friend after I asked a similar question:
"Welcome to Mexico."

 

[davehicks]

The fee - which was a flat $28 per trip IIRC - goes straight to the marine park? Well, that makes all the difference.

If $75 a day is good for the park, why not make it $100 a day? Why not higher?

How does this work? The Nautilus Explorer's Dec 12th trip is ~$367/day, $75/day extra is +20%. CAD would be $95.40/day park fee, total CAD $575/day.

If the Nautilus fleet could have boosted their price by 20% they likely would have done so. Plus 20% is a hefty price increase no matter how you look at it. Will it affect demand? Well, @living4experiences says, "I won't be returning to Socorro".

Bet the Socorro boats are thrilled?

Where does the money go? Every dollar of the Cozumel braclet cost goes directly into the Cozumel marine park - right? Fair is fair, I'm sure the dollars stay in Cozumel. Socorro, it will all be OK - big money coming in.

@davehicks
Hey, Dave are you splashing out the new daily fee on an upcoming trip to Socorro? If not, given that you think the fee increase is "putting a very clear and tangible price on the value of marine life and its conservation", surely you are sending a check to protect the park - right? Always easy to spend someone else's money.

Price elasticity, well solve the equation for a negative PE and you have a money making machine.

If only we could tax ourselves to prosperity.

My 2020 trip to Socorro with Nautilus was canceled with a credit. So yes, I will be going there again in the future. Maybe 2022.