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ATTENTION UW PHOTOGRAPHERS:
- Thread starter Karen Schofield
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hiloboy
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I just got back from a trip to Mag Bay. I flew into La Paz but did not have any problems because my first leg was from Oakland to Guadalajara where I cleared customs without incident. My flight from Guadalajara to La Paz was a domestic flight therefore I did not go through customs at La Paz. This is one workaround to the problem.
Not only did I inform them of it, so did Nautilus Liveaboards attorney, who I was on the phone with at the time. They don't care.
CZS,
Please read at the entire thread AND the supporting documents from the Mexican Government, Liveaboard.com, The Valentina dive ship, AND my receipt from Customs who charged me to bring in my plastic Olympus underwater Housing this month. I told them I was an amateur photographer on vacation and the Customs agents did not care about that. If you get stopped at customs you may be required to pay regardless.
Ask all the divers from Japan, Netherlands, USA, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, and Romania that visited Baja in early November. Each of the amateur UW photographers were charged over $600 per person on their expensive underwater housings that they brought on vacation to use while on vacation.
Respectfully, you were not there, and you were not privy to the many email responses from Liveaboard.com, and the The Valentina who replied that this is how the law is being applied currently and that there is nothing they can do about it. Your personal interpretation of Mexican Law means nothing when you are standing before a Mexican customs agent who is looking up your photo gear on the internet to assess it's value. You have two choices:
Pay the customs agents what they demand from you, or go back home. BTW, they take credit cards and will give you a receipt.
I think you're misunderstanding my perspective on this. First, I HAVE been where you were. I was taken for $360 in May under the same circumstances you're describing. Second, you seem to be claiming that the Customs Agents are following the law. They clearly aren't. I'm not suggesting you, or anyone else, argue this point with the individual agent(s), simply that when we discuss what's going on we need to be clear that this is extortion. It's not "Mexican law" as you've referred to it.
This is exactly the claim they made with me. Housings, strobes, ports, etc are not considered camera equipment. Again, this is perversion of Mexican law, but as of right now that seems to be how the Baja customs agents are "interpreting" it. Hopefully the industry (operators, divers, etc) can apply enough pressure to get it changed/corrected.
The airport folks in Cozumel don't seem to be scamming travelers in the same way. Spread the word, then vote with your wallet by not going to west Mexico where this scam is pervasive. Maybe write a letter to some Mexican official every time you travel somewhere else because you didn't want to get scammed.
rwe
Contributor
How much info do you have on Cozumel? I have a trip scheduled in 2 weeks and am trying to decide whether to take my new Sony a6400/Fantasea Housing/Fantasea wet wide lens or try to get my Sony NEX-5N/10Bar Housing functional or take no camera at all. This will be my 12th trip to Cozumel and I have always carried a camera so will feel somewhat naked without one.
... just one question : in your unlucky experience do you think is it better to try to argument with the Custom officer and let them know you are well informed or is it better to pretend not to be aware and try to move compassion .
.... I really dont want to bother the officer and make them too more scrupulous ....
hopefully they can trust the price I will tell them and do not check in the WEB
Compassion in the same sentence as Customs Officer? I'm sorry, they are out to get me.
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