ATTENTION UW PHOTOGRAPHERS:

[ladiver33]

Posting from the SJD terminal. Have all of our dive and camera gear on us packed in "regular" non dive branded bags. Got the dreaded red button of death for secondary inspection. Bags through the X-ray machine. He then asked to see our camera gear. We pulled out the housings (Nauticam for the GH5 and the Olympus housing for the TG5). He took a look for a quick rummage through the bags, asked how much we paid for the housings answered truthfully and that was it. No fine or tax. No negotations. No problem. Took maybe 3 minutes out of our day.

 

[large_diver]

Passed through SJD on Dec. 26 - green light and no one on our Rocio del Mar/Socorro trip had any issues passing thorugh customs, even those with large housings. I was carrying a large Tamron backpack

 

[oly5050user]

Might you be willing to try to dispute the charge with the credit card company as extortion and see what

 

[dirtfarmer]

Made it thru customs yesterday no problems, I got the green light and had all my photo gear in my suitcase and left the hard box at home. ( I was a bit nervous as I had to heck the box on the customs for that I had been on a farm... had to since I live on one)
Now I'm just waiting at the hotel to be picked up, taken to the Solmar V and head out to Soccoro.

 

[tursiops]

Three positive posts in a row.
Maybe the word got though?

 

[large_diver]

Unfortunately I just saw this as part of a review of the Socorro Aggressor on Undercurrent (Dec. 27 trip departure)....this person passed thorugh SJC airport the same day I did (Dec. 26)

"Camera Tax: I arrived at SJD later that evening; got my bags and headed to Customs. As happened to me in my May trip, I was again pulled out for pelican case inspection (my camera system). During my last trip I was required to pay a tax on my Gates camera housing – I still believe that is not their law, but I wasn’t going to fight with officials. This time, having done my research, I had the receipt from the last visit, and the customs agent reviewed it, and said that it was good for 1 year and so I would not have to pay the tax again. I really think Aggressor should add this information to the “know before you go”.

 

[Schwob]

Unfortunately I just saw this as part of a review of the Socorro Aggressor on Undercurrent (Dec. 27 trip departure)....this person passed thorugh SJC airport the same day I did (Dec. 26)

"Camera Tax: I arrived at SJD later that evening; got my bags and headed to Customs. As happened to me in my May trip, I was again pulled out for pelican case inspection (my camera system). During my last trip I was required to pay a tax on my Gates camera housing – I still believe that is not their law, but I wasn’t going to fight with officials. This time, having done my research, I had the receipt from the last visit, and the customs agent reviewed it, and said that it was good for 1 year and so I would not have to pay the tax again. I really think Aggressor should add this information to the “know before you go”.

Oh! Good to know you actually get to pay their extortion fee (tax only if you must insist) on bringing your own camera gear for your own non commercial use during your own vacation multiple times if more than year passes since the last visit or you don‘t bring the past receipt. What privilege! Good to know one should bring that receipt. Hard to understand why the paid tax would expire after a year. So now it’s looking like an annual usage fee on your own stuff...
I for one am NIR feeling welcome and happily go elsewhere.

 

[ScubaD1veDiv@]

Having learned of this scam in advance of my flight to Cabo on January 8, I took all my camera gear out of my Pelican case and put it in a backpack. I took additional measures to avoid attention by packing all of our dive gear into a hard-sided generic suitcase instead of our Seac bag to look like an average traveler. I got the green button and passed through without issue.

Cabo, unlike Cozumel, does not have all baggage scanned through X-rays upon arrival and exit so unless you get the random red light exiting customs, you should be good.

 

[divengolf]

Does anyone know the frequency of red vs green light?

BTW I would not expect Aggressor to be forthcoming on this issue. They are dodging the Red Sea fire on their web site and future bookings. Nautilus has an excellent write up on their site for their Cabo boat.

 

[yle]

What goods may you bring?

1. Goods of personal usage, such as clothing, footwear, and personal care products, according to the length of the trip, including a wedding dress, baby items like a chair, carry cot, baby walker and stroller, among others, including their accessories.
   
2. Two cameras or video recorders, photographic material; 6 portable cell phone equipment or other wireless networks; a global positioning equipment (GPS); an electronic agenda; a laptop, notebook, omnibook or similar; a portable copying machine or printer, a computer burner and a portable projector, with its accessories.
   
3. Two personal sport kits, four fishing rods, 6 sailboats (with or without sail) and its accessories, trophies and awards, as long as they can be transported by the passenger.
   
4. A portable device for recording or reproduction of sound or mixed; two digital sound or image recording, one portable DVD player, one set of portable speakers and their accessories.
   
5. Five laser discs, 10 DVD discs, 30 compact discs, 6 software packages and five storage devices for any electronic equipment.
   
6. Books, magazines, and printed documents.
   
7. Five toys, including collectible toys, one video games console as well as five video games.
   
8. One pressure measuring device, one glucose measuring device, or mixed and its reactants, as well as medicines for personal use (in case of psychotropic substances medical prescription must be shown).
   
9. Hand luggage, bags, trunks and suitcases or any other item necessary for the carriage of the luggage.
   
10. One binocular and one telescope.
    
11. Two musical instruments and their accessories.
    
12. One tent and other camping items.
    
13. One hand tool set with its case, which may include a drill, tweezers, spanners, dice tool, screwdrivers, and power cables, among others.
    
14. Passengers over 18 years old are permitted to enter a maximum of 10 packs of cigarettes, 25 cigars or 200 g of tobacco, and up to 3 liters of alcoholic beverages and 6 liters of wine.
    
15. Senior adults and people with disabilities can introduce items that overcome or reduce their limitations without paying additional taxes such as walkers, wheelchairs, crutches, walking sticks, among others.

In addition, you can import without paying taxes, up top 3 pets brought with you, such as cats, dogs, canaries, hamsters, guinea pigs, australian parakeets, nymphs, ferrets, parrots, turtles and wild birds of small size (except predacious), as well as the required accessories for their carriage and cleaning. You must present to the customs officer the zoosanitary certificate issued by SAGARPA. In case of wildlife animals, you must additionally present the Verification Record issued by PROFEPA, which verifies the compliance of the regulations and non-tariff restrictions to which they are subjected.

--
I guess housing doesn't fall under photographic material.

As part of the protest, everyone should bring six sailboats with them through customs instead of one camera housing.