Boats with Marine Park permits

[Wookie]

You may call it "limiting competition" but others may call it "resource management". The reefs do not expand because more shops are created. Maybe the idea isn't that xx shops are "enough" for competition but that yy divers are all the reefs can handle without degrading?

Interestingly, I'm pretty tied into the research done regarding diver pressure on reefs. There are active studies going on in Dry Tortugas, Hawaii, St. Lucia, Grand Cayman, and a host of other places. Turns out, divers don't impact the reef much. Do they touch it? Of course, and damage it? Well, yes, but the damage is typically light and the reef recovers in a short period of time.

Snorkelers, OTOH, devastate the reef. Some theories are that snorkelers are not trained to not stand up on the coral. Snorkelers pee in the water, and snorkelers show up at the same reef the snorkel boat showed up at yesterday and tomorrow in herds, not like divers who show up in small (relatively) batches. In Key West, the snorkel boat brings 149 snorkelers, there are 5 to 9 boats on Sand key twice a day, all with plenty of used Mai-tai's and Bud Light that needs to be disposed of. Meanwhile, the Fling shows up at the Flower Gardens with 34 divers 30 times a year for 2 dives on a buoy on a good year. Even in Cozumel or Key Largo, you might get 1000 dives a day in for all operators on 25 miles of reef. No comparison to the thousands of snorkelers who all go to the exact same spot day after day.

 

[kelemvor]

There are always permits available if someone wants them and wants to be legal - period.

If that's the case, then your system sounds like a good one. I guess many of us in the states have seen this type of system abused repeatedly and have become jaded.

In response to the many questions over the years, "How do we know if our boat/operator is legal?" Here is the best way to check.

Here is a link to the official list from the marine park of boats with authorization to work inside of the marine park.

A boat with marine park permits also means that the owner/operator is operating with proper business licenses, insurance, passed inspection at the time of inspection (once a year), has a licensed captain/crew.

Embarcaciones autorizadas dentro del Parque Nacional Arrecifes de Cozumel

This list was last updated April 16, 2018 and is updated anytime new permits are granted - which is only via transfer from another boat. A current list also hangs in the lobby of the marine park offices for the public.

I was thinking some more about this. Since you have a presumably somewhat powerful group to lobby with. You could improve the situation by lobbying the government to issue some kind of plaque or sticker that should be displayed prominently. I think it will be very rare indeed for someone to remember to go check this list and compare to the operation they choose while on vacation. It would be far easier to notice the presence of a prominent sticker. Of course, that would need to be combined with some sort of tourist education program. Perhaps a poster or two at the local airport and ferry terminal.

 

[Skittl1321]

Can someone explain how the bracelets work? I have never actually seen a bracelet when diving, but I trust that my well known ops are operating legally (at the very least, their boats are all on the list). Do they just buy the bracelets daily for the number of divers on the board, and then discard them rather than bother giving them to us to wear?


Do ops pay daily? Or is there a tally at the end of the month or something? Or do they purchase a bulk of bracelets, and then buy more when they run out?
What is stopping an op from only giving out bracelets when they see someone to enforce it? (Kind of like pier pick up bracelets...only pay when there is someone checking?) Or do the people who enforce it go out and count the people on the boat from afar, and know that they need an equivalent payment from the op?

This whole thing confuses me, because like I said- I've never actually seen one of these bracelets.
(Edit: It's been pointed out to me that of 10 days diving, we did have bracelets 2 of the days. They were put on our BCDs by the op, I just didn't know.)

 

[Christi]

Again, this purpose of this post was ONLY in response to the many questions I have received personally as well as have been posted asking “How do
We know if our boat/operator is legal?”

It is not to have you “be responsible” or to police the marine park. It was strictly information given by request and information that is publicly available, I just gave you easy access to it.

There are so many inaccurate speculations and misinformation being posted here I cannot and will not begin to address them all here. That does not equate to "unwillingness" or being "unreceptive" to questions. I have answered those things relevant to the topic at hand.

I will clarify for the record - the marine park is NOT a law enforcement agency so they do not have the authority or jurisdiction to do anything - they can deny permits and revoke permits and report to law enforcement and issue fines if they actually catch a permit holder inciolation of the regulations. As far as unpermitted boats, entirely different law enforcement agency PROFEPA.

Our association ANOAAT is working on many things and it’s a process - providing this list was only the first step in bringing awareness to those who have asked. There are many other things in the pipeline but we can’t make change overnight.

John - your idea of not paying for bracelets and having extras on board is not the solution and would be reason for Marine park (Mexico City not local makes the decision- they issues the permits and revoke them) to revoke permits - sorry, no disrespect but you clearly don’t understand the permitting process or the bracelet process haha. It DOES catch up at renewal time.

 

[RockiesFan]

Taking your ball and going home isn't productive either. If you want to inform an audience, be prepared for things to sidetrack and have additional questions or issues arise..

 

[CajunDiva]

Thanks so much Christi for everything you do to bring information to Cozumel divers. Your participation is a huge contribution to this board

 

[RockiesFan]

No one is disputing her valuable contributions to keeping people informed. I just wish she were more receptive to tangential concerns since they are all interrelated.

 

[ReefHound]

No one is disputing her valuable contributions to keeping people informed. I just wish she were more receptive to tangential concerns since they are all interrelated.

Feel free to start a new thread with your concerns.

 

[CajunDiva]

This is ScubaBoard. I am a scuba diver. I am concerned with matters as they relate to my interests as a diver. I have no control over permits, enforcement or any other tangential issues with dive operators or governmental agencies.

Clearly, the decisions reached by Mexican enforcement agencies do not fall into our area of expertise. As a result, the only voice we have (AS DIVERS) in the matter is where we choose to spend our dive dollars. Believe it or not, collectively...that is a very loud voice.

I choose to spend my dive dollars with a reputable dive operation who chooses to do things the right way. Thank you Christi for highlighting how to find the information.

 

[ChuckP]

Appreciate the list - I personally wouldn't like to support people playing outside the rules. One question though, what is the "trip" column? How many trips per day?

I'd also wish they'd add a column listing the operator name along with the vessel name.

Also - thank you for the information you always provide on Cozumel diving