Catalina Express Checking Weight of Luggage

[Teamcasa]

I sent them an email with a link to this thread. We shall see if and what they have to say.

My view is that this will definitely hurt the island's dive and other related businesses. To bad really.

 

[Captain12Pk]

I did a little investigating. It seems this change in enforcement policy is actually part of a great conspiracy on the part of the dive operators on the island. Yes, SCUBA Luv, CDS and Dive Moore have all conspired to have weights checked so that fewer divers will bring their own gear over and therefore have to rent stuff from these shops! Oops, it isn't April 1st, is it. JUST KIDDING! Don't take me seriously, no one else does!

I wonder if those three shops got together and suggested that this new enforcement policy may (will) actually hurt business here on the island if the Express would be receptive. To me the policy makes no sense since the deckhands do not handle our luggage for the most part. Catalina is a world class dive destination and the companies which provide transportation to the island should be cognizant of this and more flexible (with the exception of the Island Express helicopter service where weight is a very serious and understandable issue).

The more some island businesses do to discourage divers from coming here, the more people will shift to the mainland dive boats which offer a more economical way to dive Catalina (and at several different sites) if you are doing a one day trip out our way. Restaurants, hotels, taxis and other local businesses all benefit from the visits to Avalon by divers... and divers used to be a good group of repeat visitors since their reasons for coming over didn't get as stale as some of our other visitors.

Funny Doc,
That's actually the first thing my conspiratorial mind thought of. I wonder what the taxi's, restauraunts and hotel operators think of this newfound wisdom? And when this policy is found to be detrimental to the island, how long is it going to take to get the word out that Catalina Express and Catalina Island have again become diver friendly?

I wonder if this policy will apply on Avalon Harbor Cleanup day?

Oh well, San Diego is nice too. And cheaper and less work to get to anyway.

It's gonna bite 'em in the ass. It's much more costly to gain a new customer than to keep an existing customer.

Sad thing is, it doesn't matter whose policy it is. The city of Avalon is gonna suffer for it.

 

[scubatomwetzel]

They should remember, it is DIVERS that give them business all year around!

 

[DwayneJ]

Up until now, diving at Avalon was convenient but with all this hassle, San Diego looks like a pretty good alternative.

 

[leabre]

I managed to get a photo of the 2011 Catalina Express Luggage Policy and started a new discussion based upon it:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/so...xpress-luggage-policy-weight-limitations.html

 

[lwronk]

This really sucks considering, my husband and I have a system packing both our scuba gear in one dive bag and getting everything on the boat in one trip. None of the crew handles any of our luggage. I see the crew putting luggage on the boat and helping people take luggage off when they have two many suit cases.

I guess I will have to look into going back to the dive boats.

 

[drbill]

It is my humble opinion that the Express' policy (forced on them by the government?) of allowing only one trip onto the boat per passenger necessarily led to divers putting all their gear into something big that they could carry on in view of that. Obviously if one is to pack lots of gear into something "easy" to carry on in a single trip, it is going to be heavier as a single piece. I'm hoping the Express reconsiders the enforcement of this since divers are indeed both repeat customers AND off-season visitors as well.

 

[SoBay Jim]

I found leadre's new thread first and posted the following on it. (How do I flag the moderator to combine these threads?)

Based on this thread and my love of the island, I've sent email messages (see content below) to the Catalina Island Company, the Chamber of Commerce and the Catalina Island Conservancy asking that they get involved in finding a solution to this apparently aggressive luggage rule. We'll see if I get any response.

There is a thread on a very popular internet message board that caused me concern (see http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/so...xpress-luggage-policy-weight-limitations.html). It appears the Catalina Express has become very aggressive about their luggage policy which is a great concern with divers and their gear. Some people are now suggesting boycotting the island.

I'm hoping that you can impress upon the Catalina Express how important diving is to the island economy and get them to work with the diving community on a solution.

Thanks,

Jim​

Also, since my earlier post on the other thread, I made a call and spoke with the Mayor of Avalon, Bob Kennedy. He said he's received a number of phone calls about this topic and promised to bring it up at the city council meeting this evening.

I expect to see him at the Scuba Show in Long Beach in a couple of weeks. If I don't speak to him before then, I'll ask about what's going on.

I encourage everyone to speak out, not just here, but in emails and phone calls to the chamber of commerce, Catalina Express and your favorite shop or hotel on the island. Just boycotting the Express will hurt all of the businesses on the island, but they will never know why. The recession is already hurting everyone here and there - let's find a solution that works for us, Catalina Express and our friends on the island.

 

[DwayneJ]

Seems to me enforcing rules just before the summer rush is just someone's decision that tourists matter more than local divers. Message understood.

 

[fisheater]

Sure would like to know why they would give a rat's &$# about the weight of our gear that we (not them) lug around.