Catalina Express Checking Weight of Luggage

[leabre]

Possibly true, but if the passengers have to disassemble their hand trucks and carry the items themselves (as I did) then they are transferring the risk of injury to their customers.

Since SCUBA divers appear to be the discrement in this issue, I think its fair to assume that most SCUBA divers are quite capable of handling their own gear without injury and/or already assume the risk of injury just by practicing the sport. I do not expect to waive liability for handling my own gear just because I stepped foot on a transport vessel and I'm sure most other divers wouldn't, either.

Perhaps that Express can have special liability waivers for divers?

 

[Captain12Pk]

My understanding is that the above referenced regulations are what's driving the policy. Some of what concerns me is that the Express is apparently applying the rules subjectively to some dive passengers and not others (based on Daz88's and others experience). As for Dr. Bill and my recommendation to reach out to the chamber of commerce, I've not received a response to my email from two days ago.

As I mentioned, I plan to speak with Bob Kennedy no later than the Long Beach scuba show to see what can be done collectively to solve the problem. I don't think a boycott is the answer and am hopeful there is a better way - maybe a meeting with the Catalina Express, chamber of commerce and some well respected divers (who can pull in the publishers of California Diving News, the promoters of the Long Beach Scuba Show and or Ken Kurtis and the Chamber Day people) to discuss a workable solution that meets everyone's needs.

The more people who reach out and try to find a positive solution, the better our chances.
The chamber can be reached at
310-510-1520 or email info@CatalinaChamber.com
and the Public Relations/Media department at Catalina Express
310-519-7971 ext 1000 or Mail@CatalinaExpress.com

I just can't see putting forth the effort to complain about this. First of all, to whom? The Express has made it's polices clear. And it's their business. They can run it anyway they like. Complaining to the Mayor of Avalon, the local businesses or the CoC may help, but it's the Express (and maybe their insurance company) that are going to make the decision here.
I'm just going elsewhere until a motivated entrepreneur comes along to fill the void. YMMV.

 

[KVH]

I just spoke with Mary Anne Loob (Passenger Services Coordinator for Catalina Express). She was friendly and open to our (divers) concerns; here's what she told me.

The new weight restrictions are a result of several injuries (in the past year) where employees are having to move single bags that can weigh more that 70lbs. In many cases the 70lbs restriction was being abused by passengers who put much more than 70lbs of items in a single bag.

The new policy only affect the weight of single bags. All other rules (we should be familiar with as divers) are still in place.



Divers "are encouraged" to use two wheel boxes or hand trucks.

Two wheel boxes must meet the weight restrictions for a single item but they can also carry additional items on top. I.e. a full 50lbs box can carry (on top) a 50lbs bag, a tank, and a weight belt or weight bag.

Two wheel hand trucks can also be used to help divers carry multiple items.​

Boxes and hand trucks carrying stacked items will be handled in different ways according to the type of boat they are going on (single hull vs catamaran).

For single hulled boats - boxes and hand trucks can be wheel down to the float (the dock), disassembled, and the items (including the hand truck) carried on individually. This has to do with hand truck wheels getting caught in the conveyor belts on the boats. I stated that I have never seen divers using the conveyor belts (I certainly haven't) but she insists that we do.

For catamarans - stacked boxes and hand trucks can be wheeled on to the boat, but be prepared to disassemble them for storage purposes if asked to do so.
​

Carry-on bags are also allowed and must meet the weight and size restrictions. I.e. 50lbs max and fit under the seat.



Although the policy states one tank per diver, "fixed" doubles are allowed.

Divers do not have to worry that they will weigh more (due to wet gear) on their return trip. Catalina Express understands this and has no problem with the extra weight.

She is aware of the inconsistencies in treatment of divers vs. regular passengers and has spoke to Catalina Express president Greg Bombard and others to assure that all baggage and ticket handlers understand and apply the rules evenly to all passengers.

She understands and appreciates that divers are a big part of their business and wants' to keep it that way. She stated the Greg Bombard told her that he wants to speak to the dive community and Avalon City Council to come up with a policy that is both diver friendly and safe for their employees. He also wants to keep an open dialog with the dive community until all concerns are resolved.

Let's stay on top of this. Catalina Express says that they want to work with divers so let's work with them.

Mary Anne stated to call her anytime we had questions or concerns so please do so if you have further questions and post the answers for the rest of us.

1-800-481-3470 press 0 then ask for Mary Anne Loob. She usually gets in around 11:30am.

:meeting:

 

[Teamcasa]

From the DMX
Divers;

The new 2011 rulings of Catalina Express limiting and restricting personal luggage (SCUBA gear) will only be overturned if we in the diving community communicate our concerns. This not only will affect the ridership of Catalina Express, but it will also affect the economy of the City of Avalon and the businesses that we cater to on Catalina. It will affect the SCUBA classes that go to Catalina to gain the experience of the Casino Point (Avalon Underwater Park) and will in time result in Avalon no longer being a dive spot that Avalon can promote for business purposes and short vacations through the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Bureau. And, no longer will the Avalon Underwater Park be a California landmark for dive photography, promoting Avalon as a place to visit. This is an interesting way for Catalina Express to celebrate 30-years in business.

If we want to change this, it will take the pressure of the dive community. It will take the proactivity of us divers. It will take the time and effort to write letters and challenge the actions that Catalina Express has taken. It may even result in the largest attended City Council meeting in the history of Avalon. And, it may take the pressure of the news media of our Southern California television, radio and newspaper media.

Maybe the solution is for Catalina Express to recognize that if they want to transport SCUBA passengers to Catalina, they will need to make exceptions for SCUBA gear that certainly will weigh more than 50 lbs. when packed into one roller bag (including weights, wet suits, dry suits, etc.). Even two cases with camera equipment will weigh more than 100 lbs. And then what about the return trip with wet gear (wet suits)? Or the weight of Pelican cases? So I don't think that they have thought this through and I don't believe that they understand the consequences.

I would suggest that the it is time to start a letter writing campaign.
Here are the places that letters and emails should be sent:

Greg Bombard, President
Catalina Express
95 Berth
San Pedro, California 90731
310-519-7971 ext. 1000
gbombard@catalinaexpress.com
mail@catalinaexpress.com


Bob Kennedy, Mayor
City of Avalon
City of Avalon City Council
P.O. Box 707
410 Avalon Canyon Rd.
Avalon, California 90704
scubaluvcatalina@att.net


Steve Hoefs, City Administrator
City of Avalon City Council
P.O. Box 707
410 Avalon Canyon Rd.
Avalon, CA 90704
310-510-0220
fire@cityofavalon.com



Wayne G. Griffin, ACE, President & Chief Executive Officer:
Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau
P.O. Box 217, Avalon, CA 90704
310-510-1520
info@CatalinaChamber.com

The next time you want to go over to Catalina for a day of diving at Casino Point, think about the opportunity you had to write and challenge the Catalina Express 2011 luggage policy and didn't. So join in writing and objecting. It will only take ten minutes and in the future it may save you hundreds of dollars and a lost morning waiting for your "freight" to come out of the hole.

Can we get 1,000 or more letter out by the end of this weekend? We can if you chose to become part of the solution. Send your letters by U.S. Mail or to the email addresses offered. Also, please pass this on to your dive buddies, the dive clubs that you may belong to and the dive stores that serve Southern California.

Thanks,


Marshall B. Krupp
Past Vice President of the Oraneg County Ocean Foundation


Marshall B. Krupp
3367 Corte Levanto
Costa Mesa, California 92626
714-838-9900 telephone
714-838-9998 fax
714-624-4552 cell
Skype: Marshall-Krupp

Community Systems Associates Home
<http://www.communitysystemsassociates.com/>
MarshallKrupp@communitysystemsassociates.com

 

[cool_hardware52]

I just spoke with Mary Anne Loob (Passenger Services Coordinator for Catalina Express). She was friendly and open to our (divers) concerns; here's what she told me.

Thanks for taking the time to contact the Express, and to report your findings here.

Tobin

 

[Teamcasa]

Also from the DMX

Divers;

I received a telephone call from Mary Anne Loob (Administration) of Catalina Express this evening and we had a great conversation. She has referred my name to Greg Bombard, President of Catalina Express and she is going to have him call me. So here is what I understand to be the position of Catalina Express. First, the reason for the weight change has nothing to do with USCG regulations. It has to do with the fact that there were way too many crew back injuries due to carrying luggage. Further, on some of their boats they use conveyors, while others like the catamarans luggage is brought up the gangway, sometimes by the crew which sometimes incur back injuries. The weight requirements is to address these concerns. And, she agreed that there needs to be further discussions to accommodate the diving community.

Second, formally each passenger is allowed 2 pieces of luggage, no larger than 21x24x36 and weighing no more than 50 pounds each, to be stowed in the way that it has been stowed in the past. In addition, each passenger may bring one carry-on that fits under an airline style seating (12 x12x24). If the weight of the luggage is more than 50 pound, you can carry it on in the "carry-on" regardless of the weight as long as it fits under the airline style seats.

Informally, this is what she stated is permitted for one diver:

1) One tank that is not included in the calculation of luggage and there is no weight restriction

2) Weight belts or weight bags (weights for integrated systems) are not included in the calculation of luggage and there are no weight restrictions

3) One dive bag weighing a maximum of 50 lbs. and having a sixe of 21x24x36 is permitted

4) One additional personal bag weighing a maximum of 50 lbs. and having a size of 21x24x36 is permitted

5) One carry-on bag weighing a maximum of 50 lbs. and having a size of 12x12x24 is permitted

6) One propulsion scooter with battery with a maximum weight of 50 lbs. is permitted

7) The weight of a Pelican case or Stanley case is calculated in the weight of the luggage pieces and if they are in excess of 21x24x36 they are not permitted

When I asked her about what we should do about a "wet" wetsuit being heavier coming back then going, she did not have an answer and said that this needed to be addressed by them. When I asked her about camera equipment weighing more than the 50 lbs. with a Pelican case, she agreed that this was a possible problem, particularly if the diver did not want to break up the case of equipment. Finally, she indicated that they would be flexible with regards to a third personal bag for excess items that needed to be removed due to the weight. So everyone might want to consider a foldup duffle bag as part of their gear.

I suggest that there might be different requirements for divers because most divers carry-on and store their equipment on the boat themselves. I also indicated that maybe there needs to be special, more flexible requirements for the catamarans then the other boats. She was open to this and indicated that she would refer it to Greg Bombard.

That is it for now. I will add more after I talk with Greg. If anyone else finds out additional information, you might want to post it.

Thanks and good diving.

Marshall B. Krupp





Marshall B. Krupp, President
Community Systems Associates, Inc.
3367 Corte Levanto
Costa Mesa, California 92626
714-838-9900 telephone
714-838-9998 fax
714-624-4552 cell
Skype: Marshall-Krupp

<http://www.communitysystemsassociates.com/>
Community Systems Associates Home

<mailto:MarshallKrupp@communitysystemsassociates.co m>
MarshallKrupp@communitysystemsassociates.com

 

[Teamcasa]

I too just spoke to Mary Anne Loob and received a voice mail from Mr. Bombard, both very helpful and willing to make sure that scuba divers will not be put under any undue restrictions or caused any grief when traveling to the island.

I specifically asked about the large (50 gal) Stanley Tool Box as it is slightly over the max for length and width by an inch or two. Mary Anne promised to have a firm answer for me tomorrow. Either way, she seemed helpful and more than willing to work with divers and our specific gear hauling issues.

The main issue at hand is their crew handling the heavy/large boxes/gear bags when divers take the mono hull boats. Their crews have to handle the gear on the mono hull fleet and they have suffered some injuries as a result. I explained that in my last fifty or so trips there was only one time we ended up on a mono hull boat. I also told her that on all of the other boats their crew never once had to even touch my gear.

In any event, I felt the conversation went very well and we should have even more clarity tomorrow. Like I said before, I'm going, Stanley box and all, Saturday and will report back here.

To Catalina Express:
I want to thank you for taking the time to explain and to get the correct information out there and for your understanding the unique needs of the traveling diver.

 

[blue steal]

Thanks all for the information so far.
I have a small question regarding tanks. I like to attach my BCD to the tank and just put it on and carry it aboard this way. Is it okay to store the tank together with the BP/W & or BCD.
I do know that my one single suitcase is over 50lb, closer to 60-65lb. So it looks like a second duffle will be needed for anything over 50lb.

 

[drbill]

As I've said, I can certainly see this as an issue on the smaller (mono hulled) boats where the crew does handle the bags. In the past I've never had any trouble carrying my dive gear on board those boats with a two wheel hand cart. Tank(s) on the bottom, dive bag over that and weight belt strapped around the hand cart. The hand cart is placed on the rear deck rather than in the hold, although on a few occasions I've had to disassemble the rig and they've put everything below decks.

On the catamarans this should not be an issue at all IMHO. I don't remember ever having the crew assist me (even though I'm a frail old senior citizen).

 

[fnfalman]

I've only been on one trip where they had to load the gear onto the conveyor belt to get it down into the hull.

Even with these monohull boats, the BC and tank are carried by the divers and not the crew anyway. As far as 50-lbs limits on bags go, just use multiple bags.

Although this injured crew issue to me is more on Cat Express's side than the divers' side. If a package is deemed too heavy then they need to have two people handle it. That's how UPS and everybody else operate. They should have a company policy that promotes safe working environment for their employees and not to put burden on their CUSTOMERS.