Dive bags on Cozumel ferry

[grf88]

Just returned from two great weeks in Cozumel and Playa Del Carmen. While diving in Puerto Morelos the divemaster mentioned he had his dive bag go missing on the Cozumel ferry and to be careful when we went back. At the ferry they wanted to take our bags but were unwilling to give us a bag tag for the dive bags only for the other bags. When we told them we would not check our bags without a bag tag and started to board with our bags they tried to stop us. We insisted that we would not check out gear without getting a tag and boarded with our bags but we pretty much had to force our way on board.

Why will they not give tags for dive bags, without them anybody can take your bag at the other end. They carefully check the tickets against the other types of bags before they let you claim them but expect you to hand over your dive gear with no security at all.

Maybe I have a suspicious nature but the only reason I can come up with for not providing the tickets is that there is a decent resale market on Cozumel for dive gear. Maybe I would not be as cynical if every time I tried to fill up a rental car in Playa the attendant did not try to pull a bill switch on me. If they are going to do that at least do it well and not be so obvious with it.

 

[firstdive2005]

I have never had the ferry not give me a bag tag for my gear. Sometimes I arrive just missing the ferry, I just give my gear to the guys at the pier walk it to the drop site on the pier, get a tag and go walk around. No problem so far.
Also I have never had a gas jockey try to switch the bill on me. I get out of the car and watch them turn the pump to zero. No problem so far.
I have used the ferry at least 50 times with gear.

 

[grf88]

While my original post may come across rather negative I would like to add that everybody else went out of their way to make our stay very enjoyable.

 

[robint]

Same thing happened to us with our dive gear going from Coz over to PDC to dive the cenotes our last trip. The ferry guy gave everyone else a ticket and when my husband reached out for one the guy said "no, no tags for dive gear". Well, it got very ugly and my husband was about ready to punch the guy out. It was not a nice scene and we ended up leaving the dive bag with him and worried that it would not arrive with us. They put all the dive bags on the deck so it would be easy for them to get tossed overboard! Luckily it arrived on the other side. :nailbiter:

 

[wedivebc]

Well, it got very ugly and my husband was about ready to punch the guy out.

Yeah that would have turned out well

 

[grf88]

Because of the issues with boarding with the dive bags my son was a little concerned about the other bags that we had checked and had tags for so he made sure he was the first off the boat. They were insistent that they would not give tags for dive gear and we were equally insistent that they would not take them without.

 

[ReefHound]

It's been a few years since I checked bags on the ferry and I don't remember if we got tags but I do remember worrying about the bag and joking that they were probably rooting through them looking for stuff. We made sure to get off quickly and watch the bags being carried off and once we got ours to go through them and check for anything missing. The whole process was not very comforting but it all worked out in the end. That's sorta the way everything works in Mexico.

I think they do it like that because they assume dive gear will be wet and want to stow it separately from other bags. And maybe like was said, they store it on deck where it could get tossed off so don't want to be responsible. Anyone ever hear of their bags being lost?

Just stash your gear in a normal looking bag, not a dive bag. I don't use a dive bag anyway because I don't want my bags to scream "dive gear" wherever they are.

 

[stortecky]

Just stash your gear in a normal looking bag, not a dive bag. I don't use a dive bag anyway because I don't want my bags to scream "dive gear" wherever they are.

We put ours in normal suitcases so we do not draw attention to our bag. I feel that when you have anything that make your lugage stand out their is a better chance that it could get stolen.

So when we did the ferry we had no problems because they just assume it was a normal bag.

 

[USCScubaboy]

Keeping your dive bag in another bag sounds like a very good idea. Plus, you have an extra bag if necessary that doesn't take up any space.

 

[idocsteve]

Never mind the Ferry, how about baggage claim in airports?

I can't remember the last time I was stopped for a baggage tag check before walking out of the terminal.