Hydro Testing on the Island?

[WetInPortland]

Competition is ALWAYS a good thing...the cream rises to the top.

So does pond scum ...

We'd always like to believe the first, and are all too frequently surprised to find the second. Given the required capital investment and Merdiano's large and long established infrastructure, any new entry is going to find it tough to compete on price, and that's almost always going to be the most significant factor. The number of customers who might pay a small premium for better service (fast turnaround and always full-pressure tanks) is, I suspect, too small to be economically viable.

Absent a new technology to disrupt the market (solar power?), the only way I see a new major fill operator as viable is if Merdiano's simply doesn't have the capacity to consistently meet the (year-round) demand.

 

[WetInPortland]

I don't think Stathis will have any right/left valve sets but he bought over 400 new tanks as he was moving in last year. He stocks valve parts and rebuilds valves. He is a meticulous guy.

Does Stathis speak English or is Spanish required? (I'm probably at about a low A2 level in Spanish at the moment. My biggest problems understanding are the speed of native speakers and that Mexican Spanish tends to be clipped a lot, combined with not so great hearing.)

 

[BRT]

I think you will find Stathis will be competetive on all fronts. I have watched his shop on the mainland. He had both good prices and great service

 

[BRT]

Greek, English or Spanish will all work with him. I dont know about his crew.

 

[northernone]

--- Edit: Redundant, @BRT typed faster. - - -

Does Stathis speak English or is Spanish required? (I'm probably at about a low A2 level in Spanish at the moment. My biggest problems understanding are the speed of native speakers and that Mexican Spanish tends to be clipped a lot, combined with not so great hearing.)

Fluent in Greek, English and Spanish. Maybe a few other languages too.

I'm just getting to know him.

 

[ReefHound]

I'm curious where you're shore diving, and how you're getting to the entry point? I'd also be somewhat concerned about leaving a car in an unsecured location (especially if it's remote or there's little traffic) while diving.

Huh? This is Cozumel not Bonaire. I'm not aware of any tendency for unattended cars to be broken in although crime can occur anywhere.

I'm not talking about remote diving on the east coast or up north. You can't dive within marine park without licensed DM. Everywhere we dive on the west side has facilities on site and is fairly busy. Casa del Mar, Villa Blanca, Blue Angel, Hotel Cozumel, Hotel Barracuda, and Villa Aldora is where we go. There is a site I've been meaning to try just north of the ferry by the public boat ramp where you would have to bring your own tanks and weights but it is along a busy road.

When we have a car we drive, if not we take a taxi or walk, if it's not on site.

 

[JamesBon92007]

I was advised by locals on the Big Island (Hawai'i) to leave my car unlocked and the windows down (unless it's raining) otherwise I could expect to come back and find my windows broken. On Cozumel it's more like "you can just leave you're stuff here--nobody will bother it." So far nobody has. It used to be that way at dive sites in Southern California.

 

[WetInPortland]

Huh? This is Cozumel not Bonaire. I'm not aware of any tendency for unattended cars to be broken in although crime can occur anywhere.

I'm probably being overly sensitive from reading the crime news from the inland neighborhoods. Thanks for the tips on the shore dive spots!

 

[mstevens]

Huh? This is Cozumel not Bonaire. I'm not aware of any tendency for unattended cars to be broken in although crime can occur anywhere.

People steal batteries from cars parked on the street in front of their owners' houses...

I'm not worried about leaving my car parked along the road near a place where shore diving is permitted such as those you listed), since those are very public and lots of people are around. I don't leave anything on the seats or visible in the cargo area, though.

At night, we always pull our car in behind the gates no matter how tired we are or how much we might prefer to leave it out there.