Is September too risky?

[Scubasteve1982]

Like everyone said get trip insurance and don't worry about it. I've been there in October and had great weather, plus the water is nice and warm in the mid 80's. Have fun!

 

[CZMDM]

Honestly Coz doesn't get that many hurricanes, nothing like Florida - and people keep going there. Now I did escape Coz in advance of one once, when I should have canceled and filed trip insurance claims instead as it was Cat-4 and headed that way, but it's rare. Hehe, and do check weather often; the night before I left, people were arriving. "What hurricane?"

I usually go in late August for my birthday, which is always when I had to escape, but went back last year, going again this year. About the same risk as your idea: low.

I do always take trip insurance tho, for medical coverages mostly, but for many other unexpected problems. Cheap and great when you need it. I use Travelsafe.com - very competitive.

I think you need to look at an historical map. More hurricanes pass near Cozumel than Florida by a long way. Actually Florida is at the Northen part of the main hurricane danger zone. The island is dead center in "Hurricane Alley". Not only that but when we get hit here we get monster hurricanes that come all the way across the Caribbean and sometimes all the way across the Atlantic without anything to slow them down the way the Bahamas protect Eastern Florida. Wilma, Ivan, Isadore and Mitch all Cat.5 hurricanes had their sites on the island and that is just the last 10 years and just the super-storm systems. It doesn't take into account the early lower catagory storms. Last year was the first year since '05 that local residents did not have to board up there homes due to close approaching hurricanes. Believe me I know...I lived on the South Florida coast before moving here and was never preoccupied with storms the way we are here.

Also our peak hurricane season is not August and September. It is Sept. and Oct..

I have never taken travel insurance, but I saw that when the recent volcanic eruption occurred that the travel insurance companies are not paying off because they called the eruption and act of god. Are hurricanes specifically covered or are they subject to some type of similar interpretation?

 

[DandyDon]

You don't like tourists cluttering your island I can tell.

I have never taken travel insurance, but I saw that when the recent volcanic eruption occurred that the travel insurance companies are not paying off because they called the eruption and act of god. Are hurricanes specifically covered or are they subject to some type of similar interpretation?

Yeah, I read that news story, or one of them anyway. While a volcano is not actually weather, many of the insurance companies did indeed pay even tho some did have clauses that they could have refused on.

It would be poor shopping to purchase trip insurance that did not cover hurricanes; all one has to do is read the coverages. I use CTRL + to make the print larger. The company I use is competitive in rates, but also covers a variety of weather risks including hurricane warnings, simple weather delays, and even the time I got stranded on Roatan in September 2001 when the US closed. I haven't checked to see if they paid on the volcano, but if you'd like a quote on a trip to Fairbanks or something - I could ask?

For an informed opinion on Coz and hurricanes, I found this thread http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cozumel/244096-cozumel-real-threat-hurricanes.html which links to his article Cozumel Diving Excerpting from the end of the article, I agree - winter is the worst time to go, but multitudes do...

So, when a storm is forming over 1,000 miles from Cozumel, perhaps still out in the Atlantic Ocean, and a projection is made that extends from Cuba to Honduras, the odds of it hitting any one spot with its eye wall are extremely low. That is a bet I make every year with our “hurricane insurance”, offering free diving and lodging if even the threat of a hurricane disrupts your dive days. I would never make that bet with North Storms in what is called high season! Which brings me to the final point.

I think that they have got the high and low seasons mixed up here in Cozumel. In my opinion September through October are among the best of months to dive Cozumel. The water is still warm, hotel rates are lower, the crowds are down and there are far fewer cruise ship weenies clogging the streets. And perhaps best of all there is virtually no risk of a “norte” or north storm that closes the port to diving. One January (2001?) we lost 20 out of 31 days because of that situation, and just last December there were 5 days straight that the port was entirely closed to divers. Many people never got to dive on a once a year dive trip. It is my opinion, backed up by my bet--your odds are much better in Hurricane Season.

 

[Chocoholic]

You don't like tourists cluttering your island I can tell.

Yeah, I read that news story, or one of them anyway. While a volcano is not actually weather, many of the insurance companies did indeed pay even tho some did have clauses that they could have refused on.

It would be poor shopping to purchase trip insurance that did not cover hurricanes; all one has to do is read the coverages. I use CTRL + to make the print larger. The company I use is competitive in rates, but also covers a variety of weather risks including hurricane warnings, simple weather delays, and even the time I got stranded on Roatan in September 2001 when the US closed. I haven't checked to see if they paid on the volcano, but if you'd like a quote on a trip to Fairbanks or something - I could ask?
.

I just had to spout off here, the part about the trip to Fairbanks.... we have had our airports closed due to Volcanic ash many, many times in the last couple years so even Fairbanks isn't a safe bet. And then there's the earthquakes that we have a lot of.

I have to add that we plan a trip to Mexico every year in September. We used to go to Cabo until I discovered the diving on the east coast of Mexico, now I'm hooked. We have been to the Mayan Riviera several times in Sept, and Coz once in Sept. I love that time of year because there aren't very many tourists and even less cruise people, and the water is sooo warm. With that in mind I spend every waking minute in the ocean, the pool or diving because it is so dang hot. Have fun.

 

[DandyDon]

I just had to spout off here, the part about the trip to Fairbanks.... we have had our airports closed due to Volcanic ash many, many times in the last couple years so even Fairbanks isn't a safe bet. And then there's the earthquakes that we have a lot of.

:lol:​

Okay I called Travelsafe.com and they do pay for volcanoes as well as hurricanes, earthquakes, Houston airport closed by thunderstorms, etc. :cool2:

I have to add that we plan a trip to Mexico every year in September. We used to go to Cabo until I discovered the diving on the east coast of Mexico, now I'm hooked. We have been to the Mayan Riviera several times in Sept, and Coz once in Sept. I love that time of year because there aren't very many tourists and even less cruise people, and the water is sooo warm. With that in mind I spend every waking minute in the ocean, the pool or diving because it is so dang hot. Have fun.

As far as my comparing Coz hits to Florida, the latter is much bigger of course, but excerpting from Cozumel,Mexico hurricanes

How often this area gets affected?
brushed or hit every 2.78 years

Average years between direct hurricane hits.(usually within 40 miles to include small hurricanes)
(18h)once every 7.72 years

As compared to List of Florida hurricanes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The period from 2000 to the present was marked by several devastating hurricanes; as of 2007[update], 53 tropical or subtropical cyclones have affected the U.S. state of Florida.

Now if a hurricane does head that way, I'm usually a real chicken-little about telling everyone to be cautious, only negligent in my own personal plans, but it's really pretty rare.