Locally Owned at Coz?

[brez]

Does anyone know which dive ops or hotels in Cozumel are locally owned? (i.e., not multinationals or gigs where the owners are living large in the States)

My wife and I are (still) planning a trip down at the end of September and would feel better having the money we spend in Coz actually _stay_ in Coz.

(Thanks to Gordon for raising this issue in another post.)

-Mike

 

[HammerNoMore]

I can't give a list, but I do know that Scuba Club is locally owned.

James

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

I am pretty sure that Aldora is owned by someone in Texas. Their management in Mexico is all locals however.

 

[ggunn]

Cozumel Equalizers (the guys I dive with) is a wholly locally owned dive op. The owner's name is Darwin Zapata.

 

[sapphire]

brez once bubbled...
Does anyone know which dive ops or hotels in Cozumel are locally owned? (i.e., not multinationals or gigs where the owners are living large in the States)

My wife and I are (still) planning a trip down at the end of September and would feel better having the money we spend in Coz actually _stay_ in Coz.

(Thanks to Gordon for raising this issue in another post.)

-Mike

Hi Mike,

I did my AOW with Miguel at http://www.dimiscubatours.com/ in July. The shop is owned locally, and may even be up for sale. Anyway, Dianna and Miguel are the owners (Di - Mi from their names).

We liked the boats, although they are a little slower, and the crew was outstanding. The interesting thing about their operation is the timing - they explain it more fully on their website but they leave much later than the other operations, the explanation is that the light is better at that time...

PM me if you have any more questions.

sapphire

 

[mustfajohnson]

Liquid Blue is locally owned and operate by some very nice people. Dave did buy back Aldora but doesn't his house on the island count?

 

[nitroxbabe]

Sea Scuba is locally owned by David Tovar, who is a heck of a nice guy to boot (found me a dentist when I had a problem in Coz!). They take out small 6-packs and are very accomodating.

Also on my "heck of a nice guy" list is "Pico" from Dive Paradise, who is the husband of the wonderful dentist. He sat in the office the whole time just to translate. What a guy. (Don't know if the company is locally owned, however...)

 

[nwdiver2]

I like Papa Hogs. Locals as in expate Canadians but the owners are always about.

 

[5615mike]

I don't understand this post. Are you not supporting the island by diving with anyone on the island that employs locals. If they did not have jobs then they would not support their families and the local economy. You might be supporting 20 or more families by diving with a shop.

Oh, Tim, Dave lives in CA, born and bread. He has a booking office in Houston.

 

[HammerNoMore]

5615mike once bubbled...
I don't understand this post. Are you not supporting the island by diving with anyone on the island that employs locals. If they did not have jobs then they would not support their families and the local economy. You might be supporting 20 or more families by diving with a shop.

Oh, Tim, Dave lives in CA, born and bread. He has a booking office in Houston.

What is not to understand. He wants the money he spends in Cozumel to stay in Cozumel. Many of us divers love Isla Cozumel and love to see improvments there from the "scuba" front. IMHO this money is in direct competition with the "cruise ship" money which rarely stays in Coz.

I see this as, to be hoakey, a fight for the right. We want Cozumel to remain a divers paradise, not a let's trash the reef paradise. I think that divers putting their money in the hands of locals helps this.

You may very well disagree, and I respect that opinion. But I'm guessing the original poster agrees. He is asking because this is the way he want's to spend his money so even if this is not his reasoning, who are you to question his motives?

James