Trip Report Scuba Gear Suddenly Not allowed as carry on from Cozumel

[davehicks]

In late May I took a pair of rebreathers, o2 cylinders, and other gear to Cabo. The rebreathers and tanks went into checked luggage, but I did carry on some computers, marks, and batteries. No problems at all in either direction.

In Cabo they are on the prowl for high end camera housings, but I've not heard of that in Cozumel. I hid my camera gear in standard suit cases and they were ignored. They did zero in on the Pelican's I had my rebreathers in, but that's not what they are taxing so I got away clean.

 

[Annie Shaw]

We had an allen key set in our scuba carry on. They got us in cozumel coming back to the US and we had to check it. Fortunately united comped the extra fee. Pretty sure we had it in our carry on going to Mexico. Really going to cause a lot of damage with an Allen key haha.

 

[nippurmagnum]

In late May I took a pair of rebreathers, o2 cylinders, and other gear to Cabo. The rebreathers and tanks went into checked luggage, but I did carry on some computers, marks, and batteries. No problems at all in either direction.

In Cabo they are on the prowl for high end camera housings, but I've not heard of that in Cozumel. I hid my camera gear in standard suit cases and they were ignored. They did zero in on the Pelican's I had my rebreathers in, but that's not what they are taxing so I got away clean.

I had the same experience in Cabo in December. In my carry on I had my BCD, regulator, Olympus TG5 camera and housing, flashlights, dive computers, prescription masks, etc, and Mexican airport security/customs didn’t say a peep. On the way in, they asked me if my camera was professional, I said no, the housing was made from cheap plastic, and that was that. On the way out, they spotted the dive knife I’d inadvertently left in my BCD pocket and apologetically confiscated it. But no hassles other than that.

When I fly Southwest domestically and am going shore diving, I often carry lead weights distributed across my checked bags and carry on, and my bags get opened every time, but they always let me through. Haven’t tried that going to Mexico, didn’t need the weights.

 

[Scubagolf]

Trip to Coz in June 2021. My wife and I both had our regs and computers in our carry on. No issues at all.

 

[Searcaigh]

Really going to cause a lot of damage with an Allen key haha.

Probably because they come under "tools"

I had a set of allen keys confiscated leaving Bali three years ago. Not much I could do about it after the nice friendly security guys explained the reason. It was too late to go back and put them in my checked baggage, which would have been a real hassle to do anyway.

 

[DandyDon]

We had an allen key set in our scuba carry on. They got us in cozumel coming back to the US and we had to check it. Fortunately united comped the extra fee. Pretty sure we had it in our carry on going to Mexico. Really going to cause a lot of damage with an Allen key haha.

TSA allows them as long as they are under 7" assembled now, but they didn't a few years back. Mexican security agents checking travelers to the US do so under rules that meet TSA standards, but they are different. So going with tools under 7" is fine, but don't try to carry any tools in a carry-on on return. Good that United did not charge you for checking.

 

[explore_DMC]

I recall a display near check-in at the airport in Cozumel that shows numerous scuba related items as prohibited from carry on. Allen keys and scuba multi tools were in that display. They also had some larger flashlights.

I believe tools fall into the “can damage aircraft” category and larger lights in the “blunt objects” designed to be held.

 

[Kimela]

I'm wondering if the CCR gear is what caught their attention and they flagged it all in one fell swoop. I'm also curious how much additional gear you'd have to be carrying on to amount to an additional $250 in checked bags (or maybe the total was $250?).

It will be interesting to see if anyone else reports issues getting gear through Mexican security over the next month.

 

[Dan G]

But this wasn't TSA. This was in Cozumel, so Mexican security. Only clarifying because I find that lots of people (not just here, but on other sites I visit) seem to think that TSA is a worldwide thing. I'm also on a knitting site and the knitters get so upset when "TSA" takes their needles from them in a country outside of the USA. Some have even told stories about showing TSA (in various countries) the printed out rules for the TSA in the US.

By the way, I've encountered some amazing TSA agents. Sure, there are some jerks just like in any profession, but most of the TSA agents I've encountered are very professional. In Tulsa they are usually very friendly...serious about their jobs, but friendly. I also have to give compliments to the TSA agent in Miami who didn't have my mother arrested after she threw a tantrum over a pocket knife he confiscated from mom's fiance. He was extremely kind to her as I hauled her off to find the next gate. (This was coming back from the D.R. where we had to go through security in the USA.) To be fair to my mother, her erratic behavior was due to Alzheimers' - early stages and we didn't know she had it. That whole trip was a fiasco. Even so, I really thought that we'd all be booted from the airport after the incident, but the agent gave me an understanding smile and let us move along.

I have never had any negative experiences with TSA agents. In fact, I have had quite the opposite. On a trip to Little Cayman about 5 - 6 years ago, had it not been for some super friendly TSA agents, we would not have been able to get our large 45-50 lb bags full of gear onto the plane. We were very very late due to a connection and they allowed us to put our bags, which were meant to be checked, through the security x-ray machine. We were then escorted to the jetway by some very nice TSA agents (so that we did not switch anything from checked bags to carry on) and tehn Cayman Air gate checked the luggage.

Using the term 'thug" to describe a an entire workforce that is predominantly non-white is terribly troubling. Perhaps this is why they have so many negative encounters with the agents.

 

[azstinger11]

I'm wondering if the CCR gear is what caught their attention and they flagged it all in one fell swoop. I'm also curious how much additional gear you'd have to be carrying on to amount to an additional $250 in checked bags (or maybe the total was $250?).


It will be interesting to see if anyone else reports issues getting gear through Mexican security over the next month.

if they checked two bags at initial checkin, the planned carryon would be a 3rd checked bag @ $200, so maybe a new bag or fees for the extra $50?