Sending gear from Mexico

[Onda]

Hey all

I'm torn The thing is I just started out in this diving thing. Got my own gear, all ready to dive in :blinking: but then decided to go for a round the world trip. You know while I'm still single and unattached. I will start of doing a volunteer work near Playa del Carmen. I will be doing reef monitoring, basically doing about two dives a day, six days a week for ten weeks. I thought of this as an excellent way to improve my diving skills and get some experience in a brief time. Afterwards I will head to SE - Asia and backpack around there for a few months.

Now the conundrum. :huh: I've got all this nice new gear, I'm gonna bring my wetsuit, goggles, fins and computer. But I'm really tempted to also take my BCD, regulator, octopus etc. with me instead of using the gear the organization will provide. But I don't want to carry this extra weight around in my backpack for the rest of my trip. So I've been thinking if it's a viable option to ship it back home once I'm done with the program.

Has anyone here tried to mail a package from Mexico to Europe? What service did you use and how much did it cost? I've sent inquiries to both FedEx and USP but am having a hard time getting a straight answer from those.

 

[scubawife]

I have not shipped from Mexico, but my husband did have some video equipment shipped to him a few weeks ago from the US. We were in Akumal and it arrived with no problem via FedEx. Shipped on a Wed from the US and arrived the following Tuesday. If I remember correctly from people I know there, FedEx and DHL are the best options for shipping from Mexico.

The group you're working with in the Playa del Carmen area may be able to arrange an affordable rental price for you with the shop that provides them with the tanks and boat for the reef survey dives. Some groups even make gear available for their volunteers. Contact the program director and see what they can do. They should also be able to help you with info about shipping your gear home.

As for the diving south of PDC... I've been going to Akumal for about 5yrs. The changes we saw on some of our favorite sites in just 10 months were very sad. Previously healthy coral is now covered in nasty algae, fans are dead and there were substanitally less fish. The problem is mainly raw sewage issues. The area is growing quickly and reefs are paying the price. There are still lots of sites in decent shape, still recovering from hurricane damage.

It's a good area for less experienced divers as most of the sites are shallow and currents are light to nearly non-existant.

 

[Onda]

the groups provides the gear for free (exept for wetsuit, fins and goggles). I'm just tempted to use my own since I will be diving so much

As for the changes you speak of, the group has been monitoring the reef since 1995. Trying to estimate the impact the groving tourism is having on the ecosystem. They also work with the locals, which was one of the main reasons I decided to sign up with them.

 

[scubawife]

the groups provides the gear for free (exept for wetsuit, fins and goggles). I'm just tempted to use my own since I will be diving so much

As for the changes you speak of, the group has been monitoring the reef since 1995. Trying to estimate the impact the groving tourism is having on the ecosystem. They also work with the locals, which was one of the main reasons I decided to sign up with them.

By any chance is the group you're working with Centro Ecologico Akumal (CEA)? If so, they are a great group. I have supported them for several years and hope to be working on a project for them this winter.