Socorros Marine Park Fee

[Manuel Sam]

The person with whom I dealt with - and I am sure you also dealt with her - is Tara Hodges. But there is only so much that she can do besides call the Pacific Fleet Office in Cabo.

And sorry once again, the two times I paid the park fee, I paid it in dollars. Today's quoted rate is a hair over 20 pesos per USD, so I would figure on the basis of 18 pesos per dollar just to be safe, or about 8750 pesos.

Hey, other than that, I wish you a great trip, and with a little luck, even if it is late in the season, maybe even a whale sighting or two.

 

[Cybernurse]

Thanks for all that. I’ve dealt with Tara too.
Eureka-as I was writing this she contacted me to say we have been approved!!! We booked back to back trips so I shall see you on the 21st and perhaps we will all see a humpback together to celebrate.

 

[Manuel Sam]

Hope I caught you in time before you left for the airport. I came to realize the error of my ways when I gave you those pesos figures. If the exchange rate is currently about 20 pesos to the dollar, the tendency would be to sell you pesos at 18-19, yielding you the customer less pesos. Hence the 8750 pesos figure that I gave you. But in this case, the premise for a vendor is to maximize pesos that they pocket, so they might figure it at 21 pesos to the dollar, in which case $486 USD comes out to a little over 10,200 pesos. Not an insignificant difference.

Granted now that yo know that you won't have to pay it, even better, it ceases to be an issue.

Have a great trip!! But have an even better second trip!!!

Very wise of you to book back to back trips - one trip is 5 days of diving and barely over 15 dives.....not enough given the length and cost of the flights. In fact, I have a friend who lives in London and who will be joining us on the April 21 trip as well, but she is just doing the one trip.

So, will I recognize you when I see a lady with a digital stethoscope around her neck?

 

[Manuel Sam]

The "clearing letter" I mentioned in posting #38 was just an email from Pacific Fleet that I can present upon check-in, stating that I am exempt from the park fee, in case there is a miscommunication between the stateside office and the crew.

 

[Cybernurse]

It is now November 2022. We had a super back to back trip on Solmar V in April and met up with Manuel Sam. Time to update everyone on the issue of park fee waivers.
We met the CONANP prerequisites for retirees and we did not pay any fees whatsoever.
We are booked on the Belle Ami for April 2024 to experience the total solar eclipse. It has been very hard work to get Nautilus to accept that FOREIGNERS WHO ARE RETIRED AND IN RECEIPT OF A PENSION CAN GET AN EXEMPTION from payment of park fees.
The lovely Fernanda from Latitude encounters in Cabo checked directly with the local CONANP official who confirmed this fact. We finally got Nautilus to also check with CONANP and they now accept that this is the case.

 

[Kensei]

It is now November 2022. We had a super back to back trip on Solmar V in April and met up with Manuel Sam. Time to update everyone on the issue of park fee waivers.
We met the CONANP prerequisites for retirees and we did not pay any fees whatsoever.
We are booked on the Belle Ami for April 2024 to experience the total solar eclipse. It has been very hard work to get Nautilus to accept that FOREIGNERS WHO ARE RETIRED AND IN RECEIPT OF A PENSION CAN GET AN EXEMPTION from payment of park fees.
The lovely Fernanda from Latitude encounters in Cabo checked directly with the local CONANP official who confirmed this fact. We finally got Nautilus to also check with CONANP and they now accept that this is the case.

What are the current prerequisites and what paper work is required?

 

[Cybernurse]

What are the current prerequisites and what paper work is required?

You must be over 60. Provide proof of that eg picture of UK passport gives my date of birth. Provide proof you are in receipt of pension. In UK we have annual documentation of pension for the coming year. I sent copy of that. Both go to your liveaboard provider in advance of your trip.

 

[Shasta_man]

Hmmm...the pension requirement seems strange though maybe they think it confirms you are retired. My company and many others don't pay a pension. It's all 401K now.

 

[Manuel Sam]

Shasta_man: go back to posting #17 by Greg from Aquabluereg for further details of acceptable supporting documentation. If you are currently collecting Social Security, you can request a "Benefits Verification Letter" from Social Security after you log into their website. I do not mention "check" because most retirees tend have it direct-deposited. When I applied for the waiver for my April 2022 trip on the Solmar, I also submitted a copy of a letter from Human Resources of the company I retired from that made reference to my retirement.

 

[Manuel Sam]

Brief update: today I got word from Pacific Fleet that my request for exemption of the Socorro park fee for my November 2023 Solmar V trip was approved. It appears that the approval system is a little bit more streamlined and efficient now. In 2022, it took 3 months and I got the approval less than 2 weeks before departure. This time I got it in 2 weeks.