Dive "mules" needed!

Okay, first let me say that the "mules" we need in this case have nothing to do with the illicit drug trade. Rather, we're trying to do something very positive for the entire island of Cozumel.
The Christian Divers of Texas (CDOT) and Christian Divers of Oklahoma (CDOO) are working in conjunction to assist the Cruz Roja (Red Cross) of Cozumel. The Red Cross operates a full time ambulance service and emergency medical clinic that serves the entire population. Hurricane Wilma devastated the Red Cross just as it did the rest of the island, damaging two of their three ambulances and draining the organization's supplies and resources. Basic expendible supplies such as latex gloves, medicines, bandages and other items are exhorbitantly expensive due to shipping costs.
This is where our diving organizations are going to help. We are going to establish a conduit of divers who will use their spare luggage space and weight allotments to ferry donated supplies to the Red Cross in Cozumel every time they make a trip down there. The first "shipment" will take place this weekend (June 9-12) when CDOT makes a trip and sends a team to recon what other materials are needed.
We welcome anyone who wants to be a part of this effort. Just contact me by email at ChristianDiversofTexas@hotmail.com for more details or how to help. Let's make a difference!
p.s. I've already posted this to the Cozumel forum...I just wanted to post it here too, because this is the forum I visit most. Please forgive the double posting...

Great idea, good luck, but who has extra space on a dive vacation? It might be easer to pay for a third bag and cram it full of supplies? Id pony up for a bag if I was planing on going back any time soon.
Hope this all works out.....

Wildcard:

Great idea, good luck, but who has extra space on a dive vacation? It might be easer to pay for a third bag and cram it full of supplies? Id pony up for a bag if I was planing on going back any time soon.
Hope this all works out.....

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Best bet might be to find guys with non-diving wifes. Take and extra suitcase of medical supplies, so the non-diving spouses can fill them with their purchases on the way back!


Seriously most medical supplies are light but bulky Most divers have problems with the weight limits, so it might actually help to prevent your luggage from being over.

Maybe I'm naive but has this been cleared by Mexican customs? What happens to the poor guy who has lots and lots of stuff in his luggage and the red light comes on?

Tom Smedley:

Maybe I'm naive but has this been cleared by Mexican customs? What happens to the poor guy who has lots and lots of stuff in his luggage and the red light comes on?

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Meds would be a problem, and I wouldn't advise taking those, but I don't think that gloves and bandages would be a problem.

We're back! Delivered about 60 pounds (in two checked bags) of items including two stethoscopes, two glucose monitors, two hundred tests strips and lancets, large numbers of specialized bandages, medical tape, Bacitracin, pediatric Ibuprofen, zinc oxide, anti-diarreals, anti-fungus ointments, and sixteen boxes of latex gloves. The Cruz Roja officials were thrilled! There were no problems getting them through customs because we played by the rules...No more than $300 dollars worth per bag, and we had receipts for all items.
If anyone would like to participate, please let me know and I'll elaborate on how you can help.

My non-diving wife and I are heading to Cancun on Sunday. The plan is to bus/ferry to Coz on monday. I'll send an email to get hooked up (pardon the pun) with med supplies.

Why not just mail the stuff...

The cost of mailing is prohibitive for the quantities we're talking about.

Blue Dolphin Scuba in Frisco has 46 divers going to Cozumel on August 3rd. Might be worth checking into for help. Their "trip meeting" is tomorrow night, Friday 7/21.