A Way to Help the Dive Community In Coz

[SadiesMom]

Many people here have expressed much concern about their favorite dive operators, DMs and dive "families" on Cozumel in the wake of the unbelievable devastation of Hurricane Wilma. Because so many dive boats were lost and so many hotels were destroyed or damaged, it may be quite a while before our tourism dollars can once more fully support our favorite dive industry folks again.

There are a couple of ways we can help in the meantime. First, I would ask that those of you who HAVE reservations with dive operators that must be cancelled and CAN afford to do so would consider allowing your dive operators to keep your deposits as a donation to them to help them rebuild their operations and repair their boats. I realize that that's not possible for some of you and that's fine. But for those of you who *can* afford to do so, that would be an enormous help to those operators at a time of incredible financial stress when they have little or no income.

Secondly, you can make donations to a grassroots fund called Cozumel Relief (www.cozumelrelief.com). This fund was originally set up by Christi of BlueXTSeaDiving and Johnoly from the Scubadiving.com D2D Message board during Hurricane Emily to help dive industry workers after that storm. 100% of the funds were distributed to DMs, boat captains and other dive industry workers to help them while they had no income. A list of those who received the funds from the Hurricane Emily distribution is on the site.

As a grassroots effort, you should be aware that this is *not* a tax deductable donation. However, every penny of every dollar you send will be given to these folks. There's no overhead - even the webspace is donated. You can even earmark your donation for a particular person if you wish to do so. Or, if you like, make 50% of your donation for your favorite DM(s) and 50% for the general fund!

However, if you are uncomfortable with this concept, there is a button to link you to the Mexican Red Cross for a more "traditional" method of donation. Donations can be made through Paypal.

Please note that I'm not affiliated with www.cozumelrelief.com , other than that I have donated to it for Emily and for this storm (and both Christi and Johnoly are personal friends)....and I believe very much in directly helping the folks in Cozumel who gave so much to me on my first of what I hope to be many trips there....

It worked beautifully for Emily...there's much more of a need now.

 

[cxg31s]

Thanks for posting--a very worthy cause as they will need all the help they can get!

I would like to add that if you cannot afford to let your dive op/hotel keep your deposit that you be patient in trying to get it back. The island has no power right now, so banks are closed, phones are mostly down, no email/internet, etc. They have been through a lot and have a long way to go in rebuilding--this will take time and money. Tourism is the lifeblood of the island: no tourists = no money. They have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in tourist revenue and are going to lose much more in the coming weeks. The longer it takes to rebuild, the more money they will continue to lose. So please people, rest assured that you will get your money back eventually, but don't hassle them right now.They're not out to rip you off by keeping your money--they just need time to get back on their feet financially.

Thank you.

 

[SadiesMom]

That's a great comment, Angie. Patience is necessary while dive ops get back on their feet and wait for the infrastructure to come back online so they can get back in touch with their customers.

 

[Lisa0825]

If anyone is interested in helping the animals of Cozumel (not the human kind), the Humane Society of Cozumel needs food badly. Click here to help: http://www.humanecozumel.org . There is a paypal link on the page.

 

[Moodiejeff]

And another...

The Cozumel Chrysalis Group

"The Cozumel Chrysalis Group is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing financial scholastic support for the island's students. Mexican public school students pay a registration fee and must provide their own uniforms, classroom supplies and some books. Many families in Cozumel lack the financial ability to send their children to school. The Cozumel Chrysalis Group assists those students who show a desire to better their lives through education, so that they can meet and maintain established academic standards."

 

[Christi]

First, on behalf of the dive employees of Cozumel, I would like to express a heartfelt THANK YOU!

I would also like to thank Johnoly for opening this fund back up again. I have not yet checked the account as I have (believe it or not) had limited internet access over the weekend...technical problems with my mothers internet provider on and off all day Saturday and Sunday.

Obviously, the needs this time are much greater than they were for Emily. Wilma has hit ALL dive shops and employees very hard. Dive shops and employees will be basically out of work until electricity is restored and until the airlines bring visitors back to the island. Most reserves people had stashed away from the previous high season were tapped out after Hurricane Emily in July. Obviously, the best way you can help is to return to the island as soon as possible and to keep existing reservations...but that is simply not possible for some. If you would like to help your favorite dive shop bridge the gap, please donate directly to your shop or to the Cozumel relief fund.

I am happy to be the administraor of these funds once again, but I will need some help this time as the needs cannot as easily be determined and are much more widespread.

If you have already donated, please send me an e-mail to info@bluextseadiving.com specifying which dive shop you would like your donation to go to OR if you would like it to go to the general relief fund. Your donation along with your name will be given to the dive shop owner/manager to distribute as they see fit among their staff.

If you have not yet donated to this fund and plan to, please specify in the comment/note section to which dive shop you would like your funds to go to.

The paypal account for the Cozumel relief fund is cozumelrelief@yahoo.com

Thank you again for your support and encouragement before, during and after Wilma!

Sincerest regards,
Christi Courtney
Blue XT~Sea Diving, Cozumel

 

[Johnoly]

Christi, my donation goes to you, to help repair the boat damage!!(+)

Yes I understand that other DM's and captains are out of work and have bills to pay. But so do you and with limited reserves things are tight for you personally also.

The best way my donation can me made is to help pay for the boat and dive equipment. That gets the DM's working, the Capts working and your business working. I can think of no other better use for my funds.

And if it leaks, I'll donate duct tape! That stuff fixes everything!!

Johnoly

 

[EuphoriaII]

My son and I had to cancel 3 days of diving with Papa Hogs since our hotel was damaged and our tour operator cancelled their charters. However, we booked a cruise that stopped in Cozumel last Friday and we made sure to line up a couple dives with Papa Hogs (since we were part of their 'lost' business for the week). We dove the Sant Rosa wall (saw two large Eagle Rays) and Rocky Point reef. Papa Hogs has all their boats although two have damaged motors and all of them need paintwork (Two had been repainted as of Friday). Their main diveshop building was wiped out along with thier pier but they're operating from Hogtown Cafe across the street.

Based on the devistation I saw, I expect there will be some really cheap hotel deals for the next 6 months to a year and a lot of lost tourism. But thats a great opportunity for us divers to get some inexpensive dive trips and help out the Coz dive community. I plan to return within 6 months and dive the 3 days I originally planned on.

 

[jawfish]

As always, the dive community can be counted on to be "a family" - this is great, thanks Christi!

 

[avidiver]

Y'all might consider diving with the operators who have a family; the operators that did not lay off their staff after the storm in October. The others, the ones who laid off their staff to drift on their own while the going was rough, as we say in Mexico;
the ones that don't have a mother, in my opinion should not be patronized.