Licensed Dive Boats

[ReefHound]

@Christi How are the permits paid for/reconciled? Do you just pay a yearly fee to be able to take ten people out per boat? Or, are they reconciled by the paper wrist bands that are supposed to be handed out every day to each diver?

Another good question. I've used a variety of ops and seems like it is random whether they put wristbands on us. Varies day to day.

 

[Christi]

@Christi How are the permits paid for/reconciled? Do you just pay a yearly fee to be able to take ten people out per boat? Or, are they reconciled by the paper wrist bands that are supposed to be handed out every day to each diver?

We pay an annual fee and then buy the bracelets as needed. But honestly, if your dive op forgets to put a bracelet on you or they run out of them for a day or two - you are not being ripped off. We are required to report our divers everyday in the form of a report so we are held accountable for reconciling when permit renewal time comes up. MP boats are actually checking # of divers on boats even if you don't see them - they don't always pull up to the boat. It's not a perfect science, but unless you never get the bracelets, I would not worry too much that you are paying your $2.50 a day and occasionally not getting a bracelet - the legal ops are held accountable and they do pay for them.

It always makes me laugh when some DM's "have bracelets for sale" - just shows their ignorance to the system. In order to buy them, you have to be legal including being a registered business with a Tax ID (in Mexico RFC). These DM's and Captains (or whoever) think they are fooling the system when the reality is that the MP is not fooled one bit - only the customers are.

 

[ChuckP]

We pay an annual fee and then buy the bracelets as needed. But honestly, if your dive op forgets to put a bracelet on you or they run out of them for a day or two - you are not being ripped off. We are required to report our divers everyday in the form of a report so we are held accountable for reconciling when permit renewal time comes up. MP boats are actually checking # of divers on boats even if you don't see them - they don't always pull up to the boat. It's not a perfect science, but unless you never get the bracelets, I would not worry too much that you are paying your $2.50 a day and occasionally not getting a bracelet - the legal ops are held accountable and they do pay for them.

It always makes me laugh when some DM's "have bracelets for sale" - just shows their ignorance to the system. In order to buy them, you have to be legal including being a registered business with a Tax ID (in Mexico RFC). These DM's and Captains (or whoever) think they are fooling the system when the reality is that the MP is not fooled one bit - only the customers are.

How does that all work with the yearly online pass? You count me, my wife and a few others I know but we've paid the yearly park fee, we have the online card - we shouldn't be charged the 2.50 or 2 right??

OMG, that's why I see full time book keepers...... Maybe selling ice cream cones would be easier LOL

 

[ReefHound]

How does that all work with the yearly online pass? You count me, my wife and a few others I know but we've paid the yearly park fee, we have the online card - we shouldn't be charged the 2.50 or 2 right??

OMG, that's why I see full time book keepers...... Maybe selling ice cream cones would be easier LOL

Maybe when they are looking at numbers like 2000 per year they are not concerned with plus/minus 10 or 20?

 

[uncfnp]

So the MP boats can count divers but not determine a legal boat from illegal?

 

[CajunDiva]

TA reviews are nice to get, but they are not "earned" - they are bought in some way, shape or form.

I respect that you are active here Christi, and I respect the advice you give. But I have to tell you I find this comment VERY offensive. I am an avid traveler, diver and lover of writing. I believe deeply in sharing my experiences and trying to help other travelers (especially divers) iron out the details in planning their trips and prospective destinations.

I have NEVER had anything I wrote on TripAdvisor, ScubaBoard or anywhere else "bought in some way". They have all been my honest opinions and writing. Thanks for the heads up. I won't exert the effort again.

 

[scubafanatic]

I respect that you are active here Christi, and I respect the advice you give. But I have to tell you I find this comment VERY offensive. I am an avid traveler, diver and lover of writing. I believe deeply in sharing my experiences and trying to help other travelers (especially divers) iron out the details in planning their trips and prospective destinations.

I have NEVER had anything I wrote on TripAdvisor, ScubaBoard or anywhere else "bought in some way". They have all been my honest opinions and writing. Thanks for the heads up. I won't exert the effort again.

TripAdvisor is just another Russian style troll farm/whore house, too contaminated to sift the legit from the bogus. I give far more credence to fellow Scubaboarders or Undercurrent.org.

 

[DandyDon]

I respect that you are active here Christi, and I respect the advice you give. But I have to tell you I find this comment VERY offensive. I am an avid traveler, diver and lover of writing. I believe deeply in sharing my experiences and trying to help other travelers (especially divers) iron out the details in planning their trips and prospective destinations.

I have NEVER had anything I wrote on TripAdvisor, ScubaBoard or anywhere else "bought in some way". They have all been my honest opinions and writing. Thanks for the heads up. I won't exert the effort again.

I think that she simply forgot to insert the word often. I experience the same omission at times.

 

[pauldw]

I respect that you are active here Christi, and I respect the advice you give. But I have to tell you I find this comment VERY offensive. I am an avid traveler, diver and lover of writing. I believe deeply in sharing my experiences and trying to help other travelers (especially divers) iron out the details in planning their trips and prospective destinations.

I have NEVER had anything I wrote on TripAdvisor, ScubaBoard or anywhere else "bought in some way". They have all been my honest opinions and writing. Thanks for the heads up. I won't exert the effort again.

Calm down, dude. No one is saying that you are doing anything inaccurate or bogus. But Trip Advisor is a crock of crap.

 

[ChuckP]

I respect that you are active here Christi, and I respect the advice you give. But I have to tell you I find this comment VERY offensive. I am an avid traveler, diver and lover of writing. I believe deeply in sharing my experiences and trying to help other travelers (especially divers) iron out the details in planning their trips and prospective destinations.

I have NEVER had anything I wrote on TripAdvisor, ScubaBoard or anywhere else "bought in some way". They have all been my honest opinions and writing. Thanks for the heads up. I won't exert the effort again.

I'm really sorry to say this - as a business owner and multiple website owners:

Internet review systems are fraudulent period - you can purchase likes, you can buy reviews, you can buy website traffic........ It's a BS way of doing things designed to grab the uninformed surfer. It's not just overseas companies doing this - my customer management / marketing software supplier in good old Michigan offered to sell me google reviews, Facebook likes - you name it - you could get as many "hits" as you wanted per day/week, how much did you want to spend.

I'm sure your reviews were honest, forthcoming and done on your own but the fact is some if not a lot are fake.

Other services like Angies List, House - they are true BS pay to play sites.

If Christi is #15 on that list, I'm betting she doesn't wave that out there to her customers unlike others who ask for reviews (nothing wrong with that either IMO) or use it in their marketing system. You choose how to market yourself.

I chose early on to not play in that marketing aspect, other than a website, small amounts of social media - word of mouth advertising brought me solid long term customers, allowed steady substainable growth.