Shipping gear to Cozumel

[CZMDM]

The chance of you losing your luggage is small. I would advise to pack your dive gear in a "hard" suitcase instead of in a dive bag. Baggage handlers in airports such as Miami or Dallas/Ft. Worth are well aware of expensive dive gear being in dive bags and it could attract attention of any thief wannabe's. That's probably overly paranoid, but a long time ago I read an article in the Miami Herald regarding same.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

The chance of you losing your luggage is small. I would advise to pack your dive gear in a "hard" suitcase instead of in a dive bag. Baggage handlers in airports such as Miami or Dallas/Ft. Worth are well aware of expensive dive gear being in dive bags and it could attract attention of any thief wannabe's. That's probably overly paranoid, but a long time ago I read an article in the Miami Herald regarding same.

Even just a plain bag with no see-through bits or scuba logos would work, it doesn't have to be a hard shell. Just something that doesn't scream "I'm full of expensive gear, oh please oh please steal me!"

 

[scubawife]

The chance of you losing your luggage is small. I would advise to pack your dive gear in a "hard" suitcase instead of in a dive bag. Baggage handlers in airports such as Miami or Dallas/Ft. Worth are well aware of expensive dive gear being in dive bags and it could attract attention of any thief wannabe's. That's probably overly paranoid, but a long time ago I read an article in the Miami Herald regarding same.

For several years it was an issue with connecting through MIA or SJU. Lots of dive gear and u/w camera equipment wasn't making it to it's tagged destination... but the owners were welcome to buy it back when they spotted it on eBay. As far as I know, the theft ring was cleaned up and it hasn't been an issue for probably 4-5 yrs now.

 

[DandyDon]

Even if bags are late arriving, ask the airline how much they will reimburse you per day for your needs: clothes, gear rental, etc. It's been 10 years since it happened to me but I 5 days of free clothes while waiting on my bags to catch up to my cruise boat - before scuba.

And I always buy this Trip Insurance for international trips, mostly for medical coverages, but baggage delays are also covered there. Too, for baggage losses, as rare as they are, airline liabilities are severely limited on International flights, with a lot of exclusions on sport gear - another reason for cheap Trip Ins. ilot:

Oh, I use two bright colored ribbons to mark my bags for easy claiming, several pairs to each bag, same on carry-on to aid in tracking: "They have ribbons just like these!"

 

[jlyle]

As the others have said, "don't try it." The mail system doesn't work in Mexico, much less international shipping. People who live on Cozumel rely on "mules" to bring letters and stuff to and from the island.

 

[CZMDM]

i just wanted to clear the air about international shipments. I have had dozens of shipments made to the island. We have never lost one shipment. You can't get anything overnighted, but 3 day is no problem. Documents ship free of duty. Sometimes books, cd's, and dvd's will have no duty attached either. If the shipment is small enough to deliver (like UPS or FedEx...not air cargo), it will uaually be delivered to your door. The shipper will have the bill for the duty payment from customs and you must pay it to receive the package.

The problem with international shipping is the expense of the shipping (a 15 page document will run about $20USD) and the duty at customs. The $300USD allowance made for duty if you are flying into the island does not count for intl. shipments.