On a recent trip to Cozumel I dived with Deep Exposure Dive Center (they were great!) and met Robert Cudney from the National Marine Park office there. He told me they had a big problem with small dive operators who never pass out the Marine Park wristbands to passengers. They tell divers they don't need to actually wear them or that the boat captain has them in a secure place. Then they re-sell the wristbands to the next group of passengers. They do this over and over again. This way they collect and pocket the money that never goes to the marine park.
When we did our surface interval at a beach near the south end of the island, we witnessed this first hand. Black Shark Dive Shop had a boat full of divers there and not one single Marine Park wristband onboard. Robert told me they would be cited and fined.
So next time you dive in Cozumel be sure to ask for the Marine Park wristband that you paid for. This is intended for the protection of the reefs and NOT to pay for the next round of cervesas. I know there are plenty of political opinions about the whole wristband program and the Marine Park rules, but I hope this group of Cozumel-loving Wetpixel members will help to expose and avoid those dive operators who are stealing from everyone.
I've dived with Scuba Club Cozumel, Mestizo Divers, DIMI Scuba Tours, Aqua Safari, and Deep Exposure Dive Center and they all insisted we attach the wristbands to our body or our BC every day we dived.
You can also purchase an annual marine pass. I got mine when I did a trip on the Solmar V, but its good at every marine park in Mexico till the end of the calendar year. It includes a plastic card (to attach to your BC), medallion and passport with information about all the parks in Mexico. I found it very useful and at only $26 US pays for itself after a couple of dive trips. None of the dive shops I spoke to sold them but Robert told me they could be purchased at the Marine Park office in Cozumel.
Bonnie
