Cozumel Drift - February 2021

Feb 2021 Edition

The Cozumel Drift

Hola Amigo !

BIENVENIDOS ... or welcome to The Drift. If you are new to the Scuba Shack and Village Tan Kah family, this is our newsletter that keeps you up to date with what is happening here on COZUMEL, as well as your favorite dive shop and hotel. We sure hope that you like it!

A HUGE GRACIAS to everyone for coming to visit us recently. I am thinking that you were happier here than back there in the windy, snowy, and did I say COLD - North America. The weather here has been great, with hardly any nortes, lots of sun and warm weather. We have been busy with divers, and rain, and wind and... well, the weather!

Speaking of weather.... are you tired of the cold and snow?? If not, there is more coming !?!?!? That is, if the weathermen are correct. Well, I know of a place that is warm, and sunny, and has some great diving. I will give you 2 guesses where that might be???

How has the Covid testing been going?

Well - excellent. And easy peasy. Cozumel has your COVID testing needs covered!

As you know, all travelers returning to the US require a negative viral Covid test, with the Canadians and Brazilians requiring PCR test. The island has been keeping up no problem with all of the testing needs. Up until now, we have not had a single positive test result. Nor have I heard of anyone testing positive prior to their return home. Well, actually, there was 1 customer whose antigen test came back positive. They then imediately had a PCR test done, and it was negative. So, that means... no one has had to stay here for an extra 14 days. ALTHOUGH... there have been MANY customers who were disappointed with their negative test results and WANTED to stay here on vacation for another 2 weeks !?!??!

Honestly, I have not heard of any positive test results for tourists.

Testing is EXTREMELY easy. The clinic is down the street, just past the stoplight. You walk in, and are done in about... 5 minutes. Yes, you do need to have that swab put up your nose. About 30 minutes later, you have your test result emailed to you. If you need a print out, they will print it out, but you DO NOT need a printed copy to get on the plane to leave Cozumel!

We offer the antigen test for $ 600 pesos (approx. $30usd). The clinic is open in the afternoon between 3 and 5, so no diving days are missed. Or you can go directly to the Amerimed hospital any time of the day or night.

In the airport, they will ask to see the test results and have you sign an affidavit confirming you took it. And that is about all.

There is a new app and service emerging out there called Verifly. Click on the logo below to go to their website, and you can find them in the app store on your Google or Apple device.

This application is marketing itself as the a "smarter digital health passport..." and was even promoted by American Airlines in January 14th 2021 news release on their website. CLICK HERE to read that article. The purpose for this app is to be able to link your COVID testing results with all your travel documents. However this is not a requirement for American Airlines passengers or any other airline passengers to use this application. Like anything else I invite you to do your own research, check out the app, read the reviews, etc. If you are concerned about who you give your personal information to and where it goes, you may even want to read very carefully that long boring privacy notice before you install the app.

If you have additional questions before you travel, don't forget, we've put together an FAQ for you on our website. Check here, before emailing or messaging. Most of the common questions we receive are answered here.

FAQ

Jan 25 - The Governor of Q. Roo declared the northern part of the state in ORANGE, and the southern part YELLOW, due to the huge increase of cases in Cancun and Playa del Carmen. And he then ordered a mask mandate. WHAT ???? Cozumel has had that since Jun 8!

The next day, the mayor of Cozumel came out and announced that Cozumel is being punished because of the bad behavior of those other places. They do not have curfew, nor have they had a mask mandate for 7.5 months. Cozumel is still quite good and he declared that Cozumel will remain operating in YELLOW!!

As of Feb 5, the rates of covid began to fall again. And then on Feb 8, the southern part of the state also changed to orange. What ? Since then, the rates have continued to fall, and the northen part of the state is just about to turn back to yellow. The rates across the state are down 80%, and in Cozumel, there has only been 19 new cases since Jan 31, and our hospital occupancy is at 4%.

Covid test included!

Some hotels are offering their guests free tests. They are

Park Royal
Cozumel Palace
Iberostar
Secrets
Fiesta americana
Presidente

Other hotels offer testing on site for an additional charge. Contact your hotel and compare their price to ours.

More direct flights to Cozumel!

American Airlines

American Airlines has another direct flight to Cozumel. YEAH !!! This past Sat, Feb 13, American began flying direct from Philadelphia to Cozumel. Wow! I don't believe that we have ever had a direct flight from there. This flight operates every Saturday.

Frontier(F9) also began their weekly flights from both Chicago and Denver. There are now 3 airlines flying direct from Chicago (AA, UA, F9) and Denver has 2 (UA and F9).

Each month we hear about more and more direct flights starting again. It's almost too much for me to keep up with at times. Let's hope this is a good sign for the future. Last year, was horrible, as we all know. The report came out that Cozumel lost 779 Million USD of tourism revenue in 2020. Wow....

Neck Gaiters NOT allowed on flights.

Before you head to the airport to fly to Cozumel, check your particular airlines policy on what is an acceptable mask and be prepared to meet that standard even if you've flown lately and were allowed to wear a certain type of mask on a different flight.

Most airlines have adopted the current CDC guidelines for what is an acceptable mask. They have changed numerous times over the past year. But the current CDC guidelines and some of the airline sites say that neck gaiters ARE NOT AN ACCEPTABLE MASK. This past weekend, one of the customers was actually handed a mask and told that he had to wear that, with or without his own gaiter.

Leave your Plastics at the border

Let's keep Cozumel BEAUTIFUL

As some of you may know we've been working hard here for some time to eliminate single use plastics like shopping bags, straws, etc. Well a new law went into effect in January 2021 in Mexico city banning single use plastics. We're hoping this new law paves the way for Quintana Roo to ban more plastics like drink bottles, potato chip bags, etc. etc. Click the link below to read more.

CLICK HERE!

Come Snorkel with the Largest Fish in the WORLD!!

How would you like to go snorkeling with whale sharks? Did you know you can do that here!?!? It is a totally amazing experience to be up close with these gentle giants. June through September is the peak time whale sharks in this area. So when you're looking to book your trip for this summer make sure ask about a whale shark excursion!!

Women's Freediving World Record

WOW - have you ever thought about going down to 300 feet below the surface of the water? Without scuba gear? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to dive without gear or a tether? Was this what Tom Petty was talking about when he wrote “Free Fallin?”

Alenka Artnik is our new hero!

On November 8th, 2020, Alenka Artnik descended 114 meters (374 feet) into the Red Sea from the coast of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. This act broke the current women's world record for freediving. Scientist had believed years ago that a descent this deep into the ocean was not possible--Alenka Artnik has proven this false. We applaud this pioneering woman for her journey into this new foray of freediving.