I still remember the days when it was $1 entrance fee and $5 to rent a
tank.

The last time I dived at Chankanaab, few years ago, the park entrance
fee
was about $5 and I was shocked that one of the tank rantal stands would
not rent me a tank because I was diving solo!   So, I rented the tank
from
the next stand.

We decided to try the Park for our shore dive today because of the easy
entry and the dive is usually fair decent, with lots of reef fish, a
tarpon or
two at the cave, etc.   We had a car, so that's $20 we didn't have to
pay
for the roundtrip taxi fare.

The first little surprise was that the park entrance fee is now $16.
Ah well,
since we were there already, it's only money.   But then the NEXT
surprise
is no longer a matter of money but a matter or PRINCIPLE.  It is now
Mexican government regulated that a diver must have a "dive guide"
for $10 in addition to the tank rental of $11 per tank!   THAT did it.
Goodbye Chankanaab Scuba, forever!

We drove further south to find the shore entry on Corona Beach is now
not on the new highway, but on the old road which was blocked.

So, we went on down to San Francisco beach where there ARE two
of dive shops, only one operating.  The beach is not exactly where
scuba diver wants to do a dive because it has no corals, and a few
blades of grass.  But since we were not there for a DIVE, but for
further checking of ears, it would do, after the Chankanaab outrage.

The DM at the shop was short on tanks because he had more divers
for the boat dive than he expected, but once he knew we were both
experienced divers, he said he would let us have two half-tanks for
FREE when the boat comes in.   And so he did.   We had to go out
a fair distance before we hit 20 fsw!   We saw a few tiny fish, near
some clumps of weeds.   But it was another successful dive, for
the EARS.    86F temp, max depth 20 fsw, 30 minutes of BT, and
we had 1000 psi left from the half tanks when we returned them.
A nice consolation dive after the Chankanaab Park abortion.

-- Reef Fish Bob.