Thoughts and important information on the developing COVID-19 situation
Dear Ninjas,
We hope this message finds you well. Humans have overcome many challenging events in the epic poem of time, and this current situation is already shaping up to be one of those defining events. Naturally, our first thoughts are how this will affect our own daily lives. However, slowly, we are all realizing that if we shift our focus to “we” instead of “I”, the collective reaction to the developing situation can save lives, economies, and communities. We have already begun to see humans working together like never before to deal with the dynamic situation at hand. Challenging events like these can really show our species’ true capacity for compassion, benevolence, and ingenuity.
As you know, our tours are built to support local communities, marine research and conservation. An uncontrollable event that severely restricts travel and leisure activities, is a huge burden on the economy including small businesses, like us, that rely on tourism to uphold partnerships with the local communities and conservation projects that we support with our tours. Something of this magnitude carries a far reaching ripple effect. The livelihoods of so many disappear as global travel slows to a halt in response to COVID-19. The boat captains who greet you every morning with a smile, the tour guides who point out those elusive nudibranchs, the housekeeper that leaves chocolates on your pillow, the cooks who prepare your favorite meals, all the way through to the local farmers and delivery drivers that form the foundation of your greatest holiday memories. These people will be the most affected, many without savings, access to healthcare and income. It is paramount, now more than ever, for us all to come together as one and support one another other on this tiny blue dot that we call home.
There is great power in the ability to stay optimistic, altruistic, and hopeful in challenging circumstances. This power has carried us through the greatest moments in human history, and these moments have defined us through the ages. Through our work with the environment, we have seen the magnanimous potential of the human spirit. We believe that humans, rich and poor, laborers and business owners, politicians and scientists, will join together and overcome this challenge with unprecedented global unity and the world will live on as one. Stay safe, keep smiling, and most importantly, be a good human. We look forward to exploring more magical places with all of our favorite ninjas very soon.
Much love,
— Jay, Mariana, Ellen, Donna, Ligia, & Kenzo
Scroll down for details on tour & trip updates.
Health, Tours, & Operational Updates
The health and safety of our customers has, and always will be, our top priority at Dive Ninja Expeditions. We have been closely monitoring health & travel advisories, recommendations, and research updates from the World Health Organization (WHO), Divers Alert Network (DAN), and Center for Disease Control (CDC) as well as international airlines and government authorities in the many countries we operate to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep our ninja family out of harm’s way. Even as we write this, the situation is evolving at an ever-changing rate and we are doing our best to keep up with the constant updates.
Here at Dive Ninjas, we want to join our family together during this uncertain time and offer our support, and sympathy to those affected mentally, physically, and/or socially. In addition, we want to update those at home and abroad on the status of our home office, local tours, expeditions, international trips, and conservation projects with regards to the developing COVID-19 situation.
Currently in Cabo,
we are operating on a regular schedule. Our reservations team will be available during normal business hours to answer any questions you may have via phone or email. But for the health and safety of our team, our physical office will operate on a minimized schedule with almost all staff working from home. Please be patient with us as we try to respond to the influx of communication requests at this time.
As of March 21st, 2020, there has been 1 confirmed case of COVID-19 in our home state of Baja California Sur. In good news, the person has been released from the hospital and is on track to make a full recovery. At the moment, there are still international and national flights into and out of Los Cabos. However, crossing the US-Mexican border by land has been closed to non-essential traffic and cruise ships are not allowed to enter port. The Los Cabos municipality has implemented special protocols to protect the health and safety of both visitors and locals such as: more advanced screening of arriving passengers at the airport, more frequent cleaning of public areas, special training of hotel and restaurant staff in preventative procedures, as well as increased communication and surveillance in susceptible areas and much more.
Maintaining a sanitary environment,
has always been a critical part of the high level of service we strive for at Dive Ninjas. We have always and will continue to ensure a clean and sanitized environment for all of our guests. Due to the COVID-19 situation, we believe it is paramount that our cleaning procedures are transparent now more than ever. These include washing and sanitizing ALL rental gear after each use, frequently disinfecting common areas, and offering hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes to guests. With the current situation, we have instituted a new policy that any guests who are ill or showing flu-like symptoms will be asked not to participate in the activity for their own health and safety, as well as the health and safety of our guests and staff. They will be given a credit for the tours they have missed that can be used anytime now through the end of 2021.
If you have booked a local tour with us here in Cabo,
and need to cancel for any reason we can reschedule your booking for anytime now through the end of 2021. No worries. We just ask that you cancel at least 48 hours before your tour starts so that we can plan accordingly. We have scuba diving and freediving tours & courses going on regularly and would love for you to join us, whenever you can make it.
If you have booked a Mobula Ray expedition with us,
they are currently scheduled to continue as planned starting in late April. If you have to cancel due to circumstances out of your control, such as travel bans or flight cancellations by the airline, we can supply the necessary documents for your travel insurance claim. If for some reason your travel insurance will not cover it, we will gladly apply your booking to a future expedition this season, or in the 2021 or 2022 seasons. The 2021 season dates will be available this Tuesday and the 2022 season will be released early this summer.
If you have booked an international trip with us,
we are working tirelessly with each of the individual operators for our upcoming trips to monitor local developments and to prepare for all possible scenarios. Currently, all of our international trips from June 2020 onward are still scheduled to continue as planned. This includes Bimini Dolphins, GTS Cocos Island Shark Conservation, French Polynesia Shark Squad, Tonga Humpbacks, and so on. Please be patient with us, as we try to navigate the unprecedented waters of this challenging situation which is affecting everyone around the world. As new information develops, we will contact you directly.
We thank our ninja family for your continued support and patience during this challenging time. Take care of yourselves and keep the ninja spirit alive wherever you are. We will all be blowing bubbles together before you know it!
