Covid-19 Health & Safety Protocols
After a long 3 months, we have received approval from the Baja California Sur government to begin reopening operations! We are extremely excited to get back in the water, go diving and freediving again, exploring our beautiful Baja California Sur and her amazing marine wildlife. But the most exciting part is that we can finally share it all with you once again!
As the world slowly reopens, there are a few regulations and safety protocols we all have to follow, to ensure everyone stays healthy and happy. Our top priority has always been the safety of our guests and staff, which is one of the reasons we have always kept our groups small, and never pack up our boats. But with the current situation there are more safeguards we need to follow to make sure we can all enjoy our beautiful oceans safely. This page is kept up to date with our cleaning and safety protocols in regard to COVID-19. Read on for more details, and if you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.
COVID-19 Training & Certifications
Our team has been working hard these last months to stay up to date on current guidelines and regulations, as well as taking courses on how to handle reopening so that we can keep our guests safe while still having fun and enjoying all the incredible diving here in Baja. Our health & sanitary protocols for our full operations including boats, office, and tours have been approved by API (Administración Portuaria Integral – the Mexican port authority). The Baja California Sur state commission for sanitary risk protection (COFEPRIS) has also registered our protocols. Additionally we have completed the Punto Limpio (Clean Point) certification for our operations and business by SECTUR (the Mexican Secretary of Tourism). This is only a short list of the steps we have been taking and many are not required for businesses to reopen, but we take the safety of our ninja guests very seriously and as with everything we do, we want to go the extra mile to set the bar higher not only in Cabo, but in the dive industry worldwide.
In The Office
Our office, located in the downtown area of Cabo San Lucas, has been closed since the last week of March, with a minimal amount of visits from our staff alone. We always keep the office clean, and sanitary. All surfaces, articles and working areas are cleaned with sanitizing products on a daily basis and after each guest that leaves our facilities. We limit the number of people allowed in the office or the classroom, to a maximum of 4 people, 2 staff and 2 guests at any given time. We ask that you keep proper social distancing in and out of our classroom and office. Following local protocols, any guest entering the office will have their temperature checked, and will be asked to use a face mask to cover their mouth and nose, as well as the staff. New, reusable masks are available for purchase in case you don’t have your own. Alcoholic sanitizing gel, sanitizing wipes and spray are available to use in the office, classroom and bathrooms. Additionally our AC filters are cleaned and sanitized daily. Bathrooms are cleaned with sanitizing substances and wipes after each use.
Dive Equipment
We have always made sure our rental gear is clean and sanitized after each dive tour, but we will now be also using a special disinfectant with our protocols. After each tour we rinse our masks and regulators individually, with disinfectants recommended by the EPA, DAN, and the gear manufacturers. Our BCD’s and wetsuits are washed separately with sanitizing detergent. They are then labeled with a ‘I’m Clean’ tag and placed in our new clean zone. All pieces of equipment are then sprayed/wiped again before being handed out to guests. We ask that each guest keeps their equipment separate and in their own gear bag, whether rented or private. Personal gear is washed by the guests, with the help of our staff as needed. Don’t worry if you are unfamiliar with these processes, our team is trained in how to handle sanitizing dive gear and will gladly walk you through every step.
On The Dive Boat
Our boats are professionally deep cleaned and disinfected after each tour. Captain and boat crew wear masks and gloves at all times and have extra wipes and spray available for use by guests and crew at any moment. We also have disinfecting hand gel, extra masks and wipes just in case. All life vests are sprayed after each use and at the end of each tour. We have always worked with small groups on our tours, so integrating social distancing procedures is an easy segway for our team. To maintain proper social distancing, we will continue to only take small or private groups, and limit the number of people on the boat to maintain social distancing regulations. Current regulations limit boats to operating at 50% capacity, but at Dive Ninjas we prefer to work with smaller groups to create a better experience for our guests. This translates to meaning you will only have 4 divers and a guide on your tour. That way, we can all keep a safe distance and prevent any transmission. Our snacks are all prepared by authorised vendors, using the most strict food preparation regulation, including the use of masks, gloves and hair nets, as well as wrapping each item separately to prevent any contamination. Our reusable bottles are disinfected after each tour, rinsed, dried, filled with fresh drinking water and then placed in our fridge, so we can enjoy cold water while on the boat. Once a bottle is filled and closed with a clean cap, it is not opened by anyone except the guest who’s planning on drinking from it. Each guest gets their own bottle and is asked to keep it with their gear. Brand new bottles are also available for purchase in our office if you’d prefer to have one no one has used before.
Transportation and Excursions
Whenever we take you on a trip with another operator, we first check they are also using proper regulations and have extended protocols to make sure everyone is safe. We have always preferred to take small or private groups. We transport our guests in large vans, to allow each person to have a seat with adequate space. So, you can be sure you will be safe and happy on your adventure with Dive Ninja Expeditions.
Want more information? Have any unanswered questions? Contact our team today and we’ll gladly answer any questions you might have!