When Scuba Diving In The Caribbean - You Need A Passport To Get Home!

by Paula
(California)

We always use the hotel safe when traveling on dive trips - in fact, we even stick our dive computers in there when we leave the room - so I am not sure how my passport "went missing" from our room. When did I discover this? Well, the taxi to the airport for our flight home was outside. Okay, from Grand Trurks to Provo to Miami to San Francisco. Think I could just adopt a Texan drawl and immigration would deem me an "American" citizen? I don't think so.

I was panicked - miss our flight? pay flight change charges? get jailed in Miami? get stuck in some back room being grilled?

What saved the day? I keep a scanned copy of my passport in the Cloud (thank you DropBox) which I quickly printed in the hotel office. At the airport, the airline counter fellow called the American embassy in the Bahamas after I gave him my scanned passport copy and driver's license number and I was cleared to go. Though I had to explain all along the way...in Miami when Immigration scanned the passport copy, my info came up in his computer. He called a supervisor who looked at everything and said "Welcome home." At midnight, that was the best thing I could hear!

BTW, as I left I saw another passenger who had lost his passport - and had no copy - being led off to the little back room. Never did find out what happened to him. Maybe he is still there.

Moral of the story - keep scanned documentation (passport, DL, airline, car and hotel confirmations, DAN membership, and travel insurance douments) in a Cloud that can be accessed even WITHOUT internet access! Oh, and cancel your passport when you get home. Lucky for me, my travel insurance will even cover the cost of the new passport application!

Now, when is that new passport coming so I can go diving??

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Your Scuba Dive Story.

 Want to stay down longer and improve your buoyancy control and other diving skills? Our free report "Increase Your Bottom Time" along with our practical, weekly actionable tips will have you looking like a seasoned diver in no time. So come join us and see improvement on your very next dive!
(Click on the photo to join us now!)

Click here to subscribe

What's New

RSS

  1. Unofficially Summer

    May 25, 24 07:19 AM

    Well it is finally here. Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of summer! Wishing everyone a happy and healthy holiday weekend. Hopefully the weather cooperates wherever you are and you will b…

    Read More

  2. Happy New Year

    Jan 01, 24 06:00 AM

    Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone is well and had a fun New Years Eve! May your new year be filled with lots of wonderful dives. All the best to you and yours in 2024! Let the dives begin.

    Read More

  3. Happy Holidays

    Dec 14, 23 05:05 AM

    I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season! I am always amazed at how fast time flies and another year is just around the corner. I wanted to pop in and say hi to everyone. I am doing some full ti…

    Read More

  4. 3 Common Scuba Diving Mistakes New Divers Make

    Feb 23, 23 02:18 PM

    3 Common Scuba Diving Mistakes
    In this video, I share 3 common scuba diving mistakes beginner divers make. Learn how to correct these for a better - and safer - dive.

    Read More

  5. Scuba Diving Tipping Etiquette: How Much And When To Tip Scuba Crew

    Feb 06, 23 03:34 PM

    scuba diving tipping etiquette
    Not sure of scuba diving tipping etiquette? In this video I share who to tip, when to tip, how much to tip, tipping on liveaboards, tipping an instructor & more

    Read More