Suzie's Blogs ... Traveling & Living Abroad Hints & Tips

Mexican Pool and Beach Saftey Tips Do not leave your belongings on the beach while you are swimming. Keep your passport and other valuables in the hotel safe. Visitors to Mexican resorts should carefully assess the risk potential of recreational activities. Diving equipment provided by dive shops may not meet U.S. safety standards and due to frequent use, may be substandard or defective. Unless you are certain that scuba diving equipment is up to standard, you should not use it. “Pool certification courses” lasting a few hours are not considered adequate by U.S. dive certification entities. Inexperienced scuba divers in particular should beware of dive shops that promise to “certify” you after a few hours' instruction. Safe diving requires lengthy training. Parasailing is offered at many Mexican beach resorts. Be aware that by putting your name on the passenger list, you may be relieving the boat operator and owner of responsibility for your safety. There have been cases in which tourists have been dragged through palm trees or slammed into hotel walls while participating in this activity. Be extremely careful when renting jet-skis. Several tourists have been killed or injured in jet-ski accidents, particularly when participating in group tours. Often inexperienced tour guides allow their clients to follow too closely or operate the jet-skis in other unsafe manners. In one case the jet-ski rental company carried liability insurance limited to $2,500 U.S. dollars. Make sure that the rental company has adequate medical/accident insurance, is staffed with personnel on-site with water rescue training, and properly demonstrates safe operation of the vehicle to you before you rent or operate such equipment. Do not use pools or beaches without lifeguards, or, if you do, exercise extreme caution. Warning flags on the beach should be taken seriously. If black flags are up, do not enter the water. Do not dive into unknown bodies of water because hidden rocks or shallow depths can cause serious injury or death. Some Mexican beaches, such as those in Cancun, have warning signs about undertow; take them seriously. Newer resorts may lack comprehensive medical facilities. Have a safe happy beach holiday. See you there. Suzie Posted: Sunday 16th January 2005, 12:09 AM

Back to the Travel Destinations Blog