On the beach

We went to Sosua, and there are guys who have the job of renting you lounge chairs for the day. They will also "run" for drinks for you. If you know enough Spanish, I'm sure for a "tip" (which they need for getting drinks too) they'll watch your belongings. We had a great guy named Lobo.
Anybody else got any experience with this?
mk

When going in for a swim....

we simply asked the people around us to keep on eye on our things, and we did the same for them. I wouldn't trust the guys on the beach, especially if you have expensive cameras, watches, etc. the temptation may be too much for them to handle. Why put it to the test?

The most important thing is to limit what you take to the beach. Don't, for example, have your passport or credit cards with you. There is no need for them on the beach. Also, don't carry more money than you will need at the beach. In other words, leave behind everything that you can so that if something should be stolen you won't have lost anything important to continuing your stay or returning home.

I realize the above is probably obvious to you, but you would be surprised how many people go to the beach with a backpack containing their passport, all their money, etc.

I'm with Ken - don't take valuables in the first place. Here's another idea:

Even at upscale resorts, my husband and I have always alternated going in the water so one of us would be with the cameras, etc. If there was a time he just insisted on my riding on his shoulders , then we'd face the beach and kind of keep an eye on our stuff.

you would be surprised how many people go to the beach with a backpack containing their passport, all their money, etc.

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Ken, anyone that naive doesn't deserve any sympathy!
John

JanH

JanH said:

I'm with Ken - don't take valuables in the first place. Here's another idea:

If there was a time he just insisted on my riding on his shoulders , then we'd face the beach and kind of keep an eye on our stuff.

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I hope both of you are fast runners. By the time you get to "your stuff" the guy w/b hitting his next victim

I think I have stayed about 150 days on Sosua beach, I have always left all my stuff unattended when bathing or taking walks along the beach. I have never lost a thing, and i have never noticed that anything has been stolen from my "neighbours" on the beach.

paul_holmes said:

Hello

I know that this may sound like a silly question but does anyone know if resorts offer any security on the beach to stop your personall equipment being stolen. Any advice?

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Some beach bars if run by honest types ( Playa Vista in Boca Chica is an example) will hold your things behind the bar for a tip. Don't be cheap.

You can get waterproof ( very waterproof actually) pouches and containers with strings for the neck for the cash and so forth. Taking your passport out of the hotel room safe at all even on the street or anywhere until you go is foolhardy. A photocopy will do if asked for, at least temporarily.

Also in the hot sun even under a towel things like digital cameras and DV camcorders do not do all that well and also sand is everywhere and that plus salt water/moisture can ruin them so leaving them on the beach even if not stolen is not prudent.

The simple answer is, if you don't need it, don't take it. ....and what you do take with you, take reasonable measures to secure. It's just like any place else, you travel to.

Enjoy your (honeymoon?). Regards, PJT

If you must have a camera to take with you on the beach it is well worth the couple of bucks for a disposible waterproof or non-waterproof, and the picutres turn out really beautiful especially if you are in clear blue water....Don't forget the sunscreen!

Tor said:

I think I have stayed about 150 days on Sosua beach, I have always left all my stuff unattended when bathing or taking walks along the beach. I have never lost a thing, and i have never noticed that anything has been stolen from my "neighbours" on the beach.

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During the 12 years that I lived aboard a sailboat in Samana, my wife used to visit all incoming cruising boats and tell them to lock up their dinghy at night. Occasionally there would be someone who didn't bother, and more often than not his dinghy was stolen. Perhaps not right away, but eventuallly. When this happened, invariably the person whose dinghy had been stolen was very loud in his condemnation of Samana. "Nothing but crooks in Samana." Even worse, he would put out a security announcement on Single Sideband radio warning all other cruisers about the thieves in Samana, thus discouraging many who might otherwise have stopped there from doing so.

Are you suggesting that he should not share his experiences with other boaters? The attitude on here that those who are stolen from deserve it is boggling to me.

Yes one should take precautions, but that attitude virtually condones the theft. Maybe by boaters avoiding the area something becomes more likely to be done about the problem (maybe not as well though...). I applaud anyone sharing information on their experiences. At the very least someone choosing to go there will be more likely to secure their items.

As Forest Gump would say,
"Stupid is as Stupid does"

John

monaco09 said:

Are you suggesting that he should not share his experiences with other boaters? The attitude on here that those who are stolen from deserve it is boggling to me.

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I've been to all the islands of the Eastern Caribbean as well as Venezuela by sailboat. In every one of them you had to take precautions or risk losing your dinghy and motor. Likewise anyone who visits one of these countries as a tourist and leaves valuable belongings on the blanket when swimming or walking along the beach risks losing those belongings. That is the way it is. This is not to suggest that all the people in those countries are thieves, but they do exist. If you know that, and if you don't take precautions, I personally think you have surrendered the right to blame the loss on the country in which it occured. Especially when in the process you conveniently leave out any reference to your failure to take even basic precautions.

BTW, I happen to be from the US. If someone were to ask me whether it was safe to leave an expensive camera or their wallet on the blanket while they were swimming or walking on the beach, I would tell them the same thing. There are potential thieves everywhere. Put something worthwhile out for the taking and someone will take it.

Regarding theft of boats, more are stolen in Florida than anywhere else.