Dive instructor shot by roatan resort owner

[koozemani]

Salth2owanbabe,

I too am a Leo and as such I, as I am sure you are, am more aware of what goes on than the general public. Because I know what I know, I avoid areas I know not to be safe off duty. No, you can never predict or avoid random crime, but you can avoid known areas. International travel often deals with alot of unknowns. Why travel to an area where the authorities seem to turn a blind eye to crime. In this case we are not talking about petty theft we are dealing with a known family of unbalanced people who's behavior is unpredictable at best, or as in this situation near fatal.

My regular dive spot is in Mexico and is far more dangerous than roatan. Unfortunately my desire to get wet outweighs my fear. I rely on my situational awareness, travel with and stay with the group, and stick to known places. As was mentioned in earlier posts, it is less about the crime itself and more about the authorities response to it, especially for somewhere that is dependent on tourism.

 

[Doc]

...And, as another said, there are a lot of places to dive, and it's real easy to slip Roatan to the bottom of the list....

You'll likely love http://www.mandalaybay.com/entertainment/shark-reef-aquarium.aspx

or maybe Epcot DiveQuest | Walt Disney World Resort

You should get out more. You're right, if I were you, I would be very scared to go to Roatan. I see your fear.

I myself, have a few places closer to the bottom of that list you have, but then again, I'm just talking from personal travel & life experience.

"A man's got to know his limitations" So, you got that going for you.

Another quote from Dirty Harry Callahan in Magnum Force tells us:

"Nothing wrong with shooting as long as the right people get shot!"

They usually do. Not always, but usually.

 

[Jax]

Really? :blinking:

So you think I don't get out enough?

Not enough countries under my belt? Not enough places visited? Please, continue.

 

[dmoore19]

It is not "the" act of violence that is a problem - it is the pattern of absolute nutso crazy that has been allowed to go on and on . . . THAT is what is disturbing.

I don't want to be some place where misfortune may cause me to run afoul of a powerful but stupid-crazy local that can do anything s/he damn well wants to.

I have heard of a lot of problems with drug cartels etc and Arizona is one place where this happens. I can as easily drop AZ as a place to go.

I understand your point. It is what you are comfortable with. Personally, I would feel safer walking down the street in West End than I would some places in AZ. Don't want to get too far from the "resort" yanno. My point is no matter where you go you should be aware of where you are.

 

[Jax]

I have heard of a lot of problems with drug cartels etc and Arizona is one place where this happens. I can as easily drop AZ as a place to go.

I understand your point. It is what you are comfortable with. Personally, I would feel safer walking down the street in West End than I would some places in AZ. Don't want to get too far from the "resort" yanno. My point is no matter where you go you should be aware of where you are.

Absolutely true.

It's like flying, though. What the pilot always says: "We know you have a choice when flying . . . "

We have things like that in the military - a place gets known as targeting the military for rip-off. The military puts those places off-limits to the service members.

There are SO many places in the Carribean . . . why would I want to go Aruba, or Roatan, when I could go to Costa Rica, or Cozumel, or Florida? Mexico, for example, is damned careful about letting its current problems spill over in tourist-ville.

 

[ktomlinson]

Mexico, for example, is damned careful about letting its current problems spill over in tourist-ville.

Yeah because they have control over that...

 

[dmoore19]

Absolutely true.

It's like flying, though. What the pilot always says: "We know you have a choice when flying . . . "

We have things like that in the military - a place gets known as targeting the military for rip-off. The military puts those places off-limits to the service members.

There are SO many places in the Carribean . . . why would I want to go Aruba, or Roatan, when I could go to Costa Rica, or Cozumel, or Florida? Mexico, for example, is damned careful about letting its current problems spill over in tourist-ville.

Aruba? I don't know. Probably doesn't make the list. Roatan? I have been there, would go again!! Though I do understand your reasoning, I just don't agree with it.

 

[koozemani]

I have heard of a lot of problems with drug cartels etc and Arizona is one place where this happens. I can as easily drop AZ as a place to go.

I understand your point. It is what you are comfortable with. Personally, I would feel safer walking down the street in West End than I would some places in AZ. Don't want to get too far from the "resort" yanno. My point is no matter where you go you should be aware of where you are.

Not a whole lotta people coming to AZ for resort dive vacations.

 

[dmoore19]

Not a whole lotta people coming to AZ for resort dive vacations.

True enough, my post was speaking in terms of tourism.

 

[koozemani]

You are right about peoples comfort levels, but there also the fact that in the US, as in many other countries, you have greater rights and protections that you may not have is less developed countries. Regardless of general crime rates I will feel safer knowing that the system is only slightly corrupt as opposed to totally corrupt.