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An often asked question.
When we decide to leave the comfort and safety of our homes, when we make the conscious decision to go exploring.... since cavemen ventured out, they must have asked~ will I be safe?
I post this because, sooner or later, somebody was going to. I post this first~ hoping to couch it in a larger discussion of safety when we do leave our homes, when we do board a plane and fly off to exotic destinations so that we may return and have great stories to tell around the water cooler.
The story and premise:
TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS
Zip-line accident in jungle kills American visitor 03/21/08
An American woman fell 65 feet to her death during a zip-line ride through the jungle on the Caribbean island of Roatan, police said yesterday.
The visitor, 44, was riding along a steel wire hung between trees in the jungle when a harness holding her apparently broke Tuesday, Honduran police said in a news release. She had arrived in Roatan a week ago from Texas, said police, who did not identify her hometown or state. Authorities said they are investigating the cause of the fall.
Again, don't misunderstand. All of these zip line attractions, in almost every country, are the same. They are not subject to any regulation, they are not held to any standard. I am not condemning Roatan's array of tours- for they look just like every other tropical nation's offerings. I would have done them four years ago when they opened if but not for the fact of that skinny Honduran guy at the end trying to slow down my 280 lbs of American bulk at the end.
Every time we leave our homes the risk of personal injury increases. I read a recent thread that wailed about the condition of various liveaboards. One of the key pieces left out of that discussion was that the one ship that was the focus of the derision sailed under an American flagging. That, in and of itself, was a badge of acceptance- that this ship had yearly passed the most stringent standards before it sets sail. This or that may have "looked bad", but was the ship structurally sound. More than likely, sure it was. But- to the untrained eye?
We put our kids on Carnival rides- they too are regulated by state standards. (google amusement ride rules). If you ride a ski lift in Western Europe or North America, you are on a device that was designed and built with very specific criteria and materials. I am certain that the jungle canopy zip lines are held to no such standards.
Many folks come to the Caribbean Islands and rent scooters and jeeps. Toss in a day bag and laugh your way around the islands. Sounds like a good time until you factor in poor road conditions, drainage issues, local driving practices, and the lack of hospitals or trauma centers. Not to mention the poor condition of most all the vehicles. Is the risk worth the gratification~ or would you be better off hiring a driver?
I have seen visitors have negative interactions with authorities all over the world. Parking Cops in Moscow to Airline Gate attendants in Sri Lanka... not to mention the doofusses that "get into it" with uniformed and armed personnel. The Constitutional Protections that keep a lot of our fellow citizen-boneheads on the street are somewhat lacking in other countries that we visit because of the exotic travel posters.
We see the question all the time, "I'm on a cruise ship and I want the best dive operation and the best diving and..." If you have been around a while, you know that there are the common operators who safely cart the less experienced day-trippers out for a dip and to see the sights, and then there are some of the lesser known operators that take two or three divers out for a backroll into the blue abyss.
Where does desire outstrip competence and awareness of (important vs perceived) physical deficiencies in the operation? How can you know what you don't know?
Everybody want to see the Sharks. Thus begat the Canned Shark Rodeos. Pay your money, bring your camera, see Mr. Grey. Are they all the same? Not by a long shot.
Most will force you to stay in a group, knees on the sand. No flailing of hands, please. I went on one that was locally well regarded in some foreign land. It was all well and good until they hauled the last few of us aboard, and my hand to God- this really happened.... as three of us were waiting to climb the rickety ladder- they slung a gallon of chum astern and delighted the guests with the spectacle of dozens of thrashing fins at the surface. Not many folks aboard understood what had just happened. They had conditioned those sharks to follow the flippers upward where they would get a free meal on the surface. How dumb is that?
With all of the video cameras at all of the Shark dives, it is only a matter of time before we have the FOX Special... When Sharks Attack. Was it all worth the risk?
I can handle most anything that a guest diver can encounter... but can my wife/buddy? I'll be honest and say, "no". And fortunately, she agrees and is delighted to take the more gentle dive sites with the less experienced divers. It works out for us, but how many dive couples figure that out before it's too late? We see it all the time on ski areas riding lifts up the Double Black Diamond runs. Lot of guys standing upright trying to get their now-dissheveled girlfriend down the hill while seated firmly on her $500 one piece powder suit.
I have no easy answers here, but to say... when you go traveling~ You're not in Kansas anymore.
How do you judge what you are presented with? How do you make decisions? I'm talking about everything from picking and island, a dive op, driving, recreational activities, and more... how do you decide?
When we decide to leave the comfort and safety of our homes, when we make the conscious decision to go exploring.... since cavemen ventured out, they must have asked~ will I be safe?
I post this because, sooner or later, somebody was going to. I post this first~ hoping to couch it in a larger discussion of safety when we do leave our homes, when we do board a plane and fly off to exotic destinations so that we may return and have great stories to tell around the water cooler.
The story and premise:
TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS
Zip-line accident in jungle kills American visitor 03/21/08
An American woman fell 65 feet to her death during a zip-line ride through the jungle on the Caribbean island of Roatan, police said yesterday.
The visitor, 44, was riding along a steel wire hung between trees in the jungle when a harness holding her apparently broke Tuesday, Honduran police said in a news release. She had arrived in Roatan a week ago from Texas, said police, who did not identify her hometown or state. Authorities said they are investigating the cause of the fall.
Again, don't misunderstand. All of these zip line attractions, in almost every country, are the same. They are not subject to any regulation, they are not held to any standard. I am not condemning Roatan's array of tours- for they look just like every other tropical nation's offerings. I would have done them four years ago when they opened if but not for the fact of that skinny Honduran guy at the end trying to slow down my 280 lbs of American bulk at the end.
Every time we leave our homes the risk of personal injury increases. I read a recent thread that wailed about the condition of various liveaboards. One of the key pieces left out of that discussion was that the one ship that was the focus of the derision sailed under an American flagging. That, in and of itself, was a badge of acceptance- that this ship had yearly passed the most stringent standards before it sets sail. This or that may have "looked bad", but was the ship structurally sound. More than likely, sure it was. But- to the untrained eye?
We put our kids on Carnival rides- they too are regulated by state standards. (google amusement ride rules). If you ride a ski lift in Western Europe or North America, you are on a device that was designed and built with very specific criteria and materials. I am certain that the jungle canopy zip lines are held to no such standards.
Many folks come to the Caribbean Islands and rent scooters and jeeps. Toss in a day bag and laugh your way around the islands. Sounds like a good time until you factor in poor road conditions, drainage issues, local driving practices, and the lack of hospitals or trauma centers. Not to mention the poor condition of most all the vehicles. Is the risk worth the gratification~ or would you be better off hiring a driver?
I have seen visitors have negative interactions with authorities all over the world. Parking Cops in Moscow to Airline Gate attendants in Sri Lanka... not to mention the doofusses that "get into it" with uniformed and armed personnel. The Constitutional Protections that keep a lot of our fellow citizen-boneheads on the street are somewhat lacking in other countries that we visit because of the exotic travel posters.
We see the question all the time, "I'm on a cruise ship and I want the best dive operation and the best diving and..." If you have been around a while, you know that there are the common operators who safely cart the less experienced day-trippers out for a dip and to see the sights, and then there are some of the lesser known operators that take two or three divers out for a backroll into the blue abyss.
Where does desire outstrip competence and awareness of (important vs perceived) physical deficiencies in the operation? How can you know what you don't know?
Everybody want to see the Sharks. Thus begat the Canned Shark Rodeos. Pay your money, bring your camera, see Mr. Grey. Are they all the same? Not by a long shot.
Most will force you to stay in a group, knees on the sand. No flailing of hands, please. I went on one that was locally well regarded in some foreign land. It was all well and good until they hauled the last few of us aboard, and my hand to God- this really happened.... as three of us were waiting to climb the rickety ladder- they slung a gallon of chum astern and delighted the guests with the spectacle of dozens of thrashing fins at the surface. Not many folks aboard understood what had just happened. They had conditioned those sharks to follow the flippers upward where they would get a free meal on the surface. How dumb is that?
With all of the video cameras at all of the Shark dives, it is only a matter of time before we have the FOX Special... When Sharks Attack. Was it all worth the risk?
I can handle most anything that a guest diver can encounter... but can my wife/buddy? I'll be honest and say, "no". And fortunately, she agrees and is delighted to take the more gentle dive sites with the less experienced divers. It works out for us, but how many dive couples figure that out before it's too late? We see it all the time on ski areas riding lifts up the Double Black Diamond runs. Lot of guys standing upright trying to get their now-dissheveled girlfriend down the hill while seated firmly on her $500 one piece powder suit.
I have no easy answers here, but to say... when you go traveling~ You're not in Kansas anymore.
How do you judge what you are presented with? How do you make decisions? I'm talking about everything from picking and island, a dive op, driving, recreational activities, and more... how do you decide?
