"Nervous" travellers and Phillipines and Indonesia

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d^2b

Worse diving through photography
ScubaBoard Supporter
Messages
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Location
Canada
# of dives
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To calibrate my level of nervousness, I spent two weeks on the Red Sea last summer, and I've recently been Belize and Roatan (and I'm going back to Belize in May). On the other hand I didn't do any land expeditions in Egypt (yes, I missed the pyramids).

I've been thinking about diving in Indonesia and/or the Philippines over the next year or so, but I'd like to understand the risks to travelers a bit better. In the Philippines it looks like the "No go" zones are mainly in Mindanao. In Indonesia on the other hand I see an "Avoid all non-essential travel" warning from the Canadian government for the province of Papau which is I guess right next to West Papua / Raja Ampat.

I'm curious how others compare the risks of these destinations with Central American locations like Belize and Roatan, or wherever your frame of reference is. I'm not so worried about being robbed, more about violent crime.
 
I have no idea which country you are from,but take it from me that the diving areas of these countries are far far safer than parts of some North American cities or even parts of London.

My husband and I have been lucky enough to have done two or sometimes three Asian dive trips per year since 2011 and have never ever ever felt unsafe in these countries. Without stating the obvious, diving is almost always in remote rural locations where the diving industry is a huge income for local people. Many resorts are owned or run by Westerners, not that this makes any difference. In all that time I can never remember a single diver reporting violent crime.

The dive industry supports the local economy and benefits thousands and thousands of local people. I also feel extremely strongly that it also directly benefits the marine life.
 
Crime in Mindanao while diving in (say) Tubbataha or Anilao is the least of your worries.
Did you spend time in Belize City? That is much more worrisome....
Hey, there are places in the city I live in that I would not go.
But that doesn't keep me at home with the doors locked and the lights off.
 
Crime in Mindanao while diving in (say) Tubbataha or Anilao is the least of your worries.
Did you spend time in Belize City? That is much more worrisome....
Hey, there are places in the city I live in that I would not go.

No, I didn't really spend time in Belize city, just shuttled between the boat and the airport. We did make a small trip to small pyramids near Belize city. But yeah, I get that it's not the safest place. It's certainly closer to where I live (eastern Canada), so that makes a difference.
 
No, I didn't really spend time in Belize city, just shuttled between the boat and the airport. We did make a small trip to small pyramids near Belize city. But yeah, I get that it's not the safest place. It's certainly closer to where I live (eastern Canada), so that makes a difference.

Come to Toronto to acclimatize...:wink:
 
travelling to any of those places is still safer than going to walmart or a church in the united states.

or being a black man in chicago.

I should note that I have traveled with my wife, teenage son, and toddler daughter to Pakistan, western Afghanistan, Colombia (Amazon rain forest and Andes mountains - FARC country), Nicaragua, and a few other places that show up on US travel advisories and have never EVER felt anything other than welcomed, loved, and appreciated.

Of course, don't go to neighborhoods you don't belong, don't flash money, phones, jewelry or whatever. Same things you wouldn't do here apply elsewhere.

Go see the world. It doesn't bite.
 
Or an Orthodox Jew in New York?

Unfortunately, true as well. I feel more apprehensive travelling in the US as a Muslim family than traveling overseas.

Random search, my *ss.
 
While I agree: both Indonesia and Philippines are great cities to travel in, I also am very careful and read the travel advisories for the parts I wish to travel to.

Not because I fear so much for myself or my family, but because our travel insurance does not cover areas that has a “do not travel to” attached: this means, if we travel to Central Sulawesi (as we did in August), I know we do not have medical (and other) cover as long as we’re in that area, hence I limited the time there to a few hours (landing and transfer to LOB).

We went to Egypt (Cairo) in 2018 and LOVED it! Did not feel unsafe at all.
 
I've lived in the Middle East for over 33 years, traveled frequently to Africa, been diving in SE Asia for more than 30 years and have been careful enough to avoid any issues. Being a Caucasian with ginger hair I tend to stand out a bit more in the Middle East, Africa and Asia compared to my native Scotland.

I left my camera bag in the back of a taxi in Bangkok back in 1987 and it was returned 24 hrs later. The majority of people I have come across traveling around the planet are honest and welcoming.

Yes there are bad places with bad people in every country, but you develop a sixth sense to avoid these places when traveling.

So go for it, Filipinos and Indonesians are very welcoming and you'll have a great time.
 
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