Not in Cozumel

[Dave Dillehay]

This is a rare occurence in Playa and I still feel safer in Playa than many places here in the states. I live in Metro Detroit and would rather walk around Playa or Cozumel after dark rather than drive through many areas of Detroit. I have to explain to co workers and family that where I go in Mexico is statistically safer than most major US cities and is not like the border towns where all of the bad stuff they see on tv is happening.

Before this thread ends it is really important for the readers to understand that while Playa may be OK—That Cozumel is another world. Street Violence is not in the culture of a people so dependent on tourism, and bolstered by the indisputable fact that it would be extremely difficult for such an act to be followed by a successful getaway.

In other words, if someone or a group did something very bad in Cozumel, there is no getting away. Ferries shut down, the Navy patrols the shore, airplanes don't fly and the bad guys just can't get away. Just can't happen in Cozumel.

Then again, nothing is going on in Cozumel after midnight!

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

 

[mmmbelows]

Didn't you guys have a shooting at a night club a few years ago, and didn't a bunch of machine gun armed thugs rob a diamond store a few years ago? I'd never say never in Cozumel, anything can happen anywhere.

My heart goes out to the poor security guards families, I imagine some children are fatherless now and wives are widowed. Really sad waste over some stupid petty argument that will be long forgotten compared to the lives changed forever.

 

[kelemvor]

Didn't you guys have a shooting at a night club a few years ago, and didn't a bunch of machine gun armed thugs rob a diamond store a few years ago? I'd never say never in Cozumel, anything can happen anywhere.

2011. They caught 6 of the 8 guys who robbed the store. Apparently 2 got away with most of the jewels. At least that's what the articles I found indicated.

I wouldn't hesitate to go back to Coz. Far less of this stuff going on than most other places in the world.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

2011. They caught 6 of the 8 guys who robbed the store. Apparently 2 got away with most of the jewels. At least that's what the articles I found indicated.

I wouldn't hesitate to go back to Coz. Far less of this stuff going on than most other places in the world.

AS best I recall, all 8 were caught hiding in a rented house in town…about three hours after the robbery! There is no way they could have gone without notice in Cozumel.


Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

 

[gopbroek]

I agree that Cozumel is in an insulated bubble on an island and I feel very safe. If it ever gets to a point of promoting the late night club / party scene and the associated drug trade becomes lucrative enough for the various gangs to compete for the trade it could change. Mexico has a number of cities that used to be 'safe' for tourists. In the end IMO it all comes down to how strong is the basic rule of law, everything else seems to follow this leading indicator.

Borderland Beat: Playa del Carmen: Details still cloudy in Blue Parrot shooting

 

[deepsea21]

I agree that Cozumel is in an insulated bubble on an island and I feel very safe. If it ever gets to a point of promoting the late night club / party scene and the associated drug trade becomes lucrative enough for the various gangs to compete for the trade it could change. Mexico has a number of cities that used to be 'safe' for tourists. In the end IMO it all comes down to how strong is the basic rule of law, everything else seems to follow this leading indicator.

I don't think we need to worry about coz turning into a night club party drug scene. The minimal late night scene that does exist consists primarily of locals. The tourist party scene craves BEACH to sleep and recover on all day before heading out again and as coz has no true, wide beaches in the tourist areas the hard core crowd will select alternate destinations where there is beach and destinations that tend to cater to that scene (Cancun, Playa, Miami, etc)

I do remember several years ago a far more significant presence of national police in town at night that hadn't been there in the early 2000 era... About one every 2 blocks with an UZI slung over his arm. They seem to have vanished several years ago or at least the automatic weapons have and their presence is far less obvious. Not sure why but I have a feeling there was no need for them in the 1st place and it set a bad tone for the cruise ship crowd accustomed to the eastern and western carib cruise ports where most all ports are very safe (as safe as coz with the exception of some parts of Jamaica). I think the police presence with UZI's spooked tourists and sent a false message that the island was unsafe. No matter where anyone travels they need to use common sense and that involves not leaving your brain in the states... Get totally loaded and stumble around the far back streets of coz at 3am wearing a bunch of gold and they're asking for the same trouble they'd find behaving like that in any U.S. city and, in fact, are still probably much safer in coz.

 

[mikeycanuk]

We walked back from El Morro to the Aldora villa around 10pm Christmas Day. Never felt unsafe once and quite enjoyed the lights and music coming from various houses.

 

[k4kafka]

WOW...that's a long walk...

 

[mikeycanuk]

It helped walk of the pozole!

 

[ggunn]

I do remember several years ago a far more significant presence of national police in town at night that hadn't been there in the early 2000 era... About one every 2 blocks with an UZI slung over his arm.

I only remember seeing that once and it was when my family and I happened to be on the island during a visit by Fidel Castro.