Caution needed at Labadee's Barefoot Beach

[broberts]

that's the same as trying to sue disney over a bee sting, i would hope that any judge would throw it out and tell the people to get a bit of common sense.

 

It's not like suing over a random bee sting. But if there was an infestation of bees in a small part of the park and Disney did not warn people, or rope the area off, I doubt any judge would toss a suit.

 

What is it today with people suggesting that one use common sense? It's only common if most people agree. And you can only exercise it if you have a reasonable amount of knowledge to know about it. Everyone's experience is different so to expect all people to react in a particular manner seems excessively optimistic to me.

[marci22]

It's not like suing over a random bee sting. But if there was an infestation of bees in a small part of the park and Disney did not warn people, or rope the area off, I doubt any judge would toss a suit.

 

What is it today with people suggesting that one use common sense? It's only common if most people agree. And you can only exercise it if you have a reasonable amount of knowledge to know about it. Everyone's experience is different so to expect all people to react in a particular manner seems excessively optimistic to me.

 

Very good answer.

 

As I said I had no idea and although they are mobile and may not be there all the time, I do think it's a good idea to educate people about what may be there.

 

I'm not adventure traveling to Africa or Asia, I'm on someone's private beach relaxing with a frozen drink: I really don't expect to step on something that's going to sting me, and if they have experience that it happens frequently, they have a duty to warn.

 

I wanted to add that I have looked up sea urchin trivia and in some cases, gangrene and tetanus are possible due to the puncture-like effect of the sting. Right now people are just uncomfortable but if one person gets a serious injury, then those signs will go up. That's how it usually goes.

[marci22]

It really stinks that the OP's wife had such a bad experience, but I have to agree with all the "evil, horrible, sarcastic meanies" here.

 

It's the ocean... things live there. Some of those things bite, sting or eat you. What sort of nanny state do people want to live in where they have to have a sign for everything that could possibly happen? Sea urchins are mobile and they live in the ocean. I don't understand the "someone else is at fault" mentality. No one is at fault. She accidentally stepped on a creature in it's natural habitat. That stinks.

 

I'm going to disagree with you here because the OP is basically providing information, I did not pick up whining, and you all are saying 'oh jeeze you should all know this it's the ocean', and yes, that is sarcastic and quite unnecessary.

 

OP is providing education and I am grateful that people take the time to post things that almost everyone on earth seems to know, except for naive, 40-something year-old me.

[hoop4321]

if you are going to sue a business you have to prove that the business was negligent.....you can not eradicate wild life, nor can you assume because you are on property other than your own that all accidents are the fault of the property owner. The fact of the matter is, sea urchins are easy to spot.....why any one would want to place their foot on a spiky black object in the water is beyond me. If however they were chatting, enjoying the scenery, basking in the company of their family and friends and were not looking at where they were placing their feet in the water, than the negligence would fall to them and only them.....and it happens.

 

I would indeed call this common sense.....or logical sense as we refer to it in our family. I would implore anyone unfamiliar with the ocean to apply the same research to it as well as how to smuggle alcohol. Another tidbit....stingrays like to cover themselves in sand and are hard to see looking down into the water......shuffling your feet instead of picking them up and placing them down will cause any stingray to move away and not place the very painful barb that injects poison into your foot that will leave a half inch quarter size hole....that is very painful. Polarized glasses are great for cutting out glare looking down into the water so you can see the critters that make their homes into the beautiful vacation spots.

[broberts]

if you are going to sue a business you have to prove that the business was negligent.....you can not eradicate wild life, nor can you assume because you are on property other than your own that all accidents are the fault of the property owner. The fact of the matter is, sea urchins are easy to spot.....why any one would want to place their foot on a spiky black object in the water is beyond me. If however they were chatting, enjoying the scenery, basking in the company of their family and friends and were not looking at where they were placing their feet in the water, than the negligence would fall to them and only them.....and it happens.

 

First, sea urchins are not always easy to spot. If they were their predators, few as they are, would have eradicated them. Sea urchins are hard to spot in beach areas with rocky or coral bottoms and bottoms with plant life - both of which exist at Labadee. Further, surf can obscure the bottom of any beach area.

 

I don't think anyone in this thread has suggested that RCI has liability here so I'm not sure why you are so bent on putting the entire responsibility of the incident on the OP. I have suggested that if a similar situation occurred at a US resort there likely would be a law suit. I continue to believe that and I believe that the resort operator would bear some responsibility if they had not periodically inspected the area and posted appropriate warnings.

 

Just because an accident involves wild animals doesn't absolve a property owner. But it's pointless getting into this.

 

I would indeed call this common sense.....or logical sense as we refer to it in our family. I would implore anyone unfamiliar with the ocean to apply the same research to it as well as how to smuggle alcohol. Another tidbit....stingrays like to cover themselves in sand and are hard to see looking down into the water......shuffling your feet instead of picking them up and placing them down will cause any stingray to move away and not place the very painful barb that injects poison into your foot that will leave a half inch quarter size hole....that is very painful. Polarized glasses are great for cutting out glare looking down into the water so you can see the critters that make their homes into the beautiful vacation spots.

 

I guess you missed the post in which the OP explained that they were familiar with Caribbean beaches having experienced a number of land based vacations. In their experience resorts warned guests of conditions and potential dangers when they existed. So their "logical sense" was that given the fact that Labadee is a resort it would be operated in a manner similar to other resorts in the Caribbean.

 

Labadee is not unexplored. Hundreds of thousands of people visit it each year. It's a resort. I do not recall anything in the RCI literature that suggests that there are particular dangers like sea urchins or jelly fish etc. In fact the picture painted by RCI is rather idyllic. The signs "use at your own risk" do not convey any danger. They simply say that RCI will accept no responsibilty if one gets hurt - it's simply a legal disclaimer.

[bajathree]

You do realize that this thread was started by a brand new member who just joined CC, has posted nothing but 2 posts total....and #1 was to start this thread and the other to respond once.....guess they got the stir they were looking for.

[hoop4321]

First, sea urchins are not always easy to spot. If they were their predators, few as they are, would have eradicated them. Sea urchins are hard to spot in beach areas with rocky or coral bottoms and bottoms with plant life - both of which exist at Labadee. Further, surf can obscure the bottom of any beach area.

 

I don't think anyone in this thread has suggested that RCI has liability here so I'm not sure why you are so bent on putting the entire responsibility of the incident on the OP. I have suggested that if a similar situation occurred at a US resort there likely would be a law suit. I continue to believe that and I believe that the resort operator would bear some responsibility if they had not periodically inspected the area and posted appropriate warnings.

 

Just because an accident involves wild animals doesn't absolve a property owner. But it's pointless getting into this.

 

 

 

I guess you missed the post in which the OP explained that they were familiar with Caribbean beaches having experienced a number of land based vacations. In their experience resorts warned guests of conditions and potential dangers when they existed. So their "logical sense" was that given the fact that Labadee is a resort it would be operated in a manner similar to other resorts in the Caribbean.

 

Labadee is not unexplored. Hundreds of thousands of people visit it each year. It's a resort. I do not recall anything in the RCI literature that suggests that there are particular dangers like sea urchins or jelly fish etc. In fact the picture painted by RCI is rather idyllic. The signs "use at your own risk" do not convey any danger. They simply say that RCI will accept no responsibilty if one gets hurt - it's simply a legal disclaimer.

 

 

as a diver, and someone who grew up on the beaches of florida i have to disagree that urchins are not easy to spot....If you read the original post you will see that they mentioned it was not in any literature on the boat, or signage on the beach. The lifeguard said after the the op's spouse stepped on the urchin that 6 or 7 people already had their unfortunate urchin experience. If it were just a warning they would not have taken the trouble to post that there was no signage or literature. As you stated the resort area is well explored but there are only 8 or so known incidents of an urchin "attack". Hardly an epidemic. I know that while on a beach, snorkeling, or scuba diving that there are an array of little dangers that await no matter how idyllic the setting, and i take full responsibility for my actions. DH got a good chuckle at this thread. It seems that at the beginning of lobster season, he put a finger down to peer in a hole and placed it right on an urchin. The spike went between the nail and the skin, and he said it hurt for days......he said it was all the captains fault......guess who was the captain????

 

People spend thousands of dollars on a vacation and expect everything to be perfect. When the tiniest thing goes wrong, they come here and complain the whole trip was ruined. :eek:

[broberts]

. . .but there are only 8 or so known incidents of an urchin "attack". Hardly an epidemic. . . .

 

Eight or so in the last year and I would agree with you. Eight or so that morning, which is what was reported, does indicate something other than an occasional incident.