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Bermuda beach warning

FIRELT5

By FIRELT5,
in Bermuda

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NJ Johnny

NJ Johnny

Posted
Posted
I go to Bermuda for the pink sand beaches. And its a tragedy that whoever's in charge, hasn't fixed this problem for 13 yrs??? Im so disappointed, as Bermuda to me was the most pristine place ive seen. Ive been there 2x and never had a minute's concern over the cleanliness of the beaches. The locals seem fed up. I believe this will be fixed.

 

Yes, but how long will it take them to do this? We're cruising in July. This problem concerns not only those living in Bermuda but all the tourists that will visit. There's a lot of talk but I don't read that anything is being done yet except water testing twice a week and beach cleanup after the fact. The problem needs to be cleaned up at the source and from what I read, Bermuda doesn't have the money to invest in this project.

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Charles4515

Charles4515

Posted
Posted
I go to Bermuda for the pink sand beaches. And its a tragedy that whoever's in charge, hasn't fixed this problem for 13 yrs??? Im so disappointed, as Bermuda to me was the most pristine place ive seen. Ive been there 2x and never had a minute's concern over the cleanliness of the beaches. The locals seem fed up. I believe this will be fixed.

 

The problem is older than 13 years! The only thing that has changed over the years is that the outflow pipes were extended beyond the reefs.

 

It was never considered a problem. It was considered normal. It is done all over the world. We now know more/want more, and know it needs to be fixed.

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Charles4515

Charles4515

Posted
Posted (edited)
Yes, but how long will it take them to do this? We're cruising in July. This problem concerns not only those living in Bermuda but all the tourists that will visit. There's a lot of talk but I don't read that anything is being done yet except water testing twice a week and beach cleanup after the fact. The problem needs to be cleaned up at the source and from what I read, Bermuda doesn't have the money to invest in this project.

 

Since Bermuda is a British colony perhaps they should get the money from Britain.

 

As I read it they are taking steps before the fact. Like stopping grease from restaurants being in the sewage system. What is needed though is water treatment because people are going to always poop. I expect something will be done, hopefully faster than the usual Bermuda glacial speed.

 

I have been going to Bermuda for years and the only difference between now and this June will be the recent publicity. I can't really claim I didn't know about the situation since I noticed the pipes near Elbow and Tabacco and knew what they were. Also heard rumors. The water and beaches always seemed clean and clear except when they had been stirred up by a storm. I will go to the beaches this June for sure. I will just not enter of the water if there has been a recent storm.

Edited by Charles4515
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njhorseman

njhorseman

Posted
Posted
Is this beach affected? Anyone been there recently?

 

Thanks

 

It could be one of the beaches affected because it's on the South Shore.

 

Because the problem apparently occurs only under certain weather conditions (strong easterly winds), whether it's been a problem there recently really doesn't predict whether it will be a problem when you're in Bermuda.

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meatball_nyc

meatball_nyc

Posted
Posted (edited)

Thank you for the latest info.

SBtS, can I ask you 2 questions? If you don't want to answer, I will understand.

 

1) Do you plan on visiting Bermuda in the near future? I am assuming you do not live there. I cannot see signatures of posters on my iPad CC app.

 

2) If you are going to Bermuda in the near future, would you go swimming in the ocean?

 

Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

 

 

Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

Edited by meatball_nyc
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njhorseman

njhorseman

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Posted

 

IMO, the government's position as outlined in this article is pathetic.

 

Test twice a week? They should be testing daily during the tourist season. Everything else they've said amounts to "we'll look into it", which roughly translates into "don't expect anything to happen in your lifetime". If they really cared about this problem they would make a commitment to build adequate sewage treatment facilities ASAP.

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Charles4515

Charles4515

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Posted
IMO, the government's position as outlined in this article is pathetic.

 

Test twice a week? They should be testing daily during the tourist season. Everything else they've said amounts to "we'll look into it", which roughly translates into "don't expect anything to happen in your lifetime". If they really cared about this problem they would make a commitment to build adequate sewage treatment facilities ASAP.

 

I was not impressed either. In the beach season they should be checking every day as you say. Plus I noticed one of the options is extending the outflow pipe......treatment facilities is what they need, not continued outflow of sewage into the ocean.

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njhorseman

njhorseman

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How can we find out if there have been any storms in Bermuda before we get there. I am a bit confused by all of this. It is very upsetting.

 

A storm isn't required for the problem to occur, just strong easterly winds.

 

There's no way to know in advance, and knowing what happened in the last couple of days doesn't guarantee that there was an actual pollution problem caused by the wind.

 

That's why the government needs to do daily testing of the water.

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julsluv2cruise

julsluv2cruise

Posted
Posted
We were already booked (and into the cancelation period) when this came to light, so will just not go in the water at all. Bermuda is such a great destination and there are plenty of things to see and do, so we will just enjoy the other options available. I think if I was booking now, and was already in the cancelation period, I might look at a different destination as well.

 

 

 

Seems silly to be so protective of Norovirus on the ship (which makes good sense) and then go ashore and get into water which the US CDC is advising Typhoid/Hep A shots for.

 

 

Do you think it is safe to swim in the water once you are immunized with the typhoid and hep A?

 

 

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c breeze

c breeze

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Do you think it is safe to swim in the water once you are immunized with the typhoid and hep A?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

This from the CDC:

Typhoid: http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/typhoid_fever/#vaccinated

 

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/typhoid.pdf

 

You can get typhoid fever if you eat food or drink beverages that have been handled by a person who is shedding Salmonella Typhi or if sewage contaminated with Salmonella Typhi bacteria gets into the water you use for drinking or washing food.

 

The vaccines are not completely effective. Avoiding risky foods (see link above for list) will also help protect you from other illnesses, including travelers' diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, and hepatitis .

 

Hepatitis A: http://www.cdc.gov/Hepatitis/A/aFAQ.htm#overview

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c breeze

c breeze

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It is important to note, that the CDC recommends these vaccines for the Bahamas and most of the Caribbean, as well. http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/

 

People 1 year of age and older who are traveling to or working in countries where they would have a high or intermediate risk of hepatitis A virus, should strongly consider the Hepatitis A vaccine. These areas include all parts of the world except Canada, western Europe and Scandinavia, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia.

 

Typhoid fever is common in most parts of the world except in industrialized regions such as the United States, Canada, western Europe, Australia, and Japan, so travelers to the developing world should consider taking precautions. Travelers to Asia, Africa, and Latin America are especially at risk, and the highest risk for typhoid is in south Asia.

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julsluv2cruise

julsluv2cruise

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Thank you both for your responses, and the information that you provided.... I am so disappointed about these conditions... I have to admit, I am very nervous about letting my children in the water... I'm also concerned now about the pool water on the ship... They fill and empty the water in the pool each night, does this mean that the water in the pool will be contaminated? ( we will be docked in the port for three days) this vacation is making me a nervous wreck!!!!

 

 

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c breeze

c breeze

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Thank you both for your responses, and the information that you provided.... I am so disappointed about these conditions... I have to admit, I am very nervous about letting my children in the water... I'm also concerned now about the pool water on the ship... They fill and empty the water in the pool each night, does this mean that the water in the pool will be contaminated? ( we will be docked in the port for three days) this vacation is making me a nervous wreck!!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

This is a great question! I had assumed that there was some treatment of the ocean water that is used in the ship's pools (my kids swam in them many times without giving it much thought), however if the water is treated at all, I am not sure how long it would take before it would be effective.

 

If you have traveled/cruised to Bermuda/Bahamas/Caribbean before, then I don't know that this is much different than those trips. I was not aware of all of this in the past, and I believe these CDC recommendations for Bermuda may be new than those of the other places mentioned. We generally try to eat on the ship and not in port anyway, but have always gone to the beaches. I was kind of freaked out about all of this when I first read it, but we will not go in the water (I did want to use the hot tubs on the ship) and will avoid eating/drinking on shore. I guess if I was traveling with kids, I would be a bit more concerned, but I don't think it would prevent me from traveling.

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Charles4515

Charles4515

Posted
Posted
Thank you both for your responses, and the information that you provided.... I am so disappointed about these conditions... I have to admit, I am very nervous about letting my children in the water... I'm also concerned now about the pool water on the ship... They fill and empty the water in the pool each night, does this mean that the water in the pool will be contaminated? ( we will be docked in the port for three days) this vacation is making me a nervous wreck!!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

The pool water is treated and filtered. It is as good or bad as any pool water. They use an osmosis process that acomplishes the same thing as fresh water that has chlorine added.

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Charles4515

Charles4515

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This is a great question! I had assumed that there was some treatment of the ocean water that is used in the ship's pools (my kids swam in them many times without giving it much thought), however if the water is treated at all, I am not sure how long it would take before it would be effective.

 

If you have traveled/cruised to Bermuda/Bahamas/Caribbean before, then I don't know that this is much different than those trips. I was not aware of all of this in the past, and I believe these CDC recommendations for Bermuda may be new than those of the other places mentioned. We generally try to eat on the ship and not in port anyway, but have always gone to the beaches. I was kind of freaked out about all of this when I first read it, but we will not go in the water (I did want to use the hot tubs on the ship) and will avoid eating/drinking on shore. I guess if I was traveling with kids, I would be a bit more concerned, but I don't think it would prevent me from traveling.

 

Any pool water would be tested to make sure it meets public health standards. Also they keep logs that are inspected by the CDC. CDC cruise ship poolstandards linked below.

 

Hot tubs I think are possibly the most unsafe.

 

http://www.nspf.org/Files/cdccruiseshipregs.pdf

 

The CDC standards for beaches are not new. What is new is a recent study of Bermuda beaches done in 2013 recently released that has brought public attention to Bermudas lack of water treatment. Nothing has changed from our past visits. Just many passengers were not aware of the lack of water treatment by Bermuda even though this recent study is not the first time the issue has come up.

 

I don't know why you would avoid eating or drinking ashore. I can see avoiding going in the ocean but I don't see any issue with eating or drinking.

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