Afternoon all. I thought I might share a few thoughts on health and safety, derived in large part from personal experiences but also from some of other travellers to SAI. You're going on holiday to relax, have some fun, see some wonderful sights and to meet some really great people, but....
1. Sun: SAI is only 12 degrees north of the equator, so the sun is very strong. Pace yourself with exposure to the sun, and use sunscreen of an appropriate strength to your specific skin-type. As has been recently pointed out on the message board, don't forget about the tops of your feet, the tops of your ears, lips, nose, ......... and reapply sunscreen from time to time during the day.
2. Heat: with the almost constant breeze from the east helping to keep you cooled, you can get fooled into thinking "it really isn't all that hot" when it in actual fact is. Keep yourself well hydrated, that's code for "drink something", preferably not all alcohol, and take a break from the beach volleyball or other strenuous sports once in a while. There, if you needed an excuse to use on your better half, I've just suggested you sit around and drink beer or other libations all week, just as a safety precaution
3. Over Indulgence: Moderation (Rx) is quite possibly the number 1 medicine. Pack together too much sun, too much booze, too much food and too little sleep and you won’t be in very good shape for too long. SAI is a great place to have a great time, but do so “responsibly” and you’ll manage to enjoy the entire duration of your vacation
4. Contact Lenses: Highly recommended that Contact Lens wearers use lots of lubricant drops. One visitor (two years ago) sustained a fairly serious eye injury as his contact lens had “dried-onto” his eyeball.
5. Footwear: While Beach Volleyball is traditionally a bare-foot sport, the beach volleyball courts can get packed-down and therefore very hard on bare feet (for landing). There are also coral-shards in the sand that are painful to land on. As some on this board know, while wearing "water shoes" I landed "inappropriately" last year the first morning of my vacation, breaking a bone in the outside of my foot and hobbled to the bar and around the island for the rest of my holiday. A pair of normal running shoes would likely have prevented that injury.
6. Traffic: if you are on foot, watch for cars and motorbikes. Presume that the larger the vehicle, the more "right-of-way" it will assume it has. If you rent a vehicle, drive cautiously, and do not assume normal driving rules apply. The roads can be in various states of repair, from downright impassable to poor to reasonably good. If you rent a scooter, keep the speed down and definitely watch the bumps and pot-holes. Gravel rash is such an ugly way to mess up a tanned leg or arm, and it makes snorkeling downright painful.
7. Personal safety: It’s been mentioned quite a few times, use your common sense, travel with people you know and listen to that little voice inside your head….if the surroundings you find yourself in make you feel uncomfortable, leave. Also see the Safety section of the Other Useful Info page.
8. Shots: In the past, we’ve indicated there was no real need for immunizations as the island environment does not present an increased risk for Hep A or B or Malaria. That is still the case, but as many have recently stated in postings, they’re getting Hep A/B shots just because it’s an easy thing to do to take the risk even lower than it already is. With the side effects many get from the Malaria meds, they probably are not worth the trouble and Malaria is a very low risk on this island, but do what you feel you need to or ask your Dr.
If after all of the above precautions are observed (or if you choose to ignore one or two) and fall victim to some malady, you can have some peace of mind that the medical facilities and services on SAI are first-rate. Travellers medical insurance will help to take some of the personal bite out of the costs however.
, but as you know the bottom line is you'll have a wonderful trip anyway.