Swimming in the Mediterranean
 

We are excited to swim in the Mediterranean in both the French and Italian Riviera , but are puzzled about security. With all the warnings of theft, how do you keep your money, passport, keys, etc. safe (and dry) while you frolic in the sea? I'd also love to hear how wonderful (or not) the beaches and water will be in early June. We will have a 14 year old with us -- are there certain beaches we should avoid?? <BR>Thanks!

Well, if I were you, I would definately keep my money, credit cards and PASSPORTS locked in the hotel safe and bring only what you need for your day at the beach. Unless you take turns swimming and one person watching over your belongings you are asking for trouble. That holds true for Italy or USA beaches.

I agree with Thyra's comment: if anybody knows of any public beach in the world where you can leave your bleongings while you are swimming,I would be happy to share their knowledge... More seriously, I don't know how moral majority/open minded you are, but you should be aware that ALL Mediterranean beaches are topless. That said, all European teenagers are frolicking around and don't seem too traumatized by this...

Laurie, Your problem will not be security, it will be water temp. The Med is not Florida and the water is chilly most of the year. Even the Aegean in Sep. was a bit cool for my tastes, but I do live in FL.

Even in Greece in July the water is very cold - temp is comparable to New England!

We go to the French Riviera every year towards the end of June and the water is still cool that even my very brave 6 year old had a hard time getting used to. Even with the sun up (we go from 11am-3pm) I find the water cold for me to leisurely swim but like anything else if you are in the water a long time, you get use to the temperature. Its just hard getting in again once you get out. My 2 cents.

I would be more concerned with the water pollution. This problem first surfaced in the late 80's. Little action has been taken by the French government to slow the increasingly dangerous levels of pollution in this portion of the Mediterranean. From what I've been able to see, local governments tend to downplay it severely. Laurie, I recommend you enjoy the beach and the sun but stay out of the water.

A previous poster said: <BR>if anybody knows of any public beach in the world where you can leave your belongings while you are swimming,I would be happy to share their knowledge... <BR> The beautiful white beaches of the outer hebrides are thief-free....as long as you don't mind death from exposure.

We swam in Villefranche-Sur-Mer and Monterosso during the first week of June and found the water plenty warm. <BR> <BR>As for valuables, like at any beach area, we left everything but enough money for something to drink and a light lunch/snack in the room. In Monterosso, some sections of the beach were for certain hotels and were monitored by lifeguard/beach equipment rental men. Also, all of the guests helped keep an eye out for neighbor's stuff, kids, each other, etc. <BR> <BR>p.s. Your 14-year-old might like to rent a paddleboat so you can tool around the coast. We had a blast paddling all the way to the next village in the Cinque Terre.

We always worried about leaving our belongings (money and credit card) on a beach while we swam, so we'd have to swim separately. That wasn't much fun. Now we have a small case which has a clasp on it and it's waterproof. We bought it in a dive shop in Cozumel. We put enough cash for the day plus a credit card and our keys in it and one of us wears it around the neck. (We always stash our passports, etc. in a hotel safe.) That way we can both enjoy the water and not worry.

Thank you everyone -- that was very helpful information! We won't be staying at a hotel closeby, but will try to stash most of our stuff in locker. If none are available, do you think it is safe to lock it in the trunk of our rental car?

Agree that you should avoid bringing valuables to the beach. When I last swam in the Med. Sea it was in May and the water was warmish (unlike what I have seen descirbed here?). The water is salty and somewhat unpleasant as a result (especially if you get any in your mouth). Not only with you most definitely see toplessness everwhere here, you'll likely see complete nudity. I saw it all--men and women.

Sam : I suspect that the concept of "warm" water is very subjective. I'm accustomed to bath in the the Channel or in Britanny, so I also find the meditteranean water to be warm, even in September. But I suppose it's very different for an american living in florida. <BR> <BR> And I never saw complete nudity (I suppose you went to beaches away from the resorts?)...though sometimes the difference is very slim.

Yeah, you're right, Clairobscur defining water temp is very subjective. I am an American from California. Maybe it isn't typical, but the water I swam in Cannes in May was warm to me. The complete nudity I saw was mainly in Cassis right on the main beaches. There were quite a few of these nudists there. Maybe it was my unlucky day.

<BR> <BR>I don't know...I never bathed in Cassis area, so perhaps there's such a local habbit. I never saw it elsewhere, though, and I thought that in such cases, (except on nudists or secluded beaches), the police would intervene. But it seems I'm not up to date. <BR> <BR>Concerning the original question : usually, I avoid to bring valuables with me on the beach, of course. I don't care that much about my keys,wallet, etc...that i usually left with my clothes. <BR> <BR>However, I usually avoid the mediteranean beaches, and I would be much more worried to do the same on these crowded resorts. I'd certainly left anything in the car or at the hotel,there.And I'd *definitely* left my passport in a safer place. <BR> <BR>And a lot of teenagers or childs come to topless beachs, here (anyway, they don't have much choice if they want to go to the beach at all, as it has already been pointed out), and definitely aren't shocked. But of course, they're accustomed to such things, and it could be different if they have been raised in a different environment with specific moral values (though I doubt any teenager in the western world would be really *shocked* by such sights)