Death by coconut

[CBulla]

Between mopeds, sharks, and coconuts, you'd think the world isn't safe and you'd be better off living in a bubble.

Thats life in the tropics, my friend. I have lived in Southwest Florida all my life and can attest to the erratic behavior of these tree's. I've never actually been hit by a falling coconut but have had a few fall close or after passing the tree in the backyard enroute to the dock. The usual behavior is to thank the tree for its lovely gift, whip out a machette and whack the beastie up into a couple chunks then dig the coconut meat bit out with a spoon or something.. teeth and fingers if your feeling particularly barbaric

 

[DandyDon]

This thread is making me worry about what else I may have posted 5 years ago? :11:

I remember the lunch break on an atoll after diving Belize's Blue Hole and wanting to go see the booby birds - which meant a path thru coconut trees. I walked around the ones with large fruit.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Don's been walking around with large fruits. TMI, man... TMI...

 

[Scuba Mama]

Wow, this is an amazing fact! I will definitely watch for falling coconuts on my next vacation.

 

[DandyDon]

Wow, this is an amazing fact! I will definitely watch for falling coconuts on my next vacation.

I think your #1 risk on any dive trip is still not wearing seat belts. Use them, and if the vehicle doesn't have any, change vehicles. That should keep you of the mopeds and motor bikes, too.

 

[h2odragon1]

Quite true... when I dove Fiji and Thailand I was warned about this by trhe dive operators I dove with. Had one fall quite too close for comfort. Will take my bicycle helmut next time!

Dr. Bill

sorry for the late post
In Boracay, Philippines, 2002 a Coconut missed my daughter and my 3 month old grandaughter by 5 ft.
Yes they are dangerous!

 

[DandyDon]

The point of the thread was supposed to be "If you're not afraid of coconuts, then you shouldn't fear sharks." But then, there are some real dangers to both - more so with the fruit. For anyone who thinks of the husked nut sold in the grocery, tho - and has never noticed exactly what a green one still with husk looks like, they're larger and heavier than the finished product in local stores. Imagine one of the unhusked fruits falling from 20-30 ft... :11:

On my careful walk to see the boobies mentioned above, I saw some dents in the ground close to fallen nuts. Scary dents!
[c]

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[DiverBeth]

I'm proud to say that I'm not afraid of sharks or coconuts!

I first heard about the dangers of coconuts about 25 years ago (yeah I'm old). I was at a coconut plantation and some of the stories they told like someone looking up and losing an eye to a coconut :11: were almost unbelievable but true.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Would this be covered by DAN?

 

[DandyDon]

Would this be covered by DAN?

Sure, non-diving accidents outside of home country are covered by DAN dive insurance on trips....