Isla Cozumel Travel Forum

Hello All,
I am renting a house in Cozumel in 4 weeks. I've been hearing nightmare stories from several people about the bacteria in the water and that I should avoid numerous foods. I was wondering how true this is and also how can avoid the bacteria if we are doing a lot of our own cooking. We love raw fruits and veggies, does the bacteria penetrate the skins of things like banans, mango, and avacado?
Also we will be looking for some good snorkeling. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Any "must sees" on the island?

Generally any fruit that you can peel will be fine. I have heard stories that if you cut some fruit, like watermelon or cantalope the knife can be infected from the outer skin and consequently contaminate the fruit.

I seem to remember that there is a wash that you can wash your veg. with that will kill the bacteria. Also, if you wash your vegetables, be sure and use bottled water. Be sure and brush your teeth with bottled water also. I'm not sure if you need these precautions in Cozumel, but it is better to be safe.

Thank You for the advice. If we boil thewater will that kill the bacteria?

Yes, but be sure to boil it long enough. I think you should be more worried about parasites then bacteria. Be sure and find the veg. wash that will kill those nasty bugs as simply washing them in bottled water.

Another safeguard is to keep your mouth closed while taking a shower. If you drink cold drinks in restaurants insure that the ice has a hole in it. Generally, this means the ice was made commercially with purified water. Be sure you break the seal on your own water when eating out as many smaller restaurants refill the bottles from tap water. Now if you are in modern hotels I don't think you need to worry and I'm not sure about the local water quality where you will be staying. We generally never worry if the food is cooked.

You can find drops in the fruits and vegetable department of local stores for disinfecting those fruits and veggies you enjoy raw. Put a few drops in purefied water and let it stand for about 15 minutes, longer will not hurt.

The things you are trying to avoid will not penetrate the skin of the vegetables or fruits. Once those are clean you can eat all you like.

Boiling will work, but when you boil water you do not remove the metals that are there naturally. If you boil, add water and boil again, you are adding to those metals. Eventually it can cause it's own stomach problems. Pure water is readily available everywhere, even the poorest natives drink it.

I do not believe you will find a single restaurant owner that will condone refilling bottled water dispensers with tap water. That is not a practice in Cozumel and I have eaten in the strangest of places after living here for years. This might happen elsewhere but I have NO knowledge of ever happening here in Cozumel