SURFERMAG.COM CURRENT ISSUE VOL. 44 #11

South Africa Twelve years after the ouster of the brutal apartheid regime, South Africa remains a haven of political stability in Africa. Crime, however, has pegged new notches on the meter. Murders, rape and gang shootings fill the newspaper daily, as well as every garden variety of larceny and scam imaginable. Shoot-and-yank carjackings are common in Jo-burg and Durban. Not surprising in a country with 40 percent unemployment. The AIDS epidemic rages unabated. Last estimate: One in four infected in a country of 44 million. Lastly, the sharks in South Africa are plentiful and quite brazen. South Africa has one of the highest per-capita shark attacks in the world, and is in the top three for fatalities. Realize, however, that most crimes against tourists are petty theft; think North Shore when leaving anything in your car. Watchword: Be aware, always.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/south_africa/

Philippines The US government has singled out the Philippines, more specifically the southern island of Mindanao, as an Al Qaeda breeding ground. Poor and lawless, Mindanao has for decades hosted criminal gangs engaging in everything from gunrunning to extortion to kidnapping. Islamic separatist rebel groups, most notably the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are reportedly allied with Jama'a Islamiya and other terrorist groups. Bombings, kidnapping, and other violence make travel through many regions of the Philippines hazardous. The drinking water is unsafe and cholera, hepatitis, malaria, rabies are prevalent. Add typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and garbage landslides-together with unsafe roads, pirates, and everyday street crime-and you may want to reconsider the Philippines' notoriously fluky surf.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/south_east_asia/philippines/

Columbia With a murder rate of 81 per 100,000, constant rebel insurgencies, a violent failed drug war (funded by the US), and vicious street crime, Columbia is considered the most dangerous place in the Western Hemisphere. The notorious cocaine cartels have undermined Columbia's government to the point that it's been dubbed "Locombia" (the Mad Country). Journalists, missionaries, scientists, human-rights workers, tourists and even surfers are targets for kidnapping, murder and assorted mayhem. The State Department diplomatically assesses Columbia's security situation as "volatile" and advise that Americans check other travel options. "No one can be considered immune on the basis of occupation, nationality, or any other factor." To go to the beach from the city these days requires a full military escort. The plus side is that the surf breaks are rarely crowded.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/south_america/colombia/index.htm

Southern California (after a rainstorm) Self-inflicted bio-terrorism at its worst.

The CIA maintains a comprehensive country-by-country website:

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/id.html

For State Department travel warnings: http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html