i am traveling to st maarten with friends. it is possible there may be a day when i venture on my own to a beach...what do people do with their stuff if they are on the beach solo?

Here is a link to Travel Talk Online. They have a store and several different items to put money and stuff in while you are in the water:

[www.traveltalkonline.com]

Hope it helps.

Just make friends with a beach mate next door on the beach. They will keep an eye on your stuff. We do it all the time. If we leave the area for a walk or something, we take our valuables with us. But for a dip in the water, we just leave it at the bottom of our beach bag. Safer than in the car!

When just going in for a quick dip, I put my bag under the chaise lounge mattress and leave the towel on top so the chair is obviously taken. If gone longer, a tipped bartender or beach boy will usually have no problem placing a small bag behind the bar for a little while.

We bring only the essentials, limited cash and perhaps 1 credit card exclusively used for beach purposes. Camera is usually a cheapie, as you can get digital disks when the film is developed. Asking your beach mate has always worked for us also. People are generally OK with this for a short time

You can purchase small plastic boxes that are watertight that can tie to your suit or carried around your neck...made specifically for your concern. They are a bit larger than the size of a pack of cigarettes. One holds all our beach essentials...some cash, a credit card, a watch and my car and room keys. Any bandit can have our chairs and towels if he's that desperate...obviously we leave them behind when we swim or go for a walk. As a back-up, I wrap everything up in a zip lock baggie before storing everything in the container....the good news...my box hasn't leaked yet...but the baggie still increases my confort level !!! Purchase the boxes at water sports shops or sporting goods places. As far as a camera...sorry, never have taken one to the beach. However, if I were to take a camera....I'd put it, too, in a baggie...and bury it in the sand where only I knew where it was. Just a thought !!!!! Cheers, spike

If you take a camera to the beach, I'd say bring one of those disposable ones. I don't know if anyone is desperate enough to steal a single use camera. Or...you could buy one that's intended for beach/snorkeling use with a plastic cover and take it in the water with you.