Honduras - Security

Honduras Security for Yachts

Overall Crime and Safety

Crime and violence are a serious problem throughout Honduras and the country has one of the highest homicide rates in the world.

For travel advisories, see the following websites:

UK - www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
USA - www.travel.state.gov/content/travel.html
Canada - www.voyage.gc.ca
New Zealand - www.safetravel.govt.nz
Australia - www.smartraveller.gov.au

Cruisers should take basic safety precautions and use common sense when ashore. Avoid walking alone in isolated areas, especially at night. Don’t carry large amounts of cash around or wear expensive jewelry.

The risks of petty theft, pickpocketing and assault increases during regattas and festivals. Do not leave drinks unattended.

General Maritime Issues

Dinghy thieves operate throughout the Caribbean. Be sure to lift, chain, and lock your dinghy and outboard when not in use, especially at night. When leaving your dinghy ashore, ensure that your dinghy and outboard are securely locked.

AirTags and other cell based/Bluetooth tracking devices are being used by cruisers to track their dinghys/outboards. Some thieves are aware of this practice and may detect, locate and disable them. Understand the limitations of using tracking devices. (See this May 2024 Jost Van Dyke, BVI CSSN report.) The use of GPS trackers (rather than Bluetooth trackers) is recommended. See this Report by David Lyman.

Advice throughout the Caribbean is to remove items from the deck that may be tempting for thieves. When going ashore close all hatches, lock your boat, hide valuables out of sight and secure any loose items, including fuel/jerry cans and jugs. Keep the boat well-lit to deter boarders. It is also advisable to keep your cockpit/salon areas and hatches locked at night when sleeping onboard.

A new method of corruption appearing in Caribbean islands is for a “finders” fee to be demanded when a stolen dinghy is “found”. (See this Nov 2023 Tyrell Bay, Carriacou CSSN report and this Apr 2024 Clifton Harbour, SVG CSSN report.)

Specific areas of concern

Cruisers should practice a high level of caution and careful planning if transiting near shore and offshore Honduras or Nicaragua and have agreed plan of what to do if approached by suspicious vessels or subjected to a piracy incident.

The Gracias Adios area is the most remote area of Honduras and the entire area is renowned for being under the control of drug traffickers. In 2012 long term cruiser Cliff Vaughs lost his boat and all his possessions to pirates there.

During low-season, local crime does increase particularly in the Bay Islands where the great majority of locals rely on the tourist trade for their income. Police presence also tends to be reduced when fewer tourists are around. It is important to bear this in mind when making your cruising plans and is recommended that more remote bays and anchorages are avoided during this period.

Cruisers should adopt basic long-distance cruising rules when cruising here: lock your boat at all times, use alarms, raise your dinghy and lock it at night, lock your dinghy at the dock during the day, travel in groups whenever possible, keep the VHF tuned to Ch.16 and the shared channel with fellow cruisers in the area.

Caribbean Safety and Security Net

The Caribbean Safety and Security Net (CSSN) collects and shares reliable reports of crimes against yachts in the Caribbean, helping cruisers make informed decisions.  

The CSSN website offers current and past incident reports, stats, regional piracy info, and annual summaries. Here are some of the ways to use their site: 

• Subscribe to CSSN to receive free alerts via Telegram or Email. 
• View the Interactive Map to view the latest reports in your cruising area. 
• Search Reported Incidents to view reports by event type, country or key words. 
• Review Incident Statistics to view statistics by type, country and time. 
• Report an Incident if you’ve experienced or witnessed a boarding, robbery, or other security issue, report it via the CSSN Incident Reporting Form. 
• Review CSSN’s General Security Precautions for Cruisers. 

Incident Reports

Visit the CSSN Honduras page or visit the CSSN Interactive Map to keep up to date with the latest incident reports.

Also review Noonsite Related Security Reports for Honduras.

General Emergency Numbers

For more detail see Emergencies in General Info.

Last updated:  March 2025