Carribean Explorer Theft at Sea?

[domino22]

Just got back from one of my dive club meeting's tonight. They had just got back from a week long trip aboard the Carribean Explorer, and I am booked on this boat this fall. Was told by two people that one was ripped off of $200.00 he had left his shorts with wallet hanging on the door knob of his cabin. And one lady lady had lost $150 from her purse left in her cabin. They think it was a customer who was on the boat for two weeks and did not dive allot. Anyone else have this problem or was this just a one time thing? I will bring traveler checks and keep them locked up.

[smokey braden]

dear domino22,
i've been on the caribbean explorer as well as half a dozen other liveaboards.
what you have just posted surprises me.
one reason i like going on those type of trips is that you're with other divers that just want to have fun and don't want any security concerns.
looks like even the more popular liveaboards now have to be wary of dishonest guests.
i'm hoping that this is just a one time thing.
regards, smokey

[Diver Lori]

Hey, you just never know. This is an excellent argument for traveler's checks and locking your luggage to boot. I stayed at a bunkhouse/BB type place a few years ago in Florida and the owner's son was crawling into the bunkhouse and filching money out of wallets while the guests slept. It got to the point, before they went out of business, that the guests in the bunkhouse were sleeping with their wallets in their pillowcases.

[Otter]

Lets see....book a $2000 liveaboard to rip off $350....sounds like a deal to me!

[domino22]

Lets see....book a $2000 liveaboard to rip off $350....sounds like a deal to me!
Well I agree with what you say but you never know. And they also said they thought it could be him but they had no proof. So who knows the money was still taken. Hey just for thought look at that actress who got caught shop lifting!

[domino22]

Lets see....book a $2000 liveaboard to rip off $350....sounds like a deal to me!
Hey Otter. It gets better. At the lake today I found out one of the instructors from the trip lost $150 to $200! Maybe someone was able to pay for their trip this way? Not sure about the others yet still asking.

[divenut2001]

Sorry, some how I double posted.

[divenut2001]

Have you considered the posibility of a dishonest worker, say the person(s) who make up the rooms while you're diving? No one would question them if they were seen coming out of a room they didn't occupy.

Maybe they were collecting their tips in advance.:-) Since they do make a large portion of their income from tips if they're not making that good of money it may give "some" an incentive to steal. Just something to think about.

At any rate you should all report it. If others on prior trips have reported the same that would certainly narrow it down to if it was an employee or not and make them alert that they have a problem. JMHO.

[LASA]

As this seems to be a one time/trip complaint and not an epidemic I don't see any justification for blaming a crew member. Yes, the steward(ess) would not get questioned if seen coming out of a guest's room, but all the more reason not to steal, as that person would often be the first suspect. If the victim believes that it was another guest I'm sure they have reason for such a claim.
I wonder why the victim(s) did not mention the theft while they were on board the boat when something could have been done about it. Think about that.

[domino22]

As this seems to be a one time/trip complaint and not an epidemic I don't see any justification for blaming a crew member. Yes, the steward(ess) would not get questioned if seen coming out of a guest's room, but all the more reason not to steal, as that person would often be the first suspect. If the victim believes that it was another guest I'm sure they have reason for such a claim.
I wonder why the victim(s) did not mention the theft while they were on board the boat when something could have been done about it. Think about that.
They did not know they had been ripped off till they got home. Not all their money was taken so they did not notice what was taken,from what they told me. Plus they thought it was a customer but could not prove it. As you said if this was a common problem they The Carribean Explorer would have heard about it and taken some type of action.

[Doc Intrepid]

Even if you cannot lock your luggage all the time, there are all sorts of lockable pelican cases, small sealed boxes, and the like. Leaving large amounts of cash laying around unsecured in your shorts, wallet or purse seems to be asking for problems. Keeping the majority of your on-hand money in travelors checks, and putting cash and checks in a lockable pelican laptop case or small box might be a wiser way to handle your money while on vacation. Also, American Express now offers a new "Travelfunds" card you use instead of travelers checks - you put any amount of money you'd like on the card, prepaid in advance. The card is accepted wherever travelers checks are. Here: http://www10.americanexpress.com/sif/cda/page/0,1641,18730,00.asp?aexp_nav=travcheques

[cdiver2]

As this seems to be a one time/trip complaint and not an epidemic I don't see any justification for blaming a crew member. Yes, the steward(ess) would not get questioned if seen coming out of a guest's room, but all the more reason not to steal, as that person would often be the first suspect. If the victim believes that it was another guest I'm sure they have reason for such a claim.
I wonder why the victim(s) did not mention the theft while they were on board the boat when something could have been done about it. Think about that.

What could they have done about it if it had been reported straight away......arrest everyone with money in there possession ?

[Scuba_John]

Just a small idea to build on. I keep track of my funds no matter where I am. I am sure to count it when I am figuring the amount I need to tip or how much I need to get out of the parking lot.

[divenut2001]

And just how do you know it's a "one" time complaint? Did you do any investigating on this matter? Just because they suspected a fellow passenger doesn't mean he was guilty. He didn't dive much, so what!! He paid the same amount of money for the trip as everyone else.


It seems highly unlikely for someone to put out that kind of money just to steal a few hundred bucks. So what would be the point of that? Most businesses suffer more loses from "employee" theft then from customers.

I was in a laundramat once and a couple who was doing their laundry suddenly realized that the woman's purse was missing. Being I was the person standing closest to them, "guess" who they suspected of stealing it? I watched as the husband (or boyfriend) talked to everyone in the place pointing his finger at me and looking in every reseptical he thought I might have stashed it.

Well when their machine stopped they opened the door to unload it and out came the purse that the "dumb asses" thru in with the laundry. And everyone watched as two very "red" faced people left with a load of wet laundry and one "very" soggy purse.

So just because someone is suspected of doing something doesn't make them "guilty"! Sure hope you never get jury duty.

And my "point" that you obviously missed was that more than one person had opportunity so they should not rule out the crew. That is also why I suggested reporting the incident in case it "has" happened on other trips.



As this seems to be a one time/trip complaint and not an epidemic I don't see any justification for blaming a crew member. Yes, the steward(ess) would not get questioned if seen coming out of a guest's room, but all the more reason not to steal, as that person would often be the first suspect. If the victim believes that it was another guest I'm sure they have reason for such a claim.
I wonder why the victim(s) did not mention the theft while they were on board the boat when something could have been done about it. Think about that.

[divenut2001]

What could they have done about it if it had been reported straight away......arrest everyone with money in there possession ?


Getting everybody together and informing them that there's a thief amongst them would at least make them aware and make the thief more leary knowing everyone would be on their guard. Unfortunately, this thief was pretty slick because no one noticed untill they had left the boat.:-(

[murphdivers286]

I have never been on a liveaboard, so bear with me. Why didn't they lock their cabin.

I also agree on locking up all valuables, including reg, comp. when you are not around. It is funny how the stangest things will grow legs and walk away.

[divenut2001]

I have never been on a liveaboard, so bear with me. Why didn't they lock their cabin.

I also agree on locking up all valuables, including reg, comp. when you are not around. It is funny how the stangest things will grow legs and walk away.


You're pretty much on the honor system. I was on the Palau Aggressor last year and although you could lock your staterooms from the inside we were given no keys so when out of the room they were unlocked. Don't know how any of the other liveaboards operate.

I go on less glamorous liveaboards in the Channel Islands off the coast of So Cal that are typically 3 days in length. There are a limited amount of staterooms that do not lock and a lot of open single bunks with privacy curtains. All of us are on the honor system. To my knowledge no one has ever been ripped off on any of the liveaboards I've been on.

Hearing about things like this though definitely keeps you from getting too complacent and sadly takes away a little of the trust you have in your fellow divers. I always like to think that we divers are of a better class of people. JMHO.

[Damselfish]

The 2 Peter Hughes boats I've been on have been the same - you could lock from the inside but I don't recall a key (and fortunately never felt need of one, not to mention it would be a pain.)