Truck crime ?

[oldschoolto]

Has anyone taken the time to try and record the sites with the most break-ins ?? The times of day that seem to be safer to leave the truck at a dive site ? Just trying to see if some sites are not worth the risk of a insurance claim....

And yes.... This is the risk management side of me

Jim...

 

[DiverVince]

Well I've been in risk management for some 30 years, normally getting involved after a loss. From what I've seen , generally speaking of course, the beach dive sites up north are more problematic than down south. We normally dive the northern dive sites in the morning, but this has nothing to do with break ins, but the wind action is often less, ie more wind will adversely affect surface conditions. Of course if you go way up north (past the marine reserve) generally no one is even around.

 

[wwguy]

I'm with Vince. I think the northern sites are targeted more frequently. IMHO this is due to divers parking out of view of the road and more places for thieves to hide and escape into the mondi (wild undeveloped areas.) I've noted repeated incidents reported over the years at Andrea II, Tolo, and Karpata. All are still on my list of top 20 Bonaire dive sites and we dive them on most trips. So far all we've lost were a pair of cheap sunglasses to some kids at Andrea II.

Theft is a lazy man's game and most lazy men don't get up early in the morning, so I'm guessing that's probably the safest time to leave your truck unattended.

 

[Lorenzoid]

There will be no need for an insurance claim if you follow the standard advice and leave nothing of potential interest to thieves in the truck and leave the doors unlocked and/or windows down. You're going to attempt to analyze risk on a site-by-site basis and figure out at which sites you will feel the risk is low enough to leave something in the truck? Okay.

 

[redacted]

Truck rental insurance is not going to cover your property that you leave in the vehicle. So you don't have to worry about wasting time with a claim. And, if you follow instructions, there will not be any "break-in". Windows down, truck unlocked, nothing of value left inside. If you close the windows and lock the truck, the insurance may not cover a broken window.

 

[wwguy]

There have been several reports in recent years of thieves stealing batteries, wheels, gasoline, spare tires, jacks, radios... and occasionally the truck itself... even when the truck was left with doors unlocked and windows down. Admittedly the chances of this occurring to the OP on any particular visit to a given dive site are small, but the chances are greater at some sites than others for the reasons mentioned previously.

I assume that when the OP states concern about avoiding "the risk of a insurance claim" he means the rental company CDW policy deductible of $300 or so. I rent from Telerin and use Amex Premium Rental Insurance Protection insurance coverage, which costs $24.95 for the rental period and has no deductible for full coverage primary insurance. The caveat is that I'm responsible for paying the rental company for damages until I'm reimbursed by Amex. (In other words, it's my insurance, rather than the rental company's.)

My advice: Get good insurance, leave the truck unlocked with no valuables inside, and enjoy your dives wherever you like.

 

[Lorenzoid]

There have been several reports in recent years of thieves stealing batteries, wheels, gasoline, spare tires, jacks, radios... and occasionally the truck itself... even when the truck was left with doors unlocked and windows down. Admittedly the chances of this occurring to the OP on any particular visit to a given dive site are small, but the chances are greater at some sites than others for the reasons mentioned previously.

I assume that when the OP states concern about avoiding "the risk of a insurance claim" he means the rental company CDW policy deductible of $300 or so. I rent from Telerin and use Amex Premium Rental Insurance Protection insurance coverage, which costs $24.95 for the rental period and has no deductible for full coverage primary insurance. The caveat is that I'm responsible for paying the rental company for damages until I'm reimbursed by Amex. (In other words, it's my insurance, rather than the rental company's.

I know there have been a few reports of truck parts being stolen, but are people (the OP?) really considering selecting their dives sites based on their judgment of the likelihood of that happening, given that that's what the CDW (or equivalent thereof, such as AMEX Premium) is for? Is concern for the truck itself what the OP was referring to?

If and when "truck crime" gets so bad that I need to be concerned about the truck itself, I am going to join the minority on SB who have forsaken Bonaire because of the perceived crime.

My advice: Get good insurance, leave the truck unlocked with no valuables inside, and enjoy your dives wherever you like.

Absolutely.

 

[oldschoolto]

The intended use of the post was to maybe stay away from a site or at a time when you're more likely to have trouble. There are place you can leave the keys in your car on a weekday and not worry.. But I would not park there on a weekend with a guard dog... I've never been to Bonaire... So if someone said " Hey Jim, Make sure your dive at x site is in the afternoon when there's a lot of people around " I'd follow the hint... or Hey Jim, Site z is not worth the risk of something happening ... And yes... I wouldn't want to come out of the water with my rental truck vandalized ..

Jim..

 

[drrich2]

Northern Bonaire is hilly, even a bit mountainous, with a lot of bushy growth (and more thorny plants that you might believe).

Southern Bonaire is very flat, largely cleared, and you can often see a long way. There are some bushes along shore in places, though.

Richard.

 

[Lorenzoid]

The intended use of the post was to maybe stay away from a site or at a time when you're more likely to have trouble. There are place you can leave the keys in your car on a weekday and not worry.. But I would not park there on a weekend with a guard dog... I've never been to Bonaire... So if someone said " Hey Jim, Make sure your dive at x site is in the afternoon when there's a lot of people around " I'd follow the hint... or Hey Jim, Site z is not worth the risk of something happening ... And yes... I wouldn't want to come out of the water with my rental truck vandalized ..

Jim..

Nope, no way to give pinpoint advice like that with respect to Bonaire. Your truck may be "less" likely to be vandalized at southern sites than northern sites, but how much less is anyone's guess.