Car keys

[Dirty-Dog]

This may strike some as a stupid question, but what the hell...

We're leaving October 4th for our first visit to Bonaire. The consensus here (and what you're told by the rental companies) is to leave your truck unlocked. OK. Fine. I have no problem with that. But I don wonder...

What do you do with the truck keys while you're diving? Is there an electronic key fob, or just a plain metal key?

 

[Mike]

always a metal key, take it with you in your wet suit, most people are going to advise you to get a water proof bag/box on a neck string you can where, keep your key, ID, CC money ect.. in it. Other options are to bury the key under a rock somewhere.

 

[billatcam]

When we were in Bonaire last year, the car rental folks warned us that we were getting a brand new truck with a chip in the key and that if the key got truly wet, it wouldn't start the car. We had already discovered the "wet key" problem at home after putting our Audi key in a BC pocket and surfacing unable to start the car.
I bought a small waterproof box at the hotel's dive shop and it kept the truck key dry thru the dives. Cost about $10, probably cheaper at your LDS.

 

[RJP]

What do you do with the truck keys while you're diving?

When in Bonaire, key, wallet, etc all go in my pocket... inside my drysuit.

:d

 

[BDSC]

The keys I have had in the past there were just plain metal so we would get one of those small zip lock bags and put it in that and then in a bcd pocket even though gettting it wet was not a big deal. Other folks I know get one of those small metallic boxes to put their keys in and then stick it to the truck underneath some place.

 

[diversteve]

One of these: Witz from LeisurePro

Your local shop probably sells something similar.

For day dives, take the batteries out of a dive light and use that.

 

[dmoore19]

Dang Steve, doesn't somebody make them in black?

One of these: Witz from LeisurePro

Your local shop probably sells something similar.

For day dives, take the batteries out of a dive light and use that.

 

[wwguy]

When we were in Bonaire last year, the car rental folks warned us that we were getting a brand new truck with a chip in the key and that if the key got truly wet, it wouldn't start the car.

What rental company was this? I want to know so I can be sure not to rent from them. Seriously. These "smart keys" can easily cost several hundred dollars to replace and reprogram for personal cars. Maybe even more with rental company surcharges.

The High Cost of Losing Your Keys

We carry a waterproof Otter box to keep keys, cash, and credit cards dry. It has flooded twice already due to corner of cash or ziploc baggie caught between o-ring and cover when closed. Both times would have been death for smart keys.

 

[Alvida]

We just returned from Bonaire, our first trip there, where we stayed with Buddy Dive and rented one of their vehicles. Our car key and room key were the old fashioned plain metal type. We purchased a waterproof (it wasn't) box and kept the keys, small amount of cash, hubby's driver's license and sometimes a credit card depending on our plans, in it. I clipped the box into my BC pocket. We occasionally handed over wet cash, nobody seemed perturbed by it. We kept the car unlocked and windows rolled open. We had no problems with theft or vandalism.

 

[sphyrnidus]

Don't leave the key under a rock. Thieves are watching you when you arrive and see were you leave it. That happened to me on Bonaire We always used do to that on Curacao so I did it on Bonaire too. While they didn't take anything form our car, they made us hitch a ride back to the rental company. It was on a late afternoon dive so when we got out of the water, all but one pair (nice Americans btw) had left. If we had been ten minutes later we would have been in trouble.
Anyway if it is a an electronic key put it in a container. At home I ride a BMW and the electronic key also has a built in "normal" key which you can use in case of a power failure to open the door. When you do the alarm goes off so that's a bit annoying but oh well.
So get one of those yellow plastic containers and only put your key in it. You don't need anything else with you like cash...