Bonaire Vehicles

[dukeh20]

We just got back from our 5th trip to Bonaire on Saturday. Our rental truck was from Total rental at the airport. There was a "bumper sticker" on the glove box that could not be missed that reminded you not to lock up the truck, roll up the windows or leave anything of value in the vehicle.

We did a "double dip" at Karpata on Thursday morning. When we arrived we were the only ones there. Between dives when we went up to swap tanks, a second truck was parked next to us. It was the only other vehicle parked at the dive site. The windows were rolled up and there were large suitcase/dive bags on both the front and back seats. I did not bother to check the locks since it really wasn't my place to do so.

A young couple was just getting out of the water as we went back down for our second dive. I wanted to smack them both, but just kept my mouth shut. It was so frustrating. We saw the remnants of shattered car windows at several dive sites last week and knew right away what probably happened.

I have been a prosecutor for over 20 years so I am not so naive to think that crime ever goes away. But damn, at the same time I can not think of a situation where more care has been taken to try to keep people from putting themselves in a position to be victimized than on Bonaire.

As far as the dive gear that gets stolen, it was probably insured, so other than the inconvenience, they got new stuff when they got home. But we all pay the price for the damaged rental vehicles because people are unwilling to think that they won't be a victim or just dont care.

Sorry for the rant, but after Thursday at Karpata, I needed to vent.

Duke

 

[mike_s]

Bonaire has a population of under 15,000 people. the size of a small town in the US.

If they local police wanted to stop the crime on Bonaire... simply put, they could. With a population that small, it's not hard to figure out who's doing what.

It's pretty clear to me that the police/government isn't that worried about the crime problem there....


I have to assume that they have members of their government/police that are simply put, "on the take".

 

[Papa_Bear]

What should be done is some stings! Maybe some well placed Web cameras! Maybe more drastic action is called for, but you can't keep killing the goose during tough times!

 

[scubadobadoo]

I have to say that I am personally offended that my stuff has never been stolen from me in Bonaire over the years. I hope to rectify this next month. My junk is clearly not worth the effort apparently!

That said, I cringe when I see a car full of nice stuff/gear with the windows all rolled up and locked at a place like Karpata. It seems not all tourists are getting "the word."

 

[helimvee]

Why didn't you say something? Maybe they had no idea - not everyone visits web boards.

On our first trip we had no warnings and there were no stickers on the glove box. Of course, we never left anything in the truck, but that is just me.

How was Karpata?

 

[billmosel]

I understand that some of the rental agencies ( AB ) are now saying to lock the truck up. Whats up with that?? Do they know something that we don't?

 

[cowdog77]

We followed instructions....didn't lock the vehicle, didn't take anything of value, made do with bottled water and cheap sunglasses and shoes, etc. When diving one end of the island to the other it would be nice to be able to take a cooler, camera accessories, etc like in "normal" places and not have to worry about it. This has been a longtime issue and they should "have a handle" on it by now.

 

[DiverVince]

dukeh..Well frankly if you were passing them by, I would have said something to them like; "Hey I noticed that your car was locked. Really not the smartest thing to do around here". And then let them respond. And then (in a nice way) go on to educate them about the facts of life. If everyone followed the rules at the dive sites, you would not see anymore broken glass and nothing would be taken.

 

[Bob]

dukeh..Well frankly if you were passing them by, I would have said something to them like; "Hey I noticed that your car was locked. Really not the smartest thing to do around here". And then let them respond. And then (in a nice way) go on to educate them about the facts of life. If everyone followed the rules at the dive sites, you would not see anymore broken glass and nothing would be taken.

You mean treat the symptom instead of the disease? How easy would it be to run a sting at Karpata or Ole Blue? Until the authorities on Bonaire get serious about apprehending the people who have been breaking into rental vehicles for years, the break ins will continue, and apologists like you, will continue to blame the victim, instead of the criminal.

 

[pa diver]

Ignoring and working around the the problem is not the answer. I'm not usually one to subscribe to conspiracy theories but it's hard to believe that this situation could not be stopped in a very short time. I have not and will not keep anything of value in the truck, but quite honestly a cooler filled w/snacks for a picnic, or a change of clothes would add an element to the trip that is sorely missing. Trail cameras, a webcam or even a little UV powder and a handful of blacklights.............