Who has had something stolen in Bonaire

[gangrel441]

My truck battery was stolen from the Margate Bay dive site. The glove compartment was "tossed" on 2 or 3 occasions, but nothing of much value was there ($5 sunglasses lost).

As nice as it is to have a dive site totally to yourself, I'd suggest picking one which has other divers coming and going while you are diving.

If I ever get back, I certainly will be renting a truck and shore diving again.

The battery thing...that had to kind of suck...

Oh well...such is the price we pay for the best shore diving in the western hemisphere, eh?

 

[AXL72]

There are easier ways to make a donation. :shakehead

PiFi....i totaly get your point that there are safer alternatives to the truck and shore diving (aka the boat diving), and I am totally digging it.

I also appreciate the public service annnoucement in your post #36 in this thread. Thanks!! It reminds us not to let down our gaurd, even in paradise.

However, I luv the shore diving and being on my own schedule.

Suggestions for others not familiar with Bonaire and the precautions to avoid losing stuff =

1. don't bring anything that you won;t be diving with
2. wear wetsuit and bathing suit as opposed to shorts and t-shirt
3. pocket the car keys in your bcd
4. wear your booties as opposed to flip flops or shoes
5. bring old pair of glasses or go blind as the passenger and have your buddy drive (the prescription dive mask makes ya cool looking )
6. roll down windows and leave truck unlocked when u leave the vehicle parked.
7. as SS pointed out, dive near other vehicles.....

However, the group parking lot strategy may backfire and may not always help if everyone is in the water. If I were a local, I might look at a dive site with 4 unattended cars parked as a Wal MArt ...one stop shopping ....woohoo.....five finger discount roll back the pricing!!

There were some other posts on this on the net somewher else. people have reported old crappy (athletes foot crumbed) flip-flops being stolen ....the parenthis bit is my embelishment


so dont leave anything in the car that you may miss later when it potentialy gets stolen.

PiFi...PM me if you want to buddy up with me in Bonaire and go vigilantying throughout Bonaire during our surface intervals ....j/k

 

[gangrel441]

yes, when you know about it you can protect yourself. Being forewarned you minimize your exposure to theft. It's the people, mostly newbies, that go to this island that think it's like every other place they've been, it's not, that can become victims. See, you already know you have to take extra precautions. Sadly, not everyone does.

Which everyone exactly are you talking about? The everyone that are wearing aircraft quality noise reduction headphones while they are getting the briefing from the car rental agency?

You know...at some point, people have to take responsibility for their own decisions and accept that not every place they vacation to will be a guided tour through a museum somewhere in a major US city. If that's not a decision you feel you can comfortably make, then I guess the FL Keys are always there for you...

I've never been to Bonaire before. I am planning my first trip there for later this year. And you know what? I haven't had to look very far or put a whole lot of effort into finding out the ins and outs of Bonaire and the petty theft that takes place there. Indeed, the effort I have put into researching this information is the bare minimum I think anyone should put into researching a trip ANYWHERE outside (or even inside) the country. I'm not sure why it is that you feel that everyone who ever thinks they may want to go to Bonaire should recieve a singing telegram from the Netherlands government letting them know that things get stolen out of pickup trucks. This information is quite readily available, and if you research and are prepared, it should be little more than a nuisance.

 

[DiverVince]

Wow..Some of you guys really like to beat a dead horse to death on this board!
Pretty funny in my opinion. Personally I've been traveling back and forth to Bonaire for over 20 years and am certainly no stranger to other islands in the Carib..
Why do you think I keep coming back to Bonaire?

 

[sweatfrog]

Pilot Fish -If you have a grand obsession for the crime in Bonaire - Just wait until you get to Truk and Yap.

Just get in between the two groups that throw rocks at one another in Truk and you won't worry about petty theft.

I thought this was about Bonaire Tom, not Chuuk (Truk). If you ever get back there though, you might stop in at Yumi's. However, you just might look like Leroy Brown before you get out of there.

I don't want to see Bonaire deteriorate into another place where you don't want to leave the resort. Stop the criime, especially on the tourists before someone gets hurt.

 

[pilot fish]

I thought this was about Bonaire Tom, not Chuuk (Truk). If you ever get back there though, you might stop in at Yumi's. However, you just might look like Leroy Brown before you get out of there.

I don't want to see Bonaire deteriorate into another place where you don't want to leave the resort. Stop the criime, especially on the tourists before someone gets hurt.

You've read some of these posts, which ought to tell you WHY things will *never* change on Bonaire. Every diver/tourist is supposed to do this, don't do that, expect this, accept that's the way it is, expect that it goes with the territory, roll your window down, leave your dive bag at hotel, don't park alone, blah blah blab. Are you nuts to allow yourselves to be treated that way? Why do you guys have to jump through all those hoops when all that has to happen is the feckless police get off their azzes and do WHAT THEY ARE SUPOSED TO DO. AND YOU GUYS PAY GOOD MONEY TO GET TREATED THAT WAY???

SORRY

 

[pilot fish]

Pilotfish,

No, I do not address this issue on the web site. The BSDME web site is not a forum. I do, however, address this and other topics in the author's notes.

What do you say about it in your address in author's notes of the crime situation?

 

[gangrel441]

You've read some of these posts, which ought to tell you WHY things will *never* change on Bonaire. Every diver/tourist is supposed to do this, don't do that, expect this, accept that's the way it is, expect that it goes with the territory, roll your window down, leave your dive bag at hotel, don't park alone, blah blah blab. Are you nuts to allow yourselves to be treated that way? Why do you guys have to jump through all those hoops when all that has to happen is the feckless police get off their azzes and do WHAT THEY ARE SUPOSED TO DO. AND YOU GUYS PAY GOOD MONEY TO GET TREATED THAT WAY???

SORRY

You don't like it. Don't go. More for us. We jump through hoops every single time we go to any dive destination. Part of this whole game is researching and understanding the places you are going. Note, changing is not one of the steps in the above process.

Congratulations, PF...you are officially every typical American tourist.

 

[pilot fish]

You don't like it. Don't go. More for us. We jump through hoops every single time we go to any dive destination. Part of this whole game is researching and understanding the places you are going. Note, changing is not one of the steps in the above process.

Congratulations, PF...you are officially every typical American tourist.

I've read a few of your responses and it's clear to me that you do not get the obvious point. I'm not saying don't go there but I am saying, don't rent a car to shore dive because of the shear amount of thefts occuring and be very, very careful if you rent a condo or house, due to the break ins. If you go to a secure resort you will not have a problem. Some people, like you, don't see any of that as a problem because they just accept it. Fine. I'm concerned about people that think it's safe and wind up becoming a victim.

The beating horse symbol is in fact beating a fallen horse. It lost it affect some time back, but that won't stop you from using, I'm sure. Ya know, man, like Jethro Rave on.

 

[sweatfrog]

You're right, this is a dead horse and this thread will do nothing to change what's happening in Bonaire.

You don't like it. Don't go. More for us. We jump through hoops every single time we go to any dive destination. Part of this whole game is researching and understanding the places you are going. Note, changing is not one of the steps in the above process.

Research is beneficial, but not the end all. Since this thread is about the ABC Islands, look at what the media did to Aruba a few years ago. Not to mention the fact that the people who live in Curacao put bars on their windows decades ago.

I used to pay $10 per year for the marine park fee in Bonaire. Now it's up to $25 and there's no change in what I get. With shore diving so popular, those officers should be patroling the area in their cars. However, until there's some kind of punishment for the kids who do the crimes. it won't matter.

Congratulations, PF...you are officially every typical American tourist.

A Swiss family had their car broken into when I was there a few weeks ago. This is an international problem. I don't want to see the shore diving stopped by this situation, but if Bonaire doesn't take responsibility for it's lack of action, that will be the result of this.

One of the reasons I like Bonaire is because it's laid-back. The cruise ships moving in and the crime on the rise are starting to change that. Very sad.