Who has had something stolen in Bonaire

[gangrel441]

By the way, it is NOT called a break in if nothing was broken into. There is a reason it is called a break in- they had to break something to get in, or use a method other than the key. If the door is open it is called a push in. Small point.

Hmm...let's see...you talk about the Bonairian police doing nothing, but you are willing to get into a semantics argument with their reports between a break-in and a push-in...what do you say you leave the anwers to the people I asked the question of? Sounds like a plan to me...

Just leave your rental car windows down and unlock the doors? Right? That's what you said, and is your approach to this ongoing problem. How does that hurt you to do that, you said, and how much trouble is it to just take what you need for that dive? Well, that means you can't take your glasses to see, your sun glasses to shade your eyes, sun tan lotion, defoger, log book, dive bag to hold your stuff, clothes for after the dive, dry bag, locker key, safe key, hotel room key, credit cards . Oh, put that stuff in your BC pockets, you say? Really? That is your answer? That is what you call a relaxing dive vacatin that you wroked hard and saved your money for? Really? You accept that ****?

Let's address some of these points...

"Well, that means you can't take your glasses to see," - small pelican case attached to your BCD.

"your sun glasses to shade your eyes," - If not prescription, they should be cheap. I can't remember the last time I spent more than $7 on a pair of shades. If prescription, see above.

"sun tan lotion, " - you're joking, right?

"defoger," - when I pool dive, this is in my BC pocket. why would you ever leave that in the truck?

"log book," - why on earth would you ever need this at the dive site?

"dive bag to hold your stuff," - set your kit up at the resort, put it in back of the truck. Why would you need this?

"clothes for after the dive," Could be annoying, but T-shirts are cheap and you're already wearing your swimsuit, so if someone steals that... :no

"dry bag," - again, why would you ever need this at the dive site?

"locker key, safe key, hotel room key," - you were planning on leaving keys on the shore while you dive? I don't even do that at my local quarry. :shakehead

"credit cards." - I didn't realize the reef accepts credit cards. not really sure what I'd buy there, though...

Do you see our point? You don't have to put up with that. The reason it will never change is because divers like you accept that rotten and unsafe treatment. You all deserve better. Wake up!

My point is that a little common sense goes a long way to protecting your belongings and your safety no matter where you travel to. I am willing to put up with what is going on there in order to experience the best shore diving in the western hemisphere. Who do you think you are to tell me what I do and don't deserve.

 

[gangrel441]

How did you get such a quantity of info about me? We don't know each other at all and you really know squat about me or where I have been. No matter.

Wasting energy? You asked why am *I* wasting my time alerting divers to a probelm and you want to know why I'm wasting my time doing that?:shakehead huh? WHY ARE YOU WASTING *YOUR * TIME TRYINTG TO CONVINCE DIVERS IT'S NOT SO BAD AND TO JUST ACCEPT IT? Oh, yeah, if they become a victim it might have been thier fault. Oh, I see. The victim is to blame . I got ya. Hey, Jethro, you tell ,man!

The people who read forums like this are already well aware of the problem. The people who are not aware of the problem aren't going to find out from reading this thread, because they are the people who do no research whatsoever before they travel. Newsflash: you're not really alerting anyone to anything, because they already know and have made their decisions accordingly.

You've made your decision as well. It's time to get on with your life. Time for you to go places where you can leave your logbook and credit cards unattended in a vehicle where you shoredive. Oh, BTW...let me know when you find it. I'd love to go there myself.

 

[drrich2]

Hi:

Not really interested in picking sides; just thought I'd add my perspective as a fairly new diver (13 dives, OW certified 4/06) planning to hit Bonaire for the first time this Spring, having reviewed this thread & others.

1.) In the U.S., I wouldn't expect someone to break into a locked car unless there was something pretty valuable in plain view, unless I was in a really bad neighborhood. I wouldn't normally leave money or high tech. equipment, but some t-shirts, log book stuff like that, sure. The idea that people would break the windows for a locked car to search it on the off chance there's something worthwhile is new to me.

2.) It's been my understanding from the Open Water course that salt water is pretty damaging to items; hence, the emphasis on rinsing it off with fresh water after a dive. Normally I wouldn't want to pack a wallet, credit cards, etc..., into my dive clothes. I don't use a wet suit in warm water; I'm aware some people use wet suits as stash points.

3.) Taking a dive log with you makes good sense if you're not using an AI computer & would like your log book to include starting & ending tank pressures, maximum depth (if you're using an SPG & resetting it between dives, instead of a dive computer), & jotting down what animals you saw on which dive while it's fresh on your mind. If you head out with 2 or 3 tanks & make that many dives before returning to your hotel room, you may well forget some things.

4.) I don't normally leave the house without cash & plastic. 'Stuff happens,' and money tends to come in handy. I also assume it's needful to carry one's drivers license if one's driving around Bonaire. The Passport can stay home, but some things don't.

5.) I usually leave de-fogger on the shore. In the quarries I dive at in Kentucky you can leave stuff on a pick nick table and generally nobody bothers it. I was a tad skeptical at first, & still lock my wallet in the trunk of my car, but this is the way some of operate around here (successfully, thus far).

6.) Sun tank lotion is serious for my wife & I; we're pale folks & burn easily. When we went on our honeymoon in the Caribbean, she bought water proof sunscreen so strong, somebody indicated we were the only ones she knew who spent over a week in the Caribbean & didn't even get a tan. (We learned our lesson at a local water park one summer; we burned so bad I felt like my bones were hurting, & Jami's legs looked like tree bark for at least a few weeks).

I understanding that it isn't this way everywhere, but for me, where I'm coming from, with my limited experience, this is my frame of reference.

Now that I'm a bit on guard, I'm curious about that Pelican case Gangrel mentioned.

I like the advice to wear scuba boots rather than shoes. I wear size 15 EE shoes; if someone stole them out of my vehicle, my size isn't one easy to go find most places.

I don't expect all this to keep me from going to Bonaire, but it should make me wary.

Richard.

P.S.: I'd like to see sting operations by police using fake 'set up' rental vehicles under covert Surveillance. Maybe they would at least raise fine money & do something useful with it.

 

[RiverRat]

Don't tell me about the Caymans either. I've been to all three & on Grand Cayman was the only time I had to personally run after a thief who broke into our 2nd story room by scaling the outside walls & terrace to gain entry & then fled. The police were useless.

Yeah on my last trip to G. Cayman I'm convinced it's going downhill. I took the family for a walk at night to a restaurant quite a ways up the street. After awhile I was like "this is not good, what am I doing bringing my family through here". No problems but on the way back there was some suspicious characters hanging out near the resort in the parking lot. Needless to say I was ready for action if needed. I also heard from the locals that when they brought over cheap labor from Jamaica that's when trouble started like the Machete robberies. I can find that crap here in the US. I don't need to PAY to go find it.

 

[pilot fish]

[[[Who do you think you are to tell me what I do and don't deserve.]]]gangrel441

you're right, I have no idea what you deserve.

I think we have exshauted the subject BETWEEN YOU AND I. Further discussion between us on this subject would be, I feel, not useful to either of us, or the Board.

I noticed from your profile that you have been certified over 10 years and are a Master Scuba diver with between 50 and a 100 dives. Interesting.

 

[Kim]

PF.....I didn't read the whole thread but I'm curious - did you have something stolen in Bonaire?

Are you going to answer this question?

 

[pilot fish]

[[[P.S.: I'd like to see sting operations by police using fake 'set up' rental vehicles under covert Surveillance. Maybe they would at least raise fine money & do something useful with it.]]]drrich2

So would a lot of reasonably minded divers but it will not happen, unfortunately. It will not happen for severasl reasons. 1- "POLICE" are the problem 2 -they do not respond when notified of a crime, 3-take NO steps to interfere with criminal activity, 4- some divers accept the problem.

 

[gangrel441]

I noticed from your profile that you have been certified over 10 years and are a Master Scuba diver with between 50 and a 100 dives. Interesting.

Ahh...but you didn't note that I was certified in High School, took well over a decade off, went through certification a second time in 2001, and don't count any of my dives from my first stint. Careful with your assumptions. They can get you in trouble.

 

[herman]

[[[Who do you think you are to tell me what I do and don't deserve.]]]gangrel441

you're right, I have no idea what you deserve.

I think we have exshauted the subject BETWEEN YOU AND I. Further discussion between us on this subject would be, I feel, not useful to either of us, or the Board.

I noticed from your profile that you have been certified over 10 years and are a Master Scuba diver with between 50 and a 100 dives. Interesting.

I stay out of these threads waste of my time but this is too good to pass up...anyone else notice PF has no info in his profile?

Kim, the answer to your queston is he has been there once, barely left the resort and had no problems. It takes some digging but it's in some post a while back. All his rants are about thing he heard from others.

 

[pilot fish]

As you can see, I won the bet? Too funny. Was that a coffee or something stronger? Didn't take long did it? :laughing: