Bad Ending to Otherwise Good Bonaire Trip
- Thread starter Karelmakov
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Can't please everyone. Not worth trying.
By our 4th trip we so loved the laid back attitudes of the community and people we meet there, the diving, the climate and the variety of almost European quality restraunts for such a small island, that we decided to start searching for a small home there. Looked in quite a few other good dive locals for the last 7-8 years, before chosing ("crime ridden", :mooner
Bonaire.I just had a thought..... Hmmm.... Maybe someone's deliberately trying to inflate crime stories, to keep Bonaire a bit less crowded!? Keeps the reefs in better shape if the hords of tourests go elsewhere!
Now, what can we do to keep the pod people to a minimum?
I only left my resort twice last time I was in Cozumel, and once was to go to the airport (okay, dive boats notwithstanding)
DiverVince
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gypsyjim..We spent 20 years searching the Carib for another place to buy. Our first was on St Croix in the early to mid 80's. Owned 5 years there. We sold because the crime problem was getting way out of hand down. And I mean CRIME (without going into specifics).
We eventually chose Bonaire because of it's laid back atmosphere, spectacular shore diving, wonderful folks on the island combined with the relatively low incidence of crime vis-a-vis the numerous other islands we've visited over the last 25 years. Good luck on your search!
We eventually chose Bonaire because of it's laid back atmosphere, spectacular shore diving, wonderful folks on the island combined with the relatively low incidence of crime vis-a-vis the numerous other islands we've visited over the last 25 years. Good luck on your search!
The plan is working!"You-want-to -go-to-Cozumel. Cozumel-is-better-than-Bonaire. You-will-be-safe-in-Cozumel"Too many tourists is not a good thing. You can keep your cattle boats, and we'd like to keep our reef, Thank you!
And less tourists is, in your opinion a BAD thing? Have dived Belize, Mexico, Cozumel and elsewhere, and many other larger more crowded sites. I never put them down, and there are several of these sites I will dive again, but there is such a thing as too many tourists and damage to the reef systems where those tourists stampede is an awful thing to witness when you love the reefs.
And despite what some would wish us to believe, none of these areas was truly safe for the clueless or careless tourist too venture far afield!I like this small island where the scuba diver is almost the only tourist.
Thanks Vince. We closed on a small house in Sept. It is rented out long term, so we can't use it on our visits yet, but will be our home in time. Gives me even more reasons to return frequently now!
Jim
You really really have a reading comprehension problem. Nowhere did I say anything about more or less tourists being a good or bad thing. I simply responded to the allegation that we hear more crime reports about Bonaire because more tourists go to Bonaire. For one, it's simply false. More tourists go to many other places as you concede. For another, if crime reports were proportional to number of tourists then Bonaire's problems would be overlooked amid the flood of Cozumel crime reports.
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I can't think of one Cozumel crime report other than the one bad police officer, and that was resolved well I think. Some may happen; I just never hear of them, even tho I hang out on that forum much more than this one.
Anyway, sounds like Liz's place will be secure. Hope she serves as a good example to the others.
Anyway, sounds like Liz's place will be secure. Hope she serves as a good example to the others.
Where did you think you read that MORE tourists go to Bonaire? That a higher percentage of Bonaire visitors are divers was stated. But many times it was discussed that the island is quite small, and many other destinations have a great many more tourists, of which divers are often a lot smaller percentage of this tourism.
We have diverged into a whizzing contest, form which nothing constructive can emerge. Let me try again. Maybe I can do a better job my second time?
Bonaire has had a petty crime reputation for number of years. That is a fact. Particularly, break ins of vehicles and stealing of personal items and tools, spare tires etc from the vehicles did happen, and was a source of most crime issues discussed for quite some time within the dive community. That it has been much better for a number of years has also been discussed quite a bit in recent years. Those of us who first visited Bonaire during recent years, with the crime stories in mind, have been pleasantly surprised to discover that there have been very very few problems.
What I know I have been trying to explain here, to those who will take the time to really listen, is that divers are much a high percentage of tourists, and we tend to congregate, mix and match and communicate with other divers a lot more on Bonaire, than elsewhere. This is at least partially due to the unusual roadside dive sites where you naturally spend more time chatting with total strangers at a series of different dive sites throughout the day and week(s) of your vacation. Stories get passed along very quickly form one group to another on Bonaire for this reason. If a break in of a vehicle or room should occur, news of it will spend extremely quickly in such a mobile dive environment. By the next day almost every dive group on the island will have heard rumors of any such incident.
Much more so than where individual resorts and dive groups intermingle much less than they do on Bonaire, and a crime in one spot may not be shared by other divers in nearby resorts or sites. No resort or tourist serving community is going to actively encourage the broadcasting of such news, even if they are aware of problems!
Many of us have come to believe that this open and quick communication, pretty much unique to the Bonaire dive environment, has tended to amplify reports of any real crime out of proportion to the actual problem. We believe that this is at least a part of the reason the reputation seems to have far exceeded the actual problem.
The crime reported here, which first started this thread was a bit of a shocker to recent Bonaire visitors, precisely because it does not fit into the experiences we have had, or learned of from the many divers we meet on the island. Word that this type of crime is now occurring, where it has not been witnessed in recent years is not welcome news. Such a report does indicate the need to be more alert, more aware of situational conditions, such as door and window access, or vehicle contents. But as I have maintained all along, such situational awareness should be in play no matter what destination you are visiting.
Hopefully the individual involved will soon be apprehended and convicted, but in the meantime everyone has quickly become aware of his existence, and the need for increased caution.
No place that we have stayed on the island was without some form of deadbolt or extra lock, including dowels to lock sliders. This is pretty much the same as in any hotel or resort I have been at around the US and Caribbean. We were not always careful to use such precautions on our recent trips to Bonaire, but now will be more alert.
To us Bonaire is a special place, and with the same proper attention to personal safety that one should carry with them at all times, anywhere they are, a great place to visit and dive! If you feel the risk of a crime is a problem, there are plenty of other places one can dive, but no matter where you go you need to use proper precautions to avoid becoming a crime victim.
With this I will close. Arguing among ourselves is serving no purpose. If some one wishes to avoid Bonaire no one should call them wrong for what ever decision they have made, but from my perspective it will be their loss. Dive where you wish, share your experiences with your friends here on SB, and put no one down for their opinions or beliefs. Peace, RH?
That a higher percentage of Bonaire visitors are divers was stated. But many times it was discussed that the island is quite small, and many other destinations have a great many more tourists, of which divers are often a lot smaller percentage of this tourism.We have diverged into a whizzing contest, form which nothing constructive can emerge. Let me try again. Maybe I can do a better job my second time?
Bonaire has had a petty crime reputation for number of years. That is a fact. Particularly, break ins of vehicles and stealing of personal items and tools, spare tires etc from the vehicles did happen, and was a source of most crime issues discussed for quite some time within the dive community. That it has been much better for a number of years has also been discussed quite a bit in recent years. Those of us who first visited Bonaire during recent years, with the crime stories in mind, have been pleasantly surprised to discover that there have been very very few problems.
What I know I have been trying to explain here, to those who will take the time to really listen, is that divers are much a high percentage of tourists, and we tend to congregate, mix and match and communicate with other divers a lot more on Bonaire, than elsewhere. This is at least partially due to the unusual roadside dive sites where you naturally spend more time chatting with total strangers at a series of different dive sites throughout the day and week(s) of your vacation. Stories get passed along very quickly form one group to another on Bonaire for this reason. If a break in of a vehicle or room should occur, news of it will spend extremely quickly in such a mobile dive environment. By the next day almost every dive group on the island will have heard rumors of any such incident.
Much more so than where individual resorts and dive groups intermingle much less than they do on Bonaire, and a crime in one spot may not be shared by other divers in nearby resorts or sites. No resort or tourist serving community is going to actively encourage the broadcasting of such news, even if they are aware of problems!
Many of us have come to believe that this open and quick communication, pretty much unique to the Bonaire dive environment, has tended to amplify reports of any real crime out of proportion to the actual problem. We believe that this is at least a part of the reason the reputation seems to have far exceeded the actual problem.
The crime reported here, which first started this thread was a bit of a shocker to recent Bonaire visitors, precisely because it does not fit into the experiences we have had, or learned of from the many divers we meet on the island. Word that this type of crime is now occurring, where it has not been witnessed in recent years is not welcome news. Such a report does indicate the need to be more alert, more aware of situational conditions, such as door and window access, or vehicle contents. But as I have maintained all along, such situational awareness should be in play no matter what destination you are visiting.
Hopefully the individual involved will soon be apprehended and convicted, but in the meantime everyone has quickly become aware of his existence, and the need for increased caution.
No place that we have stayed on the island was without some form of deadbolt or extra lock, including dowels to lock sliders. This is pretty much the same as in any hotel or resort I have been at around the US and Caribbean. We were not always careful to use such precautions on our recent trips to Bonaire, but now will be more alert.
To us Bonaire is a special place, and with the same proper attention to personal safety that one should carry with them at all times, anywhere they are, a great place to visit and dive! If you feel the risk of a crime is a problem, there are plenty of other places one can dive, but no matter where you go you need to use proper precautions to avoid becoming a crime victim.
With this I will close. Arguing among ourselves is serving no purpose. If some one wishes to avoid Bonaire no one should call them wrong for what ever decision they have made, but from my perspective it will be their loss. Dive where you wish, share your experiences with your friends here on SB, and put no one down for their opinions or beliefs. Peace, RH?
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