I've done that 16 days in a row on my trip.
Bad Ending to Otherwise Good Bonaire Trip
- Thread starter Karelmakov
- Start date
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I've done that 16 days in a row on my trip.
A ScubaBoard Staff Message...
Folks, the topic of theft in Bonaire has been beaten to death in here recently. You have all had more than adequate opportunities to voice your opinions on the matter and it has now degenerated into name calling, insults, debates over who said what, finger pointing, POV wars and insults.
It needs to stop and it needs to stop right now.
In order to assist you with your self control in posting the staff will now begin issuing forum bans from the ABC Islands forum for ANY more name calling, trolling, insults, finger pointing, etc. The bans will be for 5 days for the first offense and increase for additional offenses. Attempts to circumvent the bans by having others post for you or starting the topic up in another forum here may result in bans from Scubaboard.
From the TOS-
The existing threads will be left for now, do not start new threads to address prior thefts (or lack of thefts). If something new develops that would be acceptable. Derailing other threads with this topic is also unacceptable.
Please consider this a cease fire order.
Thanks Sask! Perspective is important in these discussions!
By the way, where you staying the last week of June? There are going to be quite a few of us from various sub groups of SB on Bonaire that same week: Den Lamen and The Plaza (2 groups), plus a few others that have spoken up!
I took my 2 kids to Bonaire when they were 10 and 14, and they keep returning (When their dad can afford to take all 4 of us! Nice dad. Or sucker Dad, not sure which!
) If this is the first time for you and your young divers you are in for a real treat.MooseJaw huh? Don't remember seeing a lot of dive opportunities when I passed threw there, riding the freights as a youngster.
Sand Dollar uses the dive facilities at Den Lamen, I believe.
Keep an eye out when you are there for a diver with bright yellow two hose regulator, and diving Nitrox. He isd good friend and his name is Herman, he and his friend Deputy Dan introduced me to Bonaire a few years ago. He is part of the group staying at Den Lamen the last week of June. Maybe we can all hook up for a dive or two.
Wish now I was bringing my two this June as they are now almost 17, and 21. They always love it when there are other divers their age too, even though they fit right in with adult diver groups.
Keep an eye out when you are there for a diver with bright yellow two hose regulator, and diving Nitrox. He isd good friend and his name is Herman, he and his friend Deputy Dan introduced me to Bonaire a few years ago. He is part of the group staying at Den Lamen the last week of June. Maybe we can all hook up for a dive or two.
Wish now I was bringing my two this June as they are now almost 17, and 21. They always love it when there are other divers their age too, even though they fit right in with adult diver groups.
A ScubaBoard Staff Message...
Thanks.
Sorry Doc. It was just that even in discussing a crime on Bonaire, it is hard to avoid getting into a conversation with a fellow SB, when I notice that they will be in the same local as I will be. It is possible even in a thread such as this one to make new SB friends.
It is threw all the various threads about a destination like Bonaire, that you can do reasearch, learn, and make friends. It would be a shame to close the thread, because the subject does need to be discussed, and available to readers, looking to learn what they can about the destination, and the various views on the subject.
It is threw all the various threads about a destination like Bonaire, that you can do reasearch, learn, and make friends. It would be a shame to close the thread, because the subject does need to be discussed, and available to readers, looking to learn what they can about the destination, and the various views on the subject.
pj5
Contributor
No problem with theft or room invasion during my trip to Bonaire in 2006. I was in a third floor room and would probably been low on the list of target anyways (pain to get up to, too far to jump down from easily). Someone I know had his room in Bonaire robbed a year or two later, but I suspect this person would have reserved a first floor room. When I go back again, I'll be sure to ask for a third floor room to ensure that breaking into my room requires some extra effort. ;^P
I think this is probably my first SB post, although I browse the site constantly. Let me say that I did not read this entire thread (I don't have an extra 3 days to do that) but I do have an experience to relate that I haven't seen referred to anywhere in the thread.
I've only been to Bonaire once but loved it and intend to go back. I had heard all the stories about crime and being cautious. We were traveling with people who had been frequent visitors to the island, so it wasn't so much of a concern for us as it might have been for the first-timer.
I do have a point: everything I/we heard about crime on Bonaire pre-trip usually came back to "well, the island has a poverty problem etc. etc." - and every story put the blame for the crime issue squarely on people who live there. As we were coming back from a snorkeling jaunt at Red Slave (on one of the days I couldn't dive) I happened to notice a truck pull up next to ours. Since our vehicle was the only other one there it wasn't difficult to track what happened.
Two people got out, both geared up to get in the water. One guy started putting his tanks on, but the other very deliberately looked in, walked around and tried to get into our truck. I watched it all happen. By this time we were fairly close to the shore, and there was a real look of surprise when he looked out to sea and saw us approaching. They quickly got into the water and started their dive - I know they wanted to get away from an uncomfortable situation before we could get out of the water.
End to my point: while I obviously have no way of knowing where they were from, my feeling is that they were tourist divers, just like the rest of us. Curious that most of us never stop to think that there are likely divers, who, knowing that Bonaire has a 'rep', will take advantage of that 'rep' and of fellow divers.
Just sayin...
I've only been to Bonaire once but loved it and intend to go back. I had heard all the stories about crime and being cautious. We were traveling with people who had been frequent visitors to the island, so it wasn't so much of a concern for us as it might have been for the first-timer.
I do have a point: everything I/we heard about crime on Bonaire pre-trip usually came back to "well, the island has a poverty problem etc. etc." - and every story put the blame for the crime issue squarely on people who live there. As we were coming back from a snorkeling jaunt at Red Slave (on one of the days I couldn't dive) I happened to notice a truck pull up next to ours. Since our vehicle was the only other one there it wasn't difficult to track what happened.
Two people got out, both geared up to get in the water. One guy started putting his tanks on, but the other very deliberately looked in, walked around and tried to get into our truck. I watched it all happen. By this time we were fairly close to the shore, and there was a real look of surprise when he looked out to sea and saw us approaching. They quickly got into the water and started their dive - I know they wanted to get away from an uncomfortable situation before we could get out of the water.
End to my point: while I obviously have no way of knowing where they were from, my feeling is that they were tourist divers, just like the rest of us. Curious that most of us never stop to think that there are likely divers, who, knowing that Bonaire has a 'rep', will take advantage of that 'rep' and of fellow divers.
Just sayin...
DiveMaven
Contributor
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