Be careful in Bonaire (Burglaries)

[Mossman]

It might be a shock to some of you but this thread is about Crime on Bonaire , not about Roatan. It's obvious you are trying to change the focus from Bonaire to Roatan, Bad try. It is truly astounding to see the lengths some posters will go to keep the Bonaire crime problem hidden in the dark.

Again I'll ask. Show me one post on any diver forum that shows a violent crime against a diver on Roatan. While your at it, show me all the reports of thefts from the resorts on Roatan. While your at it, show me all the reports of theft from vehicles on Roatan. While you are at it, show me all the breakins at resorts on Roatan on sleeping divers.

If Roatan is so safe, why all the armed guards at "safe" places like Cocoview? Surely they couldn't be worried about the locals, since no local would dare commit a crime of any sort against a tourist there. Are the armed guards only there to prevent divers from committing crimes against other divers, or are all the guns just for show?

 

[dmoore19]

Not sure what crime stats for Roatan have to do with this thread but then, at least the stats are available and people can access it.

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

Not sure what crime stats for Roatan have to do with this thread but then, at least the stats are available and people can access it.

If you look back a few posts you will see where someone went to great lengths to state how much safer Roatan is than Bonaire...

Before that escalates, the information is now posted from the US government concerning what tourists should worry about in both locations. The posts you should seek for the answer of why these are posted are less than 10 posts back.

 

[Cave Diver]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

I started a thread with the crime prevention tips from the Bonaire threads in one place

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http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ge...protecting-yourself-crime-when-traveling.html

 

[Papa_Bear]

It seems to me the one who is really ruining vacations is the ONE unknowing fanatical obsessive poster who is hell bent on keeping people from enjoying one of the best dive locations in the Caribbean! He has caused more angst for travelers than all the petty theft on the island! Is crime a problem, yes everywhere! Are they some how condoned by the local authorities, there is NO proof of that being the case! Are crimes solved or prevented on Bonaire less than any other Caribbean island? I don't think so, but if anyone has real evidence please share it! I have been traveling the Caribbean for 20 years and would have never thought this island was any different than the next as far as petty theft and a lot safe when it comes to violent crime! There are places I would never go out at night and feel safe! I could name islands, cities, and countries that I feel a lot less safe then Bonaire!

 

[DandyDon]

Bonaire has a population of under 15000. Roatan has a population of 65000. Roatan has far more visitors than Bonaire. Roatan appears to have crime problems and no one denied that. They publish the stats so we know what we are dealing with. Show me the same stats for Bonaire. Oh, that's right we don't have any. How many murders on Bonaire. Oh that's right, we don't know that either. Look, I think there is probably more crime on Roatan than Bonaire but I don't know that. I also know that the violent crime on Roatan is always about property rights or people going places they don't belong.

Yeah, I've been to Roatan a couple of times, the third will be next week, and I would not call it a safe place in general - Coxen Hole should be avoided in daylight IMO, but it is a different type of destination. Comparisons are not easy...

Again I'll ask. Show me one post on any diver forum that shows a violent crime against a diver on Roatan. While your at it, show me all the reports of thefts from the resorts on Roatan. While your at it, show me all the reports of theft from vehicles on Roatan. While you are at it, show me all the breakins at resorts on Roatan on sleeping divers.

That is the safer part. It may well not be a place that I'd like to roam and explore, but I do the Jamaica Shuffle: off the plane, to the parking lot, on the resort bus, to the resort - safe! I'll leave my laptop and cell phone which I use as an alarm clock out when I leave the room, rather than having to lock them in a safe even when sleeping.

The only CALA destinations I would call safe really are Cozumel and some nearby locations - Cancun maybe, altho I am not sure as I avoid that trap other than when I see my dentist. Coz did have a quadruple murder last year but that was a very rare exception when a hit man apparently tracked drug cartel members from the bad areas in Mexico. The main difference on Coz and the coastal resort areas is that the Mexican government will do whatever it takes to make sure visitors feel safe. A lady recently posted on the Coz forum about the safety of a female traveling alone there and while I offered some cautions, they were mostly to make her feel better - and others there thot I went too far as the problems don't happen to tourists there.

Seeing armed soldiers at airports in mainland Europe was new to me in the late 80s and more recently at the Roatan airport and Cancun hotels, but they do certainly discourage open and blatant crimes.

If Roatan is so safe, why all the armed guards at "safe" places like Cocoview? Surely they couldn't be worried about the locals, since no local would dare commit a crime of any sort against a tourist there. Are the armed guards only there to prevent divers from committing crimes against other divers, or are all the guns just for show?

I think they are there, like the armed soldiers, to make sure that tourists are protected and feel so - unlike Bonaire which seems to do very, very little more than prevent local news sources from publishing about the crimes.

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

I started a thread with the crime prevention tips from the Bonaire threads in one place

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http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ge...protecting-yourself-crime-when-traveling.html

Very good summary.

 

[DiverVince]

Looks like one side is certainly not going to convince the other side here. This site kinda reminds me of the sophomoric animosity between two high school football teams. In reality from what I've read of 35 pages of this stuff, it's turned into a real spitting contest (or pissing contest as one poster characterized it).

So if divers want to spend their $$ on Roatan or Coz, hey enjoy. We know who you are and your opinions. It's your money & you certainly have the right to spend it where you wish. For me, I've been to both Roatan & Coz and rest assured there is NO WAY I would ever return to those places for a variety of personal experiences I've had there (I see no need to elaborate, nor will I).

Why the mods are permitting this "slow motion train wreck" to continue after 35 pages is baffling to me. The vitriol between the "us v them" with each side cheer leading their own appears to be getting worse, and does leave a bad taste in my mouth so to speak. Unfortunately I don't see this as a thread about "be careful in Bonaire". In actuality it's degenerated into something repulsive. But hey, that's just my opinion. There are others here who obviously just relish it.

 

[clafrieda]

Why the mods are permitting this "slow motion train wreck" to continue after 35 pages is baffling to me. The vitriol between the "us v them" with each side cheer leading their own appears to be getting worse, and does leave a bad taste in my mouth so to speak. Unfortunately I don't see this as a thread about "be careful in Bonaire". In actuality it's degenerated into something repulsive. But hey, that's just my opinion. There are others here who obviously just relish it.

There is some good advice and information buried in here. However, it does get harder to find with the "Island Wars" going on. I'm not opposed to shutting it down. If anyone has more information pertaining to the recent string of burglaries, please message me. We are going to have to work together to make sure the local authorities don't drop the ball on this one.

 

[pilot fish]

DV, it does not take a scholar to realize your true motives in this thread: keep a constant supply of divers heading to Bonaire to rent your condos. Since you bought these condos, the economy has hit a real bad down turn, add to that, the ongoing crime epidemic on Bonaire and that makes you very nervous that some condos might not rent. What galls me is the suggeston that, A- crime happens all over the world so just relax and ignore it on Bonaire. B, use common sense and you will be alright [ explain break-ins?] C - it is mainly the victims fault.

So, what is your answer? Shut the thread down to further hide the real problems on Bonaire. That, my friend, is a disservice to the dive community and the safety of divers. DV, be part of the cure, if you really love Bonaire. DEMAND THINGS IMPROVE.

Looks like one side is certainly not going to convince the other side here. This site kinda reminds me of the sophomoric animosity between two high school football teams. In reality from what I've read of 35 pages of this stuff, it's turned into a real spitting contest (or pissing contest as one poster characterized it).

So if divers want to spend their $$ on Roatan or Coz, hey enjoy. We know who you are and your opinions. It's your money & you certainly have the right to spend it where you wish. For me, I've been to both Roatan & Coz and rest assured there is NO WAY I would ever return to those places for a variety of personal experiences I've had there (I see no need to elaborate, nor will I).

Why the mods are permitting this "slow motion train wreck" to continue after 35 pages is baffling to me. The vitriol between the "us v them" with each side cheer leading their own appears to be getting worse, and does leave a bad taste in my mouth so to speak. Unfortunately I don't see this as a thread about "be careful in Bonaire". In actuality it's degenerated into something repulsive. But hey, that's just my opinion. There are others here who obviously just relish it.

 

[pilot fish]

The problem with closing this thread and cutting off the vital, honest flow of info on the onging crime epidemc on Bonaire is, then all you have are posters like: DV, PB, SS, CT, et al, painting a rosy, unrealistic picture of how Bonaire is a sleepy little island Paradise, not the crime ridden places it has become. Some people are only interested in renting their condo, leading their dive trips there, than they are about the safety and security of other divers. Divers need to have BOTH sides.

There is some good advice and information buried in here. However, it does get harder to find with the "Island Wars" going on. I'm not opposed to shutting it down. If anyone has more information pertaining to the recent string of burglaries, please message me. We are going to have to work together to make sure the local authorities don't drop the ball on this one.