Bonaire: any tips on dive gear security?

[T.C.]

Hey, I like that steel bag. Nifty.

Honestly, though, I doubt you'd have a problem. If you're really concerned, wrap it in a towel, cover it with your husband's dirty underwear (does he have "racing stripes"? EVEN BETTER!) and place it in the bottom of the dirty laundry. Leave $20 out. A thief would enter, grab the money, root around and leave. Few will take the time to go through the dirty laundry.

My favorite hiding place that I ever saw (Thanks to two Iraqi insurgent safe houses for both ideas) was to get a big roll of duct tape and tape the camera to the underside of the cabinet holding the sink. I found an RPG and a pair of AK's up there once. It was pretty clever; I was the fourth person to search the room.

If it's that big of a deal; speak with the management now, and when you arrive. Most likely, they'll have a safe at the office you can use. Stash it in there, get a receipt, and take the batteries and card to your room to charge and download. Pick it up in the morning before your dive.

 

[divemoreworkless]

Hi UnderH20Girl!

Just a quick note to say that I hope your first trip to Bonaire is spectacular and that you thoroughly enjoy your diving in this special place. You've been given great advice in this thread about security and theft in Bonaire, and having been to Bonaire almost a dozen times myself now through the years, my husband and I have unfortunately been victims of minor theft in Bonaire, although nothing of true value was lost as we know well from our experience in diving various locations worldwide, remote or not, that one needs to simply be informed, alert and prepared. Not fearful.

I wrote about being Vandalized While Night Diving, along with Five Strategies to Discourage Theft While Shore Diving on my blog recently. My husband is a professional photographer so we travel with quite a bit of expensive camera gear and other electronics on our dive trips. And we've never had our accommodations broken into (in Bonaire) as we usually stay in B&Bs or condos with on-site owners/managers, and of course all valuable gear - diving or otherwise - is insured when we travel.

Hope this helps, and we look forward to hearing about your first dive trip to Bonaire.

Safe travels!

 

[T.C.]

divemoreworkless; I really enjoyed your blog. It gave me a few ideas for cutting down my weight; though, because I pack all my reference books and flash batteries, it may not matter.

I will say this; I DO carry my gear on my back. I have a large padded duffle the Army gave me that holds most all my gear. 50 pounds isn't really that much.

 

[JahJahwarrior]

I left my housing and camera out at Plaza Resort on the living room table ground floor all week with Scubaboard Invasion, no issues at all.

Biggest problem? The car!! Not theft though, me losing the key! Once inside my wetsuit, and once the wind blew the door shut with the key inside.





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[wwguy]

???

I left my car keys in my car last night and nobody stole it. That doesn't mean it was a smart idea, that nobody would steal it, or that I should brag about it in an Internet forum about how to keep my car secure.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming...

 

[QuincyScuba]

I am on Bonaire now and today marks the first day of my 13th week on Bonaire. We usually come down for a week or so going back to 2007. Up to this point no issues with crime. I feel safe on Bonaire. Woke up this morning to find some one had entered the house we are renting last night while we were sleeping. They took 2 cell phones and a laptop. Oh and a backpack to carry it off in. The neighbor to the south was also had his house entered last night. They took his large flat screen television, his house keys and car keys. My advice is be careful in placing valuables in plain sight by windows or doors. People are watching and if you leave something out it may go missing. We are staying in Punt Vierkant, booked through VRBO. The neighbor to the north lives here full time and he stated our house has been broken into at least 25 times. We are located right on the water and have left dive gear out on several occasions with no problems, but the computer sitting next to the sliding door must have been to tempting to the thieves. Many other valuables (GoPro camera, dive gear, dive lights) were not taken. One thing was new this year is the rental truck has a security system that you need to enter a code to get the truck to start.

 

[wwguy]

Thanks for sharing your story QuincyScuba. Here's another recent story of break-in and theft from a VRBO rental in Punt Vierkant. I wonder if this was the same property you're staying at? It looks like these folks were prohibited by VRBO from including mention of the theft in their trip review on the VRBO website. If you have a similar experience with VRBO you might consider naming the property here and elsewhere. Others might want to avoid it until additional security measures are put in place by the owners.

 

[divesergeant]

My favorite hiding place that I ever saw (Thanks to two Iraqi insurgent safe houses for both ideas) was to get a big roll of duct tape and tape the camera to the underside of the cabinet holding the sink. I found an RPG and a pair of AK's up there once. It was pretty clever; I was the fourth person to search the room.

I love that. While diving, I hide stuff in our rental truck in places where I have found stashes of heroin and weed on traffic stops. Ya gotta appreciate the bad guys when they inadvertently give you some good security tips!

 

[bgi]

Don't believe staff when they tell you that you can leave your gear in an unsupervised unlocked locker room. Someone lifted my atomic SS1 a few years back. Not sure who they could sell it to without the adapters.

 

[Scotttyd]

It's certainly not "mostly hype," but is crime on Bonaire worse than elsewhere in the Caribbean (or similarly less-developed places elsewhere in the world)? I have to believe that laptops, iPads, cash, and what-not are regularly stolen from travelers' accommodations all over the world. wwguy's advice about avoiding accommodations where nobody (security guard, owner, etc.) is on-site, ground-floor apartments, etc., is good advice anywhere travelers find themselves. Even reading the police blotter, Bonaire seems fairly safe to me.

Like has been said many times - crime happens everywhere - but to compare it to other places in the Caribbean? probably much safer than those places - I have been to Barbados - never felt scared - even though did witness a police beat down, Curacao - I would say Bonaire is safer - and that is from somebody that lived there for 4 years, DR, Jamaica - well , we all know how Bonaire compares, nassau? - Bonaire safer. Going to Anguilla - probably a fair close comparison.

Use common sense, stay at one of the resort places - and a high likely hood of not having issues. I am one of those that have traveled with Herman - soon to be trip number 5 - and I feel safer there than I do walking in Downtown Raleigh, NC.

PS - Don't ask Pilot Fish - he may tell you something else (has that guy been around lately?)