Bonaire Crime - Our experience - Looking for input to share

[Kharon]

Your friend stayed in 'central' area. Where is that exactly? I've been to Bonaire a number of times, and always stay around the airport area on the water. I've have driven all over the island, and for me personally, I don't think I'd stay inland anywhere at all. Not that I feel unsafe, but it seems like it would be alot easier to be picked out as a visitor.

Yeah. I definitely would not stay inland. Especially near or in Rincon. I've never had any problems but I rent apartments in Belnem or at Hamlet Oasis. The other thing is I'm always home evenings. I would love to go back, but right now air fares and travel times are outrageous.

I wonder how much the situation in Venezuela is contributing to the problem.

 

[uncfnp]

I honestly don’t know much about such and I am curious how the passport was used. Would it not have been reported? Identity theft? Used for travel?

 

[KathyV]

I honestly don’t know much about such and I am curious how the passport was used. Would it not have been reported? Identity theft? Used for travel?

I don't know how it works but once my wallet was stolen out of my bag in Cozumel and months later my IDs and cards were found in the trash someplace in Texas. I had replaced things already but it was still nice to get them back. Obviously entry into the US has gotten more difficult since then so maybe it wouldn't be as easy today.

 

[KathyV]

Thanks for your reply. I agree with you that a dedicated dive resort is probably best. I just take it personally when a place based on tourism doesn't seem able to secure its visitors.

I've not been to Cayman. It seems very expensive ... but what is the cost of victimization?

On the plus side, my friend is now an Open Water Diver and really liked the diving.

We love Bonaire, we've never found anyplace else quite like it because of the funky vibe and feeling of diving freedom, and the great diving! We've been there many times and would still be going there - if we weren't getting older and experiencing some medical issues that have made it more difficult and not as much fun.

And I totally agree that you always need to be mindful and cautious and that crime can happen anywhere - but we started going to Bonaire in the mid-1990s and thievery was a problem back then and it's still a problem. It's such a small place and I believe that the authorities could do a much better job of reducing and controlling crime if they really wanted to do so. It's almost like some of the locals view crime against tourists as an entitlement or expectation, and it makes me feel like a bit of a chump for going there and spending money and inviting opportunities for victimization.

We were never robbed on Bonaire, but friends that were diving with us during one trip had a break-in at their rental unit (while we were all out on a night dive) and they lost some jewelry and other valuables, so I know from experience that it is real. It ruined the trip for them and they never returned.

Whenever someone on SB is looking for opportunities to do a lot of good diving cheaply, especially shore diving - I am happy to recommend Bonaire - but I always add a warning about the issue of thievery and the need for caution - because that's just the way it is and no one in authority seems interested in change.

In regards to your comment about dedicated dive resorts. We have found them to be best in locations where we are uncomfortable due to safety concerns - but that may be a false sense of security as demonstrated by the recent reports about the American woman that was assaulted, strangled, beaten, and left for dead, by a guy wearing a hotel uniform on a 5-star resort property in the Dominican Republic - so you have to be alert and careful everywhere.

But dedicated dive resorts may also be a nice choice when there aren't many amenities available in the location (like San Salvador Bahamas or Little Cayman) or when you can find a great package at a nice place with good diving and at a decent price. A great deal on a liveaboard works the same way - you get food, lots of great diving, and accommodations all in one place and at one price - a "turnkey dive trip" as others have said.

That can be very nice, but it is can also be nice to get out and see the country and have the opportunity to explore and try different eateries and meet locals. It all depends on the place and your vacation preferences.

In response to your comment of "I've not been to Cayman. It seems very expensive...but what is the cost of victimization?" It's no secret that I am a fan of all 3 Cayman islands and of Cayman diving, and I would never call it a cheap vacation destination, but we do feel safe there and sometimes you really do get what you pay for.

And if you do some comparison shopping and planning you can have a great diving vacation in Cayman at a reasonable price. The airfares are usually decent and travel is easy, and the rental car prices are cheap - especially if your credit card provides insurance. You don't have to worry about eating the food, drinking the water, or contracting a tropical disease, so that's got to be worth something.

If you travel to Cayman (or anywhere in the Caribbean during the lower seasons) the price may drop dramatically although the risk of rough weather increases - the ABC islands have an advantage in that area.

You just have to weigh the pros and cons of each location and venue and then make the best decision that fits your goals and meets your budget - and safety concerns should be included in the decision-making process. So just don't write Cayman off completely because you think that it may be too expensive.

 

[tarponchik]

I wish more people would run scared from Bonaire. Less people = less crowding and less crappy divers messing up the reef. I honestly love hearing from people who say they’re never going there. More fun for me.

Most of the crowding comes from cruise ship day trippers now, not from the dive resorts.

 

[bobfmdc]

Hi guys. In fact, a colleague of mine was just robbed via a break-in at her AirB&B. Her security measures were beyond reproach. I will also not visit Bonaire. I'd rather go all the way to Thailand again. The islands there have crime, but it's mostly avoidable. I write from experience.

Thanks for the report, Garibaldi. Eight of us are scheduled for a 9 day diving vacation in July (2019). Last night (6/6/19) I discovered a local bi-weekly newsletter that is useful for a number of reasons:local news, what's happening, supermarket recommendations and---a crime report. The latter is not detailed, but it does show general locations of break ins that they occur on average at least once a week. Unfortunately, the new editor just started putting it in the newsletter a few months ago. See The Bonaire Reporter bi-weekly news in English and pay attention to the back issues. Equally unfortunately, I found it too late. Our group of 8 reserved two condos in Belnem, where I saw that 3 of the last 6 break ins have been reported.

We have not been to Bonaire in 10 years, at which time thefts out of vehicles were the main problem. Since then, people have become aware that you don't leave anything in vehicles, and the thieves moved to tourist residence break ins. We had what could have been a major incident in our previous visit. After diving Karpata in the north, we drove to Rincon inland for lunch and realized we were being followed by a car full of young men. We stopped in Rincon to eat in a small shop, parking our two trucks across the street in a vacant lot. Ten minutes later, we noticed by chance that two cars with 7 or 8 males had pulled into the lot right next to our trucks, obviously with the intent to grab our dive gear. When our four males walked out, and got in the back of our trucks, the other guys' interest waned and they left. Returning to the restaurant, we asked the owner if she new the locals. She said she knew them well and they were "nice boys." So much for that--their intentions were clear--but I wonder what would have happened if it had been just me and my wife.

I tell this story for a double purpose--first, be careful about going out into areas where you are alone. Second, the locals, and I am assuming that includes the police, know who the thieves are, but they don't do anything to solve the problem. I would not have gone back to Bonaire because of this crime problem but for the pressure of some in my dive group who have not been there. Frankly, I don't think the risk of losing passports, credit cards, and several thousand dollars worth of dive gear is offset by the convenience and cost of Bonaire's shore diving.

 

[bobfmdc]

Hot off the today's Bonaire Reporter ....Believe what you want, but the police are reporting data for the first half of the year and "Theft from cars at dive sites has dropped by 84%."

Glad to see they are slowing down. This from the latest issue of the Bonaire Reporter (May 13-27, 2019):

Bonaire Police Report for May 3- May 8:
Dive site thefts. In recent days, thefts have been committed from cars parked at dive
sites. The police ask you not to leave any valuables in the car when you go swimming,
snorkeling or diving.
Three houses were burgled. Valuables and cash were taken from houses on Kaya Leo
and Kaya Proud during evening break-ins. Sunday morning a Punt Vierkant house was
broken into.

 

[scubadada]

I have been reading these Bonaire threads since soon after joining SB in 2004. My wife and I visited Bonaire in 2004, 5, and 8 and stayed at Sand Dollar. After a hiatus, we have visited in 2017, 18, and 19 and moved over to Den Laman. I may be wrong, but I think that our risk of a break in at Den Laman is very low. We have been lucky and have never had a problem associated with our rental truck.

I wonder what proportion of the break ins have occurred at individual homes versus condos or resorts. The risk would seem greater if the opportunity to break in, unobserved or heard, is greater.

 

[boat sju]

one suggestion, like it or not: leave your jewelry at home.

 

[KathyV]

one suggestion, like it or not: leave your jewelry at home.

Good advice, no matter where you travel. I usually carry some (nice) costume jewelry with me so that it won't be a great loss if I am robbed. I always carry jewelry with me on the plane - even the costume stuff - because I think it is a temptation.