Bonaire Dive trip

[TXreefer]

Tons of trucks vandalized??...really...really.... you sure you weren't in one of the large cities in the USA?

Yea I have been two years in a row and haven't seen/hear of anyone get vandalized. Just leave the doors open and windows down. I never even really saw anyone at the sites except tourists/divers unless at windsock where the "beach" is.

 

[vladimir]

The only sad part was that nearly half of the coral reefs are DEAD! Very sad to experience this and I am not sure why most of the coral in Bonaire is dead if the island is protected. What is killing the coral?

I don't know what is killing the coral in Bonaire, but typically when we see large-scale bleaching of coral it is because the water is too warm. Coral and their symbiotic algae, zooxanthellae, have evolved to live in a fairly narrow range of temperature, salinity, and water chemistry in general. When the water temperature exceeds a certain threshold, the algae are expelled. If the temperature returns to below the threshold quickly, the algae will re-inhabit the coral. If the high temperatures are sustained, the coral will slowly starve to death without the nutrients the algae supply.

 

[Ben Prusinski]

I did meet several teams of divers who had their truck windows smashed by thieves. Fortunately, our truck windows were left open and unlocked and we did not suffer this fate. Diving was fun and overall I did enjoy my trip but too much dead coral and crime will keep me from coming back a second time. I was surprised to find more crime here than when I was in the Dominican Republic and locals were not as friendly. I am looking forward to diving Caymans and South Pacific which promise better diving. Good to find out why coral is dying wish there was something to save it. On Bonaire, the soft corals and tube sponges were amazing and a highlight of my dive trip.

 

[wwguy]

I don't know what is killing the coral in Bonaire, but typically when we see large-scale bleaching of coral it is because the water is too warm. Coral and their symbiotic algae, zooxanthellae, have evolved to live in a fairly narrow range of temperature, salinity, and water chemistry in general. When the water temperature exceeds a certain threshold, the algae are expelled. If the temperature returns to below the threshold quickly, the algae will re-inhabit the coral. If the high temperatures are sustained, the coral will slowly starve to death without the nutrients the algae supply.

There's some good information on this topic in the publications page on the STINAPA BMP web site. Specifically, the document Status and Trends of Bonaire’s Reefs: Cause for grave concerns summarizes the current situation pretty well.

 

[herman]

I did meet several teams of divers who had their truck windows smashed by thieves. Fortunately, our truck windows were left open and unlocked and we did not suffer this fate. Diving was fun and overall I did enjoy my trip but too much dead coral and crime will keep me from coming back a second time. I was surprised to find more crime here than when I was in the Dominican Republic and locals were not as friendly. I am looking forward to diving Caymans and South Pacific which promise better diving. Good to find out why coral is dying wish there was something to save it. On Bonaire, the soft corals and tube sponges were amazing and a highlight of my dive trip.

Ahhh, so the story changes, you talked to people who say they had their windows smashed.....more hearsay. I don't mean to come across rude but time after time we have had people come on and bash Bonaire only to find they were recounting hearsay. One guy in particular had been there once, experienced nothing yet he continually ranted about how bad it was, hearing his story you would have though he was mugged at every corner and every truck had the windows smashed out. You speak of crime, exactly what crime did YOU SEE or experience???? Unfriendly people, good grief if there are nicer folks on the planet I would sure love to meet them, I spend half the first day back being hugged and kissed by the locals. Funny how those of us who visit often don't see the crime or the other bad things.....and yes you do look.

 

[wwguy]

Ben, I'm sorry to read that Bonaire didn't meet your expectations. We've been visiting Bonaire regularly for 15 years and are now spending 3 weeks there every winter. We love it, and our experience is certainly different than yours. This may be because our expectations and actions seem to be different than yours.

It's pretty obvious that Bonaire is a small island with few natural resources or economy outside of tourism. Almost everything on the island required to sustain the population arrives by boat or plane from lands far away. This means that everything, including food, is going to be more expensive than back home. It's simple economics.

There's a big cash gap between the European and North American residents who brought their money with them, and those who are struggling to make a living on-island. (The local residents have to pay the high prices for food and fuel too.) This situation is especially hard on native Bonaireans, who have limited opportunities for education and employment.

Property crime is a fact of life on Bonaire, as it is elsewhere in the world. And just like elsewhere, there are certain things you can do to reduce the chances of being a victim of crime. On Bonaire this means don't leave anything of value in an unattended vehicle, and leave your rental truck windows down and doors unlocked at remote dive sites. ALWAYS. This is common knowledge and is communicated to tourists when renting vehicles, for obvious reasons. We've been following this rule for 15 years and have never had a problem.

It's true that the health of Bonaire's reefs has noticeably declined in recent years. Waves generated by Lenny and Omar did a number on the shallow corals in some areas, coral bleaching is occurring all over the world due to warmer water trends, and red algae is increasing. But I disagree with your repeated statement that "half of the reefs at Bonaire are DEAD". Firstly because it's simply not true, and secondly because you only visited a small sample of Bonaire's reefs during your 22 dives. There are more than 85 marked dive sites, and many unnamed sites, in the 6600+ acre marine park. There are still healthy thriving reefs on Bonaire. I've seen them and look forward to diving them again.

I'm not trying to change your mind regarding your experience, but I don't think you're giving this beautiful little island a fair shake in your review. I hope you find what you're looking for wherever you travel to next.

 

[BDSC]

I heard that Cayman has way better diving ............

You heard correct. While I have been to Bonaire a number of times, 8 or 9 I guess, and enjoy the diving, the diving on Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and especially Little Cayman is superior to Bonaire. Of course there is a trade-off by having to be on more of a schedule and you generally don't get in as many dives but you should try all three Cayman sites. You won't be disappointed.

 

[drrich2]

I did meet several teams of divers who had their truck windows smashed by thieves. Fortunately, our truck windows were left open and unlocked and we did not suffer this fate...

And that is the issue. Bonaire is a 'divers' paradise.' Ergo, the population knows divers rent trucks & abandon them for about an hour or so at a time, encumbered with gear, and leave the island within a week, so what are the odds of the victim running you down & prosecuting you?

That said, LEAVE THE TRUCK DOORS DOWN & WINDOWS UNLOCKED!!!!! Thieves investigate your vehicle, find nothing of value and move on. Yes, there are sporadic cases of batteries, spare tires or gas being stolen from vehicles, but most of the time, they just check your truck & move on. If you lock your truck, it suggests there's something in there worth protecting.

You want to talk about skipping a destination due to crime? Do a little checking into Jamaica, mainland Honduras, mainland Mexico and even parts of St. Thomas.

In Bonaire, I and loved ones who travel with me think almost nothing about walking around after dark, whether rural or in the capitol, and that's more than I can say for a lot of places.

Yes, many of us would like sting operations against the thieves, perhaps followed by public flogging, hard labor imprisonment, or what-have-you, to put a stop to the problem instead of letting the victimization go on.

Until that happens, windows down, doors unlocked, low risk, and nowhere on Earth is perfect.

Richard.

P.S.: I reserve the right to scream bloody murder if anybody ever steals my tire, battery or (especially at their prices) gas.

 

[boat sju]

pilot fish reincarnated. Just someone else to add to my "ignore" list.

 

[djtimmy77]

Here in south Florida you can't have anything of value visible in your car or you risk getting a window smashed and the valuables stolen. The local PD even puts big electronic signs on the main roads on occasion reminding you of this. Of course you can't leave your windows down or you risk the inside of your car getting all wet.

Also, I found that in Bonaire the food at the grocery really wasn't expensive at all, if you avoided a few items. (soda or ice cream for example)