Crime in Bonaire?

[diversteve]

Thank god there are no places on your list with excellent diving, otherwise I would be bummed! (well Mexico has decent diving I guess).

Maui's not bad either if you stay off the cattleboats.

It would help the Bonaire situation if the cops weren't in on it.

Gotta agree with you there. From what I've read they're indifferent at best. One poster on Bonairetalk even got his laptop back only to find out they'd been using it for a couple days before returning it. Come to think of it, the only cop I saw in a week in Bonaire was the BMP marshall checking our diveboat.

I'm not so much defending Bonaire as wondering why just because it's a tranquil island paradise there's an automatic assumption that there's no crime and that normal precautions taken everywhere else are not applicable there.

For what it's worth - my last post on this thread. I fear we've resurrected something started 2 yrs. ago that should have been left alone - me bad.

Steve

 

[herman]

It's no secret here that I like Bonaire but I have been trying to figure out why it seems that Bonaire is singled out for bad press and Drewpy I think you have got it. It's the only island where tourist actually leave the resorts and cattle boats to mingle with the people. No one would dare venture off on their own in Jamicia or the back streets of many US cities for that matter but most Bonaire visitors go all over the island day and night. I know I do. Diving everywhere else that I am familiar with is done either at the resort or you are shuttled to and from the boat, never getting to know the real island. On Bonaire I try to see how many different sites I can dive in a week, all on my own with no boat or guide. The rest of you can help me out here, do you (or would it be wise) to rent a vehicle in some of the other dive locations -say Roatan or Coz- and drive along, pick just about any spot you want and dive? That is exactly how it is done on Bonaire. Is it possible that Bonaire "looks" crime ridden is because we(they) are compairing apples to pineapples?

I have made 7 trips since 99 and am packing for my 3rd this year, so far I have had no problems. Maybe I have been lucky or maybe things are not as bad as some think.