Do you have a dive sticker on your car?

[CHUD]

I have two in the rear window of my beat-to-crap '85 Land Cruiser. It's so beat up that even if the stickers were an invitation to thieves -- and I don't believe they are -- they'd still probably pass me up.

 

[Rickg]

Nope - after living on Guam and in Hawaii came to the conclusion that having dive stickers on my car was like having a big sign that says break into my car. My concern wasn't so much that my gear would be stolen (because I rarely left if unattended) but that my car would get broken into even when it was empty by some fools looking to steal my gear.

FYI, if you live on Oahu and ever have your dive gear stolen the best place to find it is at the Stadium swap meet.

Rickg

 

[opiniongirl]

No way.


May as well offer to certify the thieves too where I live..

 

[RonDawg]

Perhaps it may be a regional thing, but from my experience a dive flag sticker isn't going to necessarily make your car more susceptible to thieves:

1. Most people have no idea what it is. As already posted here, look how many boaters don't even know what it is, even though they're supposed to.

2. What's the most likely place a car is going to have dive gear in it? Well at or near the dive site of course! If I were a scuba gear thief, I'd go to where the scuba divers hang out. If I see a car with a dive sticker at the mall, chances of it actually having dive gear in it are next to nil. At certain places, it's ONLY scuba divers that go there, so it won't matter that your car has a dive sticker or not; your mere presence already announces what you are doing there and what you likely have in your car.

3. At more crowded locations, chances are a thief has already scoped you and your car out before breaking into it. He (almost all are males) has seen you get your gear out (or put it back in) and has already done a bit of "window shopping."

 

[PhotoTJ]

No dive sticker, but I do have a very cool spiney lobster sticker on my tailgate. Never seen another, and divers are always asking me where they can get one. I bought mine at a show booth, and it was the only one the guy had.

 

[texdiveguy]

2

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I haven't ever had anyone steal my gear ... but I have a friend who had a really bad day.

He was gearing up and realized his dive computer was missing. Thinking he had just misplaced it, he went around the dive site area asking other divers if they had seen it. When he came back to his vehicle, his drysuit was also gone ... :11:

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Derek S]

That's interesting - many worry about the stickers advertising expensive gear for boosting. From prior posts, it now seems that thieves know what the symbol means, but boaters don't. That's odd, isn't it?

Well put ScoobyDave! As a friend said yesterday, "Boaters seem to think it's a slalom device, not a dive flag!"

That being said, I have 4 stickers on my car:

In the front window above R-view mirror
In the back window top-center
One in each of the rear quarter windows

I'm really not worried, as my gear generally isn't in the trunk unless I am transporting it to/from the dive site. While I don't live inner-city, my house isn't exactly in the best of neighborhoods, but I wouldn't fear for my stuff.

My beautiful Mustangs were never broken into or stolen, and those quite frankly, were much more desirable to potential thieves, and worth a hell of a lot more as well. Just what I had in the engine alone on my most recent steed was worth nearly 10 times what I've spent on dive gear.

I've had friends who have had their cars broken into for something as little as 50 cents or a pack of cigarettes/lighter. IMHO, when it is "your time", it is going to happen regardless if you have a dive sticker on your car or not. I prefer to have dive stickers on my car because it can potentially lead to meeting another dive buddy and hey, who knows, I may just inspire someone else to go get their cert.

 

[Derek S]

Yes, I have several dive stickers on my truck. I don't worry about someone breaking in to steal my dive stuff. After all, back in my Deadhead days I always drove around in a vehicle covered with Grateful Dead stickers ... and nobody ever tried to break in and steal my bong ... ut:

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

:laugh:

 

[FreeFloat]

Pair of normal (cartoon) sharks just aft of the door frams on my truck, and bothe the Alfa and Diver down flag stickers on my chrome bumper.

Plus I fly the Diver down flag from my antenna (4"x6" miniature)

I used to have a miniature Alfa flag on the antenna but it got stolen. Or maybe came off by itself. Whatever. I make the little things (I'm handy) so it doesn't bother me.

Anyone breaking into my truck for equipment is going to be solely disappointed. I mostly freedive anyway, and my fins, mask and weight belt are either on me or within arms' reach. Sometimes I leave the $20 guest fins in the back. If someone wants them THAT badly..........

Actually, I have a lot more stickers now since I made this (above) post.

- mini DAN stickers on the windshield and side windows
- "I'd rather be diving"
- "Eat, sleep, dive"
- "My husband said if he'd leave me I went diving one more time.... I'm sure gonna miss him"
- "A Bad day diving is better than a good day at work"
- "Work is for people who don't dive"

As well as several dive shops and organizations:
- Northern Tech Diver
- Preserve Our Wrecks (Kingston)
- Dive Source Whitby
- Kanata Dive Supply

and in the "bullpen" I have a nicer version of "I'd rather be diving" and Dive Source (updated) waiting to be applied to the truck.

The reason I have so many is that before I got the capper (hard shell) I had them applied all over the back corners of the cab window - then I put the capper on and just had to decorate it as well...

I still have the Alfa and Dive flag stickers on my rear bumper