darook
Contributor
In the resort there is little risk. Don't take anything diving out of the resort that is not going in the water with you. Our friends lost a pair of rx sunglasses out of their truck at a northern site last week.
Is there a theft risk at Buddy Dive???
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Just to keep things in perspective, these were posted on Cozumel web site just this week. The first is a warning of burglaries on coz, and the second a warning about bus travel near Cancun.
No matter where you travel, you need to be careful and aware of the risks, which often are not made public because they might impact tourism.
* Location:Cozumel Island
"Posted Yesterday, 01:51 PM
My Mayan friend Mario, who works for a lot of Americans doing electrical and plumbing so hears a whole lot of stories, corroborates what we already knew -- lot of house break ins per usual at this time of the year. He added that people should take a careful look at the outside walls of their houses to see if there are any kinds of marks added. If you see something, erase it and be extra vigilant for awhile.
They are watching houses and marking them. They are making note of how many people are coming in and out until they know who is actually living there. I've said this before and I'll say it again. If you can't be on the island to watch your home, you should hire someone to go in and out a couple of times every day. And if you live here full time, keep that eye out for markings on your outside walls. "
and
"A forum member posted this information in a different thread but I thought this info shouldn't be buried.
This member had their laptop taken from the overhead bin on a bus travelling between Cancun and Playa. They didn't realize it until they got to Playa. Talking to the bus authorities they were told that there is a gang doing this on a regular basis. Your luggage is insured if its under the bus. If you put it at your feet or in the overhead rack, it is not. So its a good idea to not put anything valuable in the overhead rack.
Typically, the authorities said, the thieves get off the bus in Puerto Morelos. So another way to handle this would be to stand up and watch everything that goes on as the bus slows down and comes into Puerto Morelos, about 40 minutes from Cancun and typically the only stop between Cancun and Playa.
I doubt but do not know that this is happening on the airport to Playa buses as these are 3 x's as expensive to take. On the other hand, that's where the thieves would get the best pickin's now that I think about it -- laptops and purses of travellers with the wherewithal to arrive by plane.
So just watch out! This is something fairly new. And, as I said, thank goodness no hold ups or violence. Just little a-hole sneak thieves."
Just be aware. There is no place at home or abroad, that you can afford to not be a bit cautious, and when traveling we need to even more careful.
No matter where you travel, you need to be careful and aware of the risks, which often are not made public because they might impact tourism.
* Location:Cozumel Island
"Posted Yesterday, 01:51 PM
My Mayan friend Mario, who works for a lot of Americans doing electrical and plumbing so hears a whole lot of stories, corroborates what we already knew -- lot of house break ins per usual at this time of the year. He added that people should take a careful look at the outside walls of their houses to see if there are any kinds of marks added. If you see something, erase it and be extra vigilant for awhile.
They are watching houses and marking them. They are making note of how many people are coming in and out until they know who is actually living there. I've said this before and I'll say it again. If you can't be on the island to watch your home, you should hire someone to go in and out a couple of times every day. And if you live here full time, keep that eye out for markings on your outside walls. "
and
"A forum member posted this information in a different thread but I thought this info shouldn't be buried.
This member had their laptop taken from the overhead bin on a bus travelling between Cancun and Playa. They didn't realize it until they got to Playa. Talking to the bus authorities they were told that there is a gang doing this on a regular basis. Your luggage is insured if its under the bus. If you put it at your feet or in the overhead rack, it is not. So its a good idea to not put anything valuable in the overhead rack.
Typically, the authorities said, the thieves get off the bus in Puerto Morelos. So another way to handle this would be to stand up and watch everything that goes on as the bus slows down and comes into Puerto Morelos, about 40 minutes from Cancun and typically the only stop between Cancun and Playa.
I doubt but do not know that this is happening on the airport to Playa buses as these are 3 x's as expensive to take. On the other hand, that's where the thieves would get the best pickin's now that I think about it -- laptops and purses of travellers with the wherewithal to arrive by plane.
So just watch out! This is something fairly new. And, as I said, thank goodness no hold ups or violence. Just little a-hole sneak thieves."
Just be aware. There is no place at home or abroad, that you can afford to not be a bit cautious, and when traveling we need to even more careful.
jimw
Contributor
I don't know how many of you have walked or driven thru neighborhoods on Bonaire, but if you do; you will see many security devices, walls, gates, bars on windows and doors, barbed wire on top of walls, big dogs, bigger dogs, etc. I've been going to Bonaire for 25 years and stayed at various resorts. They had security guards in 1986 for a reason. Residents have had bars and dogs for a reason. It would be prudent to observe and follow the locals precautions. We are not afraid to go--went last week, noticed the security guards on patrol.
I noticed this 3 weeks ago at both of these dive sites too...
For what it's worth, I accidentally left my camera in a camera tank over night. It was in the camera shop waiting for me the next morning about 14 hours later. And I did it again but only for about an hour and it was still waiting there. I think that for the most part everyone there respects people's property since everyone dives. Note that I didn't leave equipment in the open lockers. I don't see what the problem is simply taking your stuff back to your room...
I'll definitely be going back to Buddy Dive.
I have no way of being sure of this, but as Bonaire is pretty arid most of the year, I think broken glass on the dive site surface there tends to stay around much longer than it would in the dirt locally. I was not certain, but this last summer I could swear that the broken glass this year was the same broken glass, in a similar amount, to what I had seen there the last two or three years, since I first started paying attention.
If there was a lot of this type of break-in occurring I would expect to be seeing a significant increase in the amount of glass shards. Only my observation, but that does not seem to be the case.
I just spotted this thread on lunch today:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ca...h-murders-strikes-grand-caymans-west-bay.html
Dam. I had not heard about this GC crime wave till today. We need to be careful no matter where we are traveling!
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ca...h-murders-strikes-grand-caymans-west-bay.html
Dam. I had not heard about this GC crime wave till today. We need to be careful no matter where we are traveling!
I read all the naysayers below saying: never happened to me; it's the victims fault for having stuff to steal; it never happened x years ago.
From my sad experience, it IS happening now, and it is happening more often.
Bonaire is a third world country. The residents are not well off and not all of them like the idea that their home is taken over by 'wealthy tourists' (ie us poor north americans who save up for years to spend it all in a 1 or 2 week period on their shore line).
We had a group of 9 staying in Bonaire in Aug 2011 and never heard a whisper of trouble until AFTER all our room were ransacked for cash and computers. THEN we started to hear all the stories that the staff and others won't or can't tell you (in our case the rooms were broken into with a crowbar and the 'safe's were popped off the wall and taken along with all our stuff, and some of the passports).
My opinion:
Police are mostly white Dutch speaking and say they know who likely suspects are but cannot catch them quick enough. They have a tough job ahead of them.
They switched to using the US Dollar last Jan 2011 and saw their wages go down in relative value and all prices stay up at high tourist pegged levels.
The hotel/dive operations must keep quiet about the increasing crime levels to keep new customers coming in, but they see it happening all the time.
The target is cash and electronics that can be quickly converted to cash.
Conclusion:
Would I go to Bonaire again? Perhaps, but I would minimize my exposure but only traveling with a toothbrush and a towel so to speak - no camera or computer and minimal cash.
From my sad experience, it IS happening now, and it is happening more often.
Bonaire is a third world country. The residents are not well off and not all of them like the idea that their home is taken over by 'wealthy tourists' (ie us poor north americans who save up for years to spend it all in a 1 or 2 week period on their shore line).
We had a group of 9 staying in Bonaire in Aug 2011 and never heard a whisper of trouble until AFTER all our room were ransacked for cash and computers. THEN we started to hear all the stories that the staff and others won't or can't tell you (in our case the rooms were broken into with a crowbar and the 'safe's were popped off the wall and taken along with all our stuff, and some of the passports).
My opinion:
Police are mostly white Dutch speaking and say they know who likely suspects are but cannot catch them quick enough. They have a tough job ahead of them.
They switched to using the US Dollar last Jan 2011 and saw their wages go down in relative value and all prices stay up at high tourist pegged levels.
The hotel/dive operations must keep quiet about the increasing crime levels to keep new customers coming in, but they see it happening all the time.
The target is cash and electronics that can be quickly converted to cash.
Conclusion:
Would I go to Bonaire again? Perhaps, but I would minimize my exposure but only traveling with a toothbrush and a towel so to speak - no camera or computer and minimal cash.
Mike
Contributor
Bonaire is a country of only 14,000 people. Anybody live in a small town in America of 14,000 people? Does the police force not know who the local trouble makers are? Who's kids of who's parents are always into trouble?
It cant't be too much of a mystery to the police on Bonaire who's doing what. What I've always read is the problem is there is no secret who the criminals are, the problem is everybody is so inter-related that every criminal there is a cousin, nephew or son of some judge or police officer, and arresting young Bilbo is going to get police officer Thomas in trouble when he gets home when Bilbo's sister whos good friends with Thomas's aunt who will bitch at Thomas for arresting young Bilbo.
That and the issue that the police probably just see it as harmless to keep the local criminals happy by preying on a few rich fat American tourists who can more than afford a little inconvenience, and just view it as business as usual, and hell, officer Thomas probably did it when he was growing up anyways.
adurso
Contributor
The stolen items go for personal use, or to a "bazaar" on the wild side. The buyers of stolen items are from off island and generally make the ABC circuit in private vessels picking up merchandise.
The police were local, since 10/10 the Dutch are becoming more involved, but still have greater priorities such as health care.
A couple of locals were telling me about the local problems of drug dependency, incest, and abuse...does not sound like a nice place outside of the tourist areas.
The Dutch have that fun stuff to address, which of course will actually address the petit theft...
The police were local, since 10/10 the Dutch are becoming more involved, but still have greater priorities such as health care.
A couple of locals were telling me about the local problems of drug dependency, incest, and abuse...does not sound like a nice place outside of the tourist areas.
The Dutch have that fun stuff to address, which of course will actually address the petit theft...
timetraveler
Contributor
That's scary :shocked2: Where were you staying? Did you have a ground-floor unit? One near the road or closer to the middle of the resort?
I returned from Bonaire Saturday (Oct 1, 2011) and am happy to report that we had nothing stolen. We had a second floor unit at Buddy dive, next to Captain Don's fence, and dove only southern sites.
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