Is there a theft risk at Buddy Dive???

[Rick Murchison]

Been to Bonaire eight (I think) times... we've heard about plenty of petty theft there, but never experienced it.
We don't like to "strip down" our gear so that we don't have any valuables topside when diving; we like to picnic at dive sites as well as dive... so... we use a buddy system, where at least one couple is always out of the water with the truck(s) in sight.
In a perfect world there'd be a place where you could go dive and never have to lock anything up or keep an eye on anything, but if it exists I haven't found it yet.
Rick

 

[pilot fish]

Almost every place I have dove there are one or two accounts of them being victims of crime on Bonaire, having to pay for spare tires robbed from their rental vehicles, a break-in at their resort, windows broken on rentals, gear taken from balconey, handyman theft while they were in a different room and the list goes on. Add to that I know friends that have had the same experience, dive buds I have met on trips, members of THIS board that have reported those bad experiences and members of other boards with the same reports, plus dive shops that will not go back there because of the crime, you begin to get the picture, you begin to see a patern.:shocked2: Well some of us do.

You do the math

Assuming that what you wrote above is correct, specifically what I highlighted in RED, what is the basis (where are the numbers coming from) that you used to deduce the statistical probability of what you wrote in BLUE?Again, if what you reported to be true (in RED above) is true, where are you getting these accounts of break in to rental cars that are staggering in volume? This indicates again that you have access to info that is not Public?Again, what is your source for this? Is it one poster on here?Yes, I am one who has been to Bonaire for a total of nine week in less that the past three years. And I'm currently planning another two week trip for March (the reason I am on this forum). In all that time, neither I or anyone in the groups I have traveled with have been subject to a theft or break in. Though I do not claim to be an expert, I do have a bit of knowledge about Bonaire gained through the many trips I've made there. I personally have no money making source on Bonaire, I don't own stuff there, and I will not be adversley affected if anyone know the truth about Bonaire. I have no fiscal interest in Bonaire, although it's a great dive destination. To the contrary; if everyone believes the untruths/lies you purport as truth, without any objective evidence; and quits going to Bonaire, I'll have cheap lodging when I go, no waiting at restaurants, and solitude at the dive sites.We have heard of some, but most are either inside jobs (at large resorts) or because divers refuse to follow the simple advise of leaving the windows down and nothing of value in the truck when diving. This is my educated (by talking to owners/manager of dive shops and resorts). YMMV.

 

[gypsyjim]

That tells me what I need to know. :laughing:

And you will never let a little thing like facts change that

OK, you win. It's a horrid, terribly unsafe place. Please go somewhere else, and leave Bonaire to those who have come to love it. You will not be missed there.

 

[pilot fish]

That is the way to do shore dives, I think, in Bonaire. That's the only safe and sane way to shore dive there. Yes, there is some crime on other islands but none have the rep that Bonaire has, AND IT'S ALWAYS THE SAME CRIMES,YEAR AFTER YEAR Nothing is being done about it:depressed:

Been to Bonaire eight (I think) times... we've heard about plenty of petty theft there, but never experienced it.
We don't like to "strip down" our gear so that we don't have any valuables topside when diving; we like to picnic at dive sites as well as dive... so... we use a buddy system, where at least one couple is always out of the water with the truck(s) in sight.
In a perfect world there'd be a place where you could go dive and never have to lock anything up or keep an eye on anything, but if it exists I haven't found it yet.
Rick

 

[pilot fish]

Facts are what forms my opinion of Bonaire. You can chose to ignore them if you like, but if you do, you might become a victim of crime, SOMETHING I REALLY HOPE NEVER HAPPENS TO YOU.

Safe and happy dives Jim.

And you will never let a little thing like facts change that

OK, you win. It's a horrid, terribly unsafe place. Please go somewhere else, and leave Bonaire to those who have come to love it. You will not be missed there.

 

[gypsyjim]

Safe and happy dives Jim.

Thank you, and wishing you the same. :goingdown:

 

[pilot fish]

pilot fish,

I'd love to see your list of safe places to dive.

Good diving, Craig

Saba, Coz, Grand Turk

 

[pilot fish]

Thank you, and wishing you the same. :goingdown:

Thanks

 

[DiverVince]

Hey PF..Happy MLK day to you.. Coz?? I could tell you crime stories about Coz but really why bother. Suffice it to say, I'd recommend that you just drink the bottled cerveza and not the water, least an unpleasant gastronomic event happens to you there.

I'll be on my favorite island in the Carib. in Feb & March and will make an all out attempt to fend off the hoards of Visigoths and multitude of unsavory characters that you obviously believe inhabit the island and who are trying to rip folks off. It's a tough job, but I must confess I do believe I'm up for the task.

 

[oly5050user]

Been going to Bonaire since 1977.Go at least 1 time a year,sometimes 2 times. So I have been to the island close to 30 times.I never personally had a incident with crime.Yes it can happen. Usually happens to careless people who forget to take care and act like little kids who forget to put their toys away properly.An example is I had a group at Sand Dollar 1 year and a lady lost a bcd.She left it on the dock after a dive,got into drinking a bit, and went back for it 8 hours later.We think other tourists from Europe that had been at the resort and they left that day took it.Not a local stealing it.
Another time at the Plaza a man left his bcd in the backyard on the ground level to dry.It was missing the next day.Who took it? I would think again a tourist as the resort is gated and it is more likely a tourist took it than a local.Believe me,I lived in St Thomas for a while and it was a lot more dangerous there,not just petty crime,but major stuff including assaults and murder.You would not want to walk around Charlotte A at night alone.Same goes for Roatan.On Roatan I have been to Anthony's/Coco view/FIBR and on all resorts you can see heavily armed guards there and it is very unlikely that a tourist would leave the resort unescorted without a guide.At Buddiy dive on Bonaire a tourist left a DSLR camera sytem with 2 strobes sitting in the rinse basin. Value can be up towards $4,500 or more.He then went to the bar for a "few"drinks.He left the island the next day and FORGOT his camera.A local -divemaster-retreived it,being he noticed it sitting there for 2 days , and put it in the dive op managers-Augusto- office.The tourist called the resort a few days later and was told that the gear was safe and that it can be shipped to him.Again it was a local that prevented it from disappearing,not a tourist,who would have likely taken it for themselves.