"Missing" regulator

[herman]

Where were you staying and have you checked back with that resort, they may have it.
Something that just occured to me. Bonaire gets dinged quite often for "crime" problems. Looking at the last few posts, it appears to me the problem may not be the locals but some of our fellow divers instead.

 

[radio flyer]

Sorry to hear about the theft of your equipment. I'm sure it left a bad taste in your mouth and a big hole in your pocket. That really sucks.

I hope, at least, there is some compensation in that the trip was memorable for more than just that incident..

 

[WarEagle]

Something that just occured to me. Bonaire gets dinged quite often for "crime" problems. Looking at the last few posts, it appears to me the problem may not be the locals but some of our fellow divers instead.

In this case, it's the most likely scenario. It was a brand new Apeks reg with a Suunto transmitter, and it was "chosen" from a few other pieces of gear that would also have been easy to walk away with. I guess I should have just walked around with it around my neck, which I'll clearly do next time. I'd be kicking myself much harder if it had been lifted from the bed of a pickup or left out overnight.

During our dive orientation briefing, the dive staff discussed how to behave when shore diving. Essentially, they told us that as long as we didn't leave "valuables" in plain sight in our vehicles, we would be fine. We left T-shirts, sandals, hats, sunglasses, etc., sitting on the seat of our truck, the windows down, and the truck unlocked, and we had no problems at all.

I hope, at least, there is some compensation in that the trip was memorable for more than just that incident..

Without a doubt, it was a great trip. 27 fantastic dives (ok 23 or 24 *fantastic* dives and 3 or 4 *pretty dang good* dives) and a great time with some folks I've been diving with for the last 8 years or so. I wouldn't trade the first 5.5 days of the trip for anything!

I'm working it out with my LDS to replace the reg as close to their cost as possible (obviously with AL's permission considering the other AL threads around the board). I'm hoping our AL rep is going to help me out.

 

[WarEagle]

Where were you staying and have you checked back with that resort, they may have it.

The staff at the shop (this was Divi Flamingo, btw) and I have been in contact back and forth. The morning after it disappeared, one of the guys at the shop was on the phone with a couple of the security guards from the night before checking on it. They posted my "reward notice" on the dive board at the resort, and one of the instructors helped me pass the word to the other dive staff. I can't fault them at all (and am actually planning another trip to go back to Divi).

That said, now that it's been almost two weeks (tomorrow), I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that someone else is enjoying my reg.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Did you have you gear insured? I got signed up for the DAN theft stuff and I am anxious to hear how the actual claim process (if any) actually went. Oh yeah, I shuold mention that I am truly sorry to hear about your gear! I know how bad I have felt, after my own personal experiences, of being the victim of a thief. It can really be frustrating. Your post has reminded me to be more vigilant in the future. THANKS!

Robway

I doubt H2Oinsurance (DAN gear insurance) would cover such a claim because it was left out where everyone had access to it. I believe it would cover theft if you had it secured. I hope I'm wrong. I hate the way insurance companies find little loop-holes to get out of paying claims. I wouldn't be surprised, however, if in an instance like this they rejected the claim on the grounds of "owner carelessness" or some BS like that.

I'm speaking as someone who does currently carry H2Oinsurance on all of my gear. My main reason for carrying it is gear loss by airlines and theft from a locked vehicle or hotel room. It would be great if they also covered such "unsecured theft", but when you read all of the fine print, my guess is they'd find a way out of paying the claim.

 

[bgi]

My wife's SS1 was removed from her BC when we were there about a year ago.

 

[robway034]

I think that you are right about insurance companies using loop-holes to weasel out and keep our money. Either way, I am pretty sure, after reading this thread that I will not be leaving anything unattended in Bonaire...that's if I will ever even go there now!

 

[RJP]

How about homeowner's insurance? Mine (Chubb) covers "mysterious disappearance" of items in or outside our home.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

How about homeowner's insurance? Mine (Chubb) covers "mysterious disappearance" of items in or outside our home.

But what's your deductible? Ours is $500. Most people I think carry a deductible of $500-$1,000. Unless you're talking an Atomic T2, it wouldn't really be worth having the claim on your record. And if you do have a T2, why in God's name are you leaving it lying around?!?!

 

[bgi]

DAN covered my SS1 theft. The Dutch Antilles are known for petty theft by the impoverished local population. If you want your rental car window broken, just leave something worth $10 in the car and lock the doors at the dive site while you dive.