drrich2
Contributor
Some varied thoughts from reading over the thread.
1.) The prospect of someone breaking into one's room is frightening. I don't see any disagreement with that. It applies everywhere, including at home. It would be interesting to know how frequent this is in Bonaire, since it can occur anywhere one stays, and relative and absolute risk is needed to make a judgment call about how big an issue this is.
2.) The prospect of a truck being vandalized in a way that disables it (e.g.: gas siphoned, battery stolen), leaving the diver stranded, likely at a remote site, is alarming and very bad news. It's my understanding this is rare, but again, 'How Rare Is It?' is the big question.
3.) As for local petty thieves routinely inspecting trucks for personal items, this is a well-known and at least 'not uncommon enough' problem to warrant establishing a dive work flow where you don't leave valuables in the truck while you're off diving. Many of us don't find this to be a major challenge.
Yes, it's still morally wrong for someone to steal your stuff, even if you left an obvious valuable out in plain sight in defiance of customary caution.
No, in a perfect world, you shouldn't have to worry about someone stealing your stuff. I should be able to nail a $100 bill to a tree by the side-walk on a busy street for a week and nobody steals it, but I don't do that. Similarly, I try not to leave valuables in rental trucks at dive sites in Bonaire.
Some people seem determined that they will, or strongly want to, 'take more' in the truck and leave it in at dive sites while diving (e.g.: digital camera for land shots, coverup since some people want to go into town & are disagreeable to doing so in their swim wear or wet suit for whatever reason, cooler of food/drink, towels, etc...). In Bonaire, this is not a wise thing to do. You can fuss, cuss, scream your rage from the roof tops or whatever vents your spleen, but it is what it is. It's not right, but it is reality. This seems to really bother some people and hardly faze others.
4.) I don't want locals hitting me up to guard my truck during dives. I would suspect I was being threatened with a protection racket. And for some of us who aren't 'people people,' the prospect of trying to hire some old local, carry him along, feed him and basically have to deal and interact with him over the days would be very off-putting.
5.) I've historically liked the idea of sting operations to catch thieves with decoy trucks. On the other hand, a big increase in police presence would create more public ill will and concern about crime, not less. Here's how I think that would work.
-----1.) You start up your sting operation. Some thieves get nailed, something dreadful (er, 'deterring') is done to them, the rate of truck pilfering drops significantly...but not completely.
-----2.) If everyone would continue as they have been, this would be good news. Problem is, they won't.
-----3.) Some (thankfully not all) of those people I mentioned earlier, who seem bent on taking personal valuables & leaving them in the rental trucks during dives, would perceive less risk and start doing so.
-----4.) Some them would get such items stolen. This could add more cases of theft of items, cases that would not have happened if people had followed recommendations & not left valuables in the truck during dives.
-----5.) Here & elsewhere, they post about how their $400 digital camera and so on & so on got stolen out of a truck shore diving Bonaire, and why isn't there more of a police presence, and so on.
6.) I don't see the need for the government to have the shattered glass at a few sites cleaned up. I like how it reminds people that they ought to leave their doors unlocked and windows down, like they were told.
In summary, when you shore dive in Bonaire, excepting a cheap left-over soda bottle filled with water, a couple of old rags or cheap flip flops/sun glasses you can live without, don't leave your stuff in the truck and odds are quite strong you will be fine.
In the hopefully rare event someone steals your battery or tires, stranding you somewhere, I can understanding wishing police would hunt him down and strap him to a flogging post. And if someone breaks into your room, I hope you've got a nice bludgeon of some sort and drop him before he does any harm. Both instances entail evil acts I think all of us would want to see stopped. But that's everywhere, not just Bonaire.
Richard.
1.) The prospect of someone breaking into one's room is frightening. I don't see any disagreement with that. It applies everywhere, including at home. It would be interesting to know how frequent this is in Bonaire, since it can occur anywhere one stays, and relative and absolute risk is needed to make a judgment call about how big an issue this is.
2.) The prospect of a truck being vandalized in a way that disables it (e.g.: gas siphoned, battery stolen), leaving the diver stranded, likely at a remote site, is alarming and very bad news. It's my understanding this is rare, but again, 'How Rare Is It?' is the big question.
3.) As for local petty thieves routinely inspecting trucks for personal items, this is a well-known and at least 'not uncommon enough' problem to warrant establishing a dive work flow where you don't leave valuables in the truck while you're off diving. Many of us don't find this to be a major challenge.
Yes, it's still morally wrong for someone to steal your stuff, even if you left an obvious valuable out in plain sight in defiance of customary caution.
No, in a perfect world, you shouldn't have to worry about someone stealing your stuff. I should be able to nail a $100 bill to a tree by the side-walk on a busy street for a week and nobody steals it, but I don't do that. Similarly, I try not to leave valuables in rental trucks at dive sites in Bonaire.
Some people seem determined that they will, or strongly want to, 'take more' in the truck and leave it in at dive sites while diving (e.g.: digital camera for land shots, coverup since some people want to go into town & are disagreeable to doing so in their swim wear or wet suit for whatever reason, cooler of food/drink, towels, etc...). In Bonaire, this is not a wise thing to do. You can fuss, cuss, scream your rage from the roof tops or whatever vents your spleen, but it is what it is. It's not right, but it is reality. This seems to really bother some people and hardly faze others.
4.) I don't want locals hitting me up to guard my truck during dives. I would suspect I was being threatened with a protection racket. And for some of us who aren't 'people people,' the prospect of trying to hire some old local, carry him along, feed him and basically have to deal and interact with him over the days would be very off-putting.
5.) I've historically liked the idea of sting operations to catch thieves with decoy trucks. On the other hand, a big increase in police presence would create more public ill will and concern about crime, not less. Here's how I think that would work.
-----1.) You start up your sting operation. Some thieves get nailed, something dreadful (er, 'deterring') is done to them, the rate of truck pilfering drops significantly...but not completely.
-----2.) If everyone would continue as they have been, this would be good news. Problem is, they won't.
-----3.) Some (thankfully not all) of those people I mentioned earlier, who seem bent on taking personal valuables & leaving them in the rental trucks during dives, would perceive less risk and start doing so.
-----4.) Some them would get such items stolen. This could add more cases of theft of items, cases that would not have happened if people had followed recommendations & not left valuables in the truck during dives.
-----5.) Here & elsewhere, they post about how their $400 digital camera and so on & so on got stolen out of a truck shore diving Bonaire, and why isn't there more of a police presence, and so on.
6.) I don't see the need for the government to have the shattered glass at a few sites cleaned up. I like how it reminds people that they ought to leave their doors unlocked and windows down, like they were told.
In summary, when you shore dive in Bonaire, excepting a cheap left-over soda bottle filled with water, a couple of old rags or cheap flip flops/sun glasses you can live without, don't leave your stuff in the truck and odds are quite strong you will be fine.
In the hopefully rare event someone steals your battery or tires, stranding you somewhere, I can understanding wishing police would hunt him down and strap him to a flogging post. And if someone breaks into your room, I hope you've got a nice bludgeon of some sort and drop him before he does any harm. Both instances entail evil acts I think all of us would want to see stopped. But that's everywhere, not just Bonaire.
Richard.
I probably still wouldn't use terms like "routine" and "uncivilized" to describe it though.
