Roatan vs. Bonaire

[Herk_Man]

What airlines fly into Roatan?

 

[DiveMaven]

Continental is one.

 

[fairybasslet]

Continental is one.

Connects in Houston, if I remember correctly. However, on the way home, because of smoke from fires on the mainland, we got on a puddle jumper to San Pedro Sula then had a direct flight into Newark with a REAL MEAL & movies!!

 

[DeputyDan]

What airlines fly into Roatan?

Continental from Houston

Delta from Atlanta.

These are the two I have actually taken.

 

[pilot fish]

It is an accepted FACT that divers rented cars are broken into and the police do nothing about it, either because they are feckless lumps or they are involved somehow. It is because of that that I will never go back there. I've heard of divers/tourists that were subjected to break ins while they were out, and even while they slept in their rooms. They will even take scandals and other items left to dry from your deck/balconey.:shocked2: Bonaire? No thanks!

Our truck was ransacked at Oil Slick Leap. Only thing they stole was my son's dive light and they could have stolen other stuff too, but didn't. Not even the jack for the rental truck. We never bothered with calling the police. Don't ask me why my son didn't listen to me and leave his dive bag in the locker. I don't leave anything in the truck on a shore dive. Other friends with us left glasses, towels & sandals but that stuff was left. I've heard that people steal that stuff too. That's one thing I really don't like about Bonaire. Also, I heard that Buddy's was broken into and I think at Capt. Don's, someone broke into a room when the guests were in there.

I loved diving at CCV. I thought the reefs were more lush in Roatan than Bonaire. I may be wrong but it seemed to me that there were less fish in Bonaire this past December than when I was there two years ago.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

It is an accepted FACT that divers rented cars are broken into and the police do nothing about it, either because they are feckless lumps or they are involved somehow. It is because of that that I will never go back there. I've heard of divers/tourists that were subjected to break ins while they were out, and even while they slept in their rooms. They will even take scandals and other items left to dry from your deck/balconey.:shocked2: Bonaire? No thanks!

Some cars get broken into ... but as others have pointed out, this isn't unique to Bonaire. It's a fact of life anywhere that caters to tourists where the indigenous population is generally poor.

I've been to Bonaire four times. Never had a car broken into, never had anyone break into my room, or steal anything from me. Last time I was there we had to wait several hours for our room to become available. In the interrim, the place we were staying (Buddy Dive) took our luggage back to the airport (mistaking it for luggage belonging to a group that was departing), put it on the curb, and drove off leaving it there. Since we were passing the time diving, that luggage contained all our passports, our wallets, and everything else we didn't have underwater with us. It was all still there when we found our luggage curbside at the airport a couple hours after they put it there.

You're welcome to go wherever you please, but I don't share your impressions of Bonaire as a crime haven. The experiences of myself and the groups I've gone there with would indicate that it's more the exception than the rule.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[pilot fish]

It's not that crime happens in Bonaire, it's that it happens so often, and with the obvious disregard of the police that makes it different for me. Yes, it does happen elsewhere, on occassion, but not with the regularity of Bonaire. I believe the dozen or so divers I've spoken to that confirm that, but I also believe the dozens of divers on this board that have fallen victim of Bonaire crime.

The criminals might have thought your bags were a plant, like a bait car. Crime at the airport is not tolerated, even by the lame bonaire "police"

Some cars get broken into ... but as others have pointed out, this isn't unique to Bonaire. It's a fact of life anywhere that caters to tourists where the indigenous population is generally poor.

I've been to Bonaire four times. Never had a car broken into, never had anyone break into my room, or steal anything from me. Last time I was there we had to wait several hours for our room to become available. In the interrim, the place we were staying (Buddy Dive) took our luggage back to the airport (mistaking it for luggage belonging to a group that was departing), put it on the curb, and drove off leaving it there. Since we were passing the time diving, that luggage contained all our passports, our wallets, and everything else we didn't have underwater with us. It was all still there when we found our luggage curbside at the airport a couple hours after they put it there.

You're welcome to go wherever you please, but I don't share your impressions of Bonaire as a crime haven. The experiences of myself and the groups I've gone there with would indicate that it's more the exception than the rule.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[doctormike]

It's not that crime happens in Bonaire, it's that it happens so often, and with the obvious disregard of the police that makes it different for me. Yes, it does happen elsewhere, on occassion, but not with the regularity of Bonaire. I believe the dozen or so divers I've spoken to that confirm that, but I also believe the dozens of divers on this board that have fallen victim of Bonaire crime.

I'm going to second what Bob says. Yes, there are reports of petty theft in Bonaire, but I have absolutely heard the same about other islands. I'm not sure what you mean by "obvious disregard", or what you would expect the police to do in such a situation.

The one time that my car was robbed was right in front of my apartment on the upper east side of Manhattan. I reported it to the police, who gave me a copy of the incident report for my insurance. I'm not sure what else they would do - hard to imagine a major crime scene investigation for something like that, in New York or in Bonaire.

I have been there several times, parked all over the island for shore diving, and never had any trouble. Of course, that doesn't prove anything either... but I would go back there in a heartbeat if I had the chance..! I think that you will find that the majority of Bonaire reports here are positive ones..

Here's an interesting thread, if you want to dig a bit deeper. One thing that comes up again and again is the relative rarity of violent crime in Bonaire. I'm not too worried about someone taking something out of my car while I'm diving (not that I would leave anything valuable there)... I'm more worried about being mugged.

However, to each his own. Sorry you had a bad experience in Bonaire...

Mike

 

[pilot fish]

What happens in NYC, born and lived there all my life, can not be compared to Bonaire. One has 12 million people and one a small island. I, too, had my car broken into on the east side, 88 and 2nd ave. All crime in Bonaire is not petty. Break ins are not petty. I never had that in NY.

How could the "police" on Bonaire stop this? It's simple. The island is small. Population not many. Probably the same gang are doing these crimes. Put out bait cars, stake out shore dive sites, etc. hey, all the police have to do is their job, WHICH THEY ARE NOT DOING. Another way is for divers to just stop going to Bonaire till the island becomes safer. You'd see how fast the "police" would get off their asses and clean things up. All the spare tires getting stolen from rental cars on an island that size and you cannot connect the dots to the rental agencies and the 500 deductable? :laughing:

You never hear of this on Coz. My feeling is, if you like Bonaire, are willing to take the crime situation as SOP, then make your donation to the crooks and enjoy the diving.

I'm going to second what Bob says. Yes, there are reports of petty theft in Bonaire, but I have absolutely heard the same about other islands. I'm not sure what you mean by "obvious disregard", or what you would expect the police to do in such a situation.

The one time that my car was robbed was right in front of my apartment on the upper east side of Manhattan. I reported it to the police, who gave me a copy of the incident report for my insurance. I'm not sure what else they would do - hard to imagine a major crime scene investigation for something like that, in New York or in Bonaire.

I have been there several times, parked all over the island for shore diving, and never had any trouble. Of course, that doesn't prove anything either... but I would go back there in a heartbeat if I had the chance..! I think that you will find that the majority of Bonaire reports here are positive ones..

Here's an interesting thread, if you want to dig a bit deeper. One thing that comes up again and again is the relative rarity of violent crime in Bonaire. I'm not too worried about someone taking something out of my car while I'm diving (not that I would leave anything valuable there)... I'm more worried about being mugged.

However, to each his own. Sorry you had a bad experience in Bonaire...

Mike

 

[pilot fish]

mike, hope this link helps.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/abc-islands/287637-robbery-3.html#post4931542