What are the police doing to end the crime on Bonaire? - thread split

[pilot fish]

yeah, sure, we all do that but when a place, like Boniare, hides it crime stats [ does not publish it ] and all you have access to is there "sleepy island" propaganda travel brochures, you aren't getting a real picture of the place -the REALITY. That's where places like this Scuaboard come in very handy. Here you will hear actual stories of the crime there and what to expect. You need to look at everything.

Before going anywhere, I research the place so I know what to expect. Google is a friend of mine. I weigh the risks, figure out what I am willing to deal with make my decision and go there with my eyes open and ready to deal with it. It's part of the fun.

 

[pilot fish]

From Merriam-Webster's dictionary

Main Entry: dive
Pronunciation: \ˈdīv\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): dived \ˈdīvd\ or dove \ˈdōv\; dived also dove; div·ing
Etymology: Middle English diven, duven, from Old English dȳfan to dip & dūfan to dive; akin to Old English dyppan to dip — more at dip
Date: before 12th century
intransitive verb
1 a : to plunge into water intentionally and especially headfirst; also : to execute a dive b : submerge <the submarine dived>
2 a : to come or drop down precipitously : plunge <the temperature is diving> b : to plunge one's hand into something c of an airplane : to descend in a dive
3 a : to plunge into some matter or activity <she dove into her studies> b : to plunge or dash for some place <diving for cover>; also : to lunge especially in order to seize something <dove for the ball>
transitive verb
1 : to thrust into something
2 : to cause to dive <dive a submarine>
usage Dive, which was originally a weak verb, developed a past tense dove, probably by analogy with verbs like drive, drove. Dove exists in some British dialects and has become the standard past tense especially in speech in some parts of Canada. In the United States dived and dove are both widespread in speech as past tense and past participle, with dove less common than dived in the south Midland area, and dived less common than dove in the Northern and north Midland areas. In writing, the past tense dived is usual in British English and somewhat more common in American English. Dove seems relatively rare as a past participle in writing

 

[pilot fish]

If you bill yourself as the shore dive capital of the Caribe, you should offer more protection for divers doing that. That 's real simple. It's not the fact that there is some crime there, as there might be elsewhere if there were that amount of shore diving, it's the fact that they do nothing about the crime, and it's been the same story for many years. If shore diving is the islands main draw, then offer better protection for divers traveling there to do that. duh!

Heck, I'm not bashing Roatan per se, just comparing it to safe Bonaire for someone who apparently bashes Bonaire but prefers Roatan. Neither place is total paradise, obviously, but with enough precautions and foreknowledge they can both come close. On the other hand, taken by surprise, I can see how divers could react negatively to "side effects" from either locale. Overall, I enjoyed my one trip to Roatan and I'm sure I'd enjoy another. Still, I prefer the quality of the dive experience at Bonaire, not to mention the food, so if there ends up being a war between the two, I'd have to side with Bonaire!

 

[pilot fish]

That's true enough. I spent 8 nights at Blue Lagoon on Truk and can vouch for what you say. Difference being, they know the crime situation there and do something about it. I was also able to get an accurate picture of the crime there from US State dept and the internet. Knowing that kept me from going into town late at night. I was actually too tired anyway, after a day of wreck diving.

Really? The more exotic I go, the less I want to endure "pioneer stuff" and in many parts of the Pacific/SE Asia, you'd want even more security than you'd want in Bonaire. The Blue Lagoon "compound" in Truk, for example, is surrounded by barbed wire. Indonesia has lots of terrorists bent on destroying our decandent Western way of life (i.e. "luxury" dive travel). And PNG? That's probably the most dangerous of all.

I've experienced enough really dangerous places to know that Bonaire and its minor thefts are a picnic in comparison. When tourists start getting robbed at gunpoint and maybe killed anyway, or bunches of tourists get anhilated by terrorists, separatists, insurgents, what have you, or even caught in the cross-fire of a minor military coup, that's when I'd start to worry.

 

[pilot fish]

I just spilled my coffee

Your cite from "The Ten Foot Stop" includes the following:
However, there have occasionally been changes in the other direction: the past tense of wear, now wore, was once werede, and that of spit, now spat, was once spitede. The development of dove is an additional example of the small group of verbs that have swum against the historical tide. "
So apparently you also prefer to say "spitede" and "werede" instead of spat and wore?
I would think it's a lot easier to differentiate between spoken words that sound different like dove (bird) and dove (past tense of dive) versus words that sound the same like fore, for, or four. Maybe we should just change the name of the damn bird to duv and be dun with it.

 

[Papa_Bear]

Your cite from "The Ten Foot Stop" includes the following:
However, there have occasionally been changes in the other direction: the past tense of wear, now wore, was once werede, and that of spit, now spat, was once spitede. The development of dove is an additional example of the small group of verbs that have swum against the historical tide. "
So apparently you also prefer to say "spitede" and "werede" instead of spat and wore?
I would think it's a lot easier to differentiate between spoken words that sound different like dove (bird) and dove (past tense of dive) versus words that sound the same like fore, for, or four. Maybe we should just change the name of the damn bird to duv and be dun with it.

I don't know what a Duv is but I know what a Dove is! The rule for a past tense verb is add "ed" and that is pretty simple as in "I Skydived" and not I Skydove....... We can chose to use words like ain't but we sound uneducated and I feel the same way about using a bird to describe something I love to do! BTW I would say "He spitted on the sidewalk before he was ticketed!" Also I have no confusion with an animal and a spat or woman of the night and a wore! I like to present all sides and let the reader decide! Or is it decode? No it is decided!

 

[dmoore19]

Heck, I'm not bashing Roatan per se, just comparing it to safe Bonaire for someone who apparently bashes Bonaire but prefers Roatan. Neither place is total paradise, obviously, but with enough precautions and foreknowledge they can both come close. On the other hand, taken by surprise, I can see how divers could react negatively to "side effects" from either locale. Overall, I enjoyed my one trip to Roatan and I'm sure I'd enjoy another. Still, I prefer the quality of the dive experience at Bonaire, not to mention the food, so if there ends up being a war between the two, I'd have to side with Bonaire!

FYI, I have never made a single negative comment about Bonaire. If you prefer Bonaire, fine. Go to Bonaire. I haven't been there, can't make a negative comment about it and won't. I will say I have been to Roatan. Did drink water from the tap and ate some of everything there was to offer. I didn't get ill and as a matter of fact had a wonderful time.

 

[Papa_Bear]

They are different places with different diving and both worth going to! I have been to both and have a lot of underwater time invested and will go back to both this year! I was pointing out that all places have pluses and minuses and to "Pick-on" one over the other is not rationale!

 

[Mossman]

That's true enough. I spent 8 nights at Blue Lagoon on Truk and can vouch for what you say. Difference being, they know the crime situation there and do something about it. I was also able to get an accurate picture of the crime there from US State dept and the internet. Knowing that kept me from going into town late at night. I was actually too tired anyway, after a day of wreck diving.

But you can do the same in Bonaire, i.e. get an accurate picture of the crime scene in Bonaire from internet resources. Do a simple search for "bonaire theft" and start reading. It's not like it's a big secret, even though the Tourist Board might not advertise it as they do the shore diving.

Even the State Dept. has something to say: "Street crime remains a concern, especially in St. Maarten. Valuables, including passports, left unattended on beaches, in cars, and hotel lobbies are easy targets for theft, Visitors should leave valuables and personal papers secured in their hotel. Burglary and break-ins are increasingly common at resorts, beach houses, and hotels. Armed robbery occasionally occurs. The American boating community has reported a handful of incidents in the past, and visitors are urged to exercise reasonable caution in securing boats and belongings. Car theft, especially of rental vehicles, can occur. Incidents of break-ins to rental cars to steal personal items have been reported by American tourists. Vehicle leases or rentals may not be fully covered by local insurance when a vehicle is stolen. Be sure you are sufficiently insured when renting vehicles and other equipment."

Of course the State Dept. makes out almost every foreign destination to be as dangerous as Baghdad or Miami, so if we listened to them we'd stay home in our bomb shelters. The vast majority of travelers to Bonaire that follow the standard rental car admonition to not leave anything valuable inside end up having a wonderful time without any incidents. It's a simple rule to follow, much like "don't drink the water" when you travel to Mexico. Yes, plenty of people still end up with turista in Mexico, and plenty of people still suffer some kind of theft on Bonaire, but it's a lot easier to make water potable than it is to make people honest. When Mexico fixes its water issues, then maybe Bonaire will get around to fixing its crime. In the meantime, we just have to respect the foreign culture and not impose our American standards on every country we visit. If Mexicans like contaminated water and Bonaireans like petty theft and French like prostitutes and Netherlanders like marijuana, who are we to say this is necessarily the wrong way to do things just because we tend to frown on all of the above in our own land?

 

[Mossman]

FYI, I have never made a single negative comment about Bonaire. If you prefer Bonaire, fine. Go to Bonaire. I haven't been there, can't make a negative comment about it and won't. I will say I have been to Roatan. Did drink water from the tap and ate some of everything there was to offer. I didn't get ill and as a matter of fact had a wonderful time.

I can make plenty of negative comments about Bonaire. The airport sucks, as do the flights getting there. Too many mosquitos, broken-down rental trucks, and the restaurants don't stay open late enough and have weird opening days. The speed limits are too slow. It's too hot and most of the apartment accomodations only air-condition the bedrooms. They use "funny money" which ends up being based on the dollar so why not just use the dollar? And if you have an serious injury, forget about getting any pain meds for it - we found that out the hard way. I could think of more, but that's just off the top of my head. Oh, yeah, and the theft. Theft in Bonaire sucks.

Roatan was very scenic. Lots of malarial jungle, horribly rutted roads, a town with a cesspool for a river, beautiful. And the diving was just OK. And I understand that TACA isn't the only option in getting there anymore. And sure, it's very affordable compared to just about anywhere else on earth (gee, I wonder why that is?).

But I'd only consider Roatan over Bonaire if someone paid me to go back there. Seriously.