Who trained these idiots??

[Arubandi07]

FIFY

It sounds like the idiots posted the video of themselves in action on the internet, themselves, and they were not filmed by other divers while abusing the critters.
Hopefully STINPATA will do a follow up on the reports, and the local island government can issue a permanent ban on travel to Bonaire for these idiots. Beyond that, just holding a-wipes up for public ridicule is about all that can be done.

Public ridicule among the diving community can sometimes be a powerful deterrent to such behavior.

Question is, would that, from a legal perspective, even be an option? Unless there's something to that extent in re to the infractions(... punishable by ...) on the books.

The removal of the clip, IMO, is more than anything else, just a reaction to all the hostile blow-back these guys caught ... wouldn't bank on them having 'learned their lesson' ...

 

[Diver0001]

Just got done reading "The Silent World" by Jacques Cousteau. Can you imagine how old Jacques behavior would be judged today on SB?

When I watch those old videos my toes curl instinctively to the point that I get cramps in them. We know SO much more about diving now. If someone dived like that today they'd be shunned by the community. I'm not even sure it would be possible to certify them.

R..

 

[DiverVince]

An individuals (or societies) behavior must be judged by the context of the time they live in. We are all aware of what constitutes acceptable dive behavior by todays standards. Not fair at all to make any type of comparison to Jacques Cousteau who resided in a much different place and time. Trying to do so, only obfuscates their blatant disregard of acceptable behavior. What they did was clearly and definitively wrong and in violation of the Bonaire Marine Park rules. And what amazes me was their sheer stupidity in posting their acts on a public forum so we all can see (and judge) them. Seems to me the public verdict condemning all their actions was loud and clear.

 

[ktomlinson]

Bonaire has a relatively healthy, undamaged reef. They would like to keep it that way.

While I don't have any printed documentation, my "orientation" consisted of being told to not touch, kick, annoy, harass, ride, poke or feed anything, and that if I did any of these things, I wouldn't be allowed back. At the very least, these guys need to be banned from the island.

Have you been there lately? I have. The reefs are not all that they are made out to be, in fact, some say they are on the verge of collapse.

Touching marine animals is sometimes poor form, and it seems to be the case in this instance...but so is the pitchfork mentality illustrated here. Not only is it over the top, it is out of touch with reality. When I was there in December I never saw a marine park official...actually any official, but I did see locals with lobstering gear and our battery and radio were stolen during a dive. Bonaire has done pretty much nothing to stop locals from breaking into divers cars..the recommendation is to leave the door unlocked so they won't break the window! Do you really think they are going to get worked up over this?

 

[T.C.]

We certainly don't need another Bonaire Crime discussion.

I think Bonaire can and should ban them from traveling there again. They have the means and right to do so. It is simple to enter them in to a list that is automatically checked at Customs, and send them a notice that they are not welcome, and will be arrested if they ever attempt to enter.

It's not at all like trying to stop crime, something that Humans have not been sucessful at in 6,000+ years

 

[ktomlinson]

We certainly don't need another Bonaire Crime discussion.

I think Bonaire can and should ban them from traveling there again. They have the means and right to do so. It is simple to enter them in to a list that is automatically checked at Customs, and send them a notice that they are not welcome, and will be arrested if they ever attempt to enter.

It's not at all like trying to stop crime, something that Humans have not been sucessful at in 6,000+ years

Why are you separating the two issues? We are talking about crime here. I observed that Bonaire doesn't seem to be very proactive about crime enforcement. I never saw a marine officer in the time I was there, but I did see some Dutch guys with lobstering equipment. Later I had my battery and radio stolen, which is a pretty normal occurrence judging by the stickers affixed to the glove box in our rental truck that asked us to leave a window cracked and the doors unlocked. Don't confuse this statement with a statement about what Bonaire should do. Bonaire should ask them not to come back. Bonaire should patrol the dive sites for marine and criminal law enforcement (maybe they would have seen these people with their gloves). Basically, Bonaire should be more proactive about law enforcement.

 

[gypsyjim]

Well since your state of GA has probably elininated crime completely by now, I am sure Bonaire could use your help tell them how to run their country.

Also, since both the crimes I witnessed on Bonaire recently, and the ones in the video were done by tourists, Bonaire could start to reduce crime by closing their borders to foreign tourists.

 

[T.C.]

Why are you separating the two issues? We are talking about crime here. I observed that Bonaire doesn't seem to be very proactive about crime enforcement. I never saw a marine officer in the time I was there, but I did see some Dutch guys with lobstering equipment. Later I had my battery and radio stolen, which is a pretty normal occurrence judging by the stickers affixed to the glove box in our rental truck that asked us to leave a window cracked and the doors unlocked. Don't confuse this statement with a statement about what Bonaire should do. Bonaire should ask them not to come back. Bonaire should patrol the dive sites for marine and criminal law enforcement (maybe they would have seen these people with their gloves). Basically, Bonaire should be more proactive about law enforcement.

Because, it is two issues with separate causes.

Petty theft is done by many people, tourists and locals. What's your "cure" for that; for the new officers, training and equipment it would take to patrol dive sites? Would you pay an extra $100-$200 a week for patrols that will not lower crime? Probably not.

However, banning someone from travel is easy. It takes a few dollars in international postage to mail them a letter stating that if they return they will be jailed, and costs nothing to enter them into an official database that flags them with Customs if they try to return. It is simple to ban them from returning.

What will you do with the petty criminals, ban all the humans from the island? If you want to discuss crime; we have a bazillion other threads for that. Let's keep it on the knuckleheads that deserve to never see Bonaire again in this life.

 

[ktomlinson]

It's hard to talk to people that have their mind made up already. My point is enforcement. I don't see why one agency couldn't enforce dive rules and law. If that means an extra $25-$50 on the dive tag, so be it. I know the theft thing has been driven into the ground, I'm not trying to resurrect that, I just happen to think more law enforcement presence may help both. Someone may have seen this going on, but who are they to report it to? I saw dudes hide lobstering equipment when we pulled up to oil slick, but do you think I'm carrying a cellphone and leaving it in my truck? Getting your pitchforks out on the internet doesn't do too much, I think law enforcement patrols would.

 

[flots am]

What will you do with the petty criminals, ban all the humans from the island?

That's actually not all that difficult or a bad idea.

I was talking to one of the DMs who told me that getting permission to move to Bonaire wasn't actually all that easy, and the government can kick out anybody they feel like, so the penalty for theft could easily be deportation to Amsterdam.

When the penalty for locals stealing is getting ejected from paradise, to go live in a place that requires a winter coat for a good part of the year, and the penalty for foreigners is "You can never return", I suspect the crime rate would drop quickly.


flots.