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Getting to Bonaire: Best way to pack dive gear for Bonaire
Bonaire Talk: Getting to Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999-2005: Archives - 2002-01-01 to 2002-10-27: Best way to pack dive gear for Bonaire
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By john irle on Wednesday, January 16, 2002 - 10:33 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

First time to Bonaire this May. Could someone advise me on the best way to pack dive gear.....soft side dive bag with regs and computers in carry-on?.....or gear packed in regular suitcases? Thanks.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Linnea Wimberly on Wednesday, January 16, 2002 - 11:10 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I have a huge hard-side that I use. It holds my BC, fins, second camera setup with strobes, clothes and everything but the kitchen sink. I lock it, tape over the locks, and use luggage straps that I tie together. I also put bathtub anti-slick stickers and craft paint on for easy spotting. I once caught someone trying to walk away with my suitcase and was able to spot them from 50 feet away because of the markings, that one was a softside that died after 3 years. Also, I have to go thru LAX and LAX is famous for having luggage rifled thru by the baggage handlers and I have seen how luggage is tossed around by the handlers at various airports. Soft luggage is very easy for them to cut open or squash the contents. I just replaced the hardside one I got in '87 and hauled over the world. I also pack all of my smaller items in plastic boxes, this makes it easier to repack the bag if customs decides to look thru everyting. I use plastic boxes in my semi-softsided carry-on for the same reason. I do carry my primary reg. setup and mask (corrective lens) along with my first camera setup (without the bars and arms), a change of clothes and a bathing suit as carry-ons.
Do not put anything on the outside of your suitcases that let people know that dive gear is inside.

Samsonite has a model that I got that has an extendable handle and wide spaced wheels that is no harder to maneuver than the smaller wheeled carry-ons.

Welcome to the BT group, and trust me you will get PDB.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Meryl Virga on Wednesday, January 16, 2002 - 11:56 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

john,,,we will be there in May too...I bring a carry on (airline regulation size) that holds my BC,fins, mask,wet suit and bathing suit and one set of change of clothes. I also carry a regulator bag that I use as a handbag (or lie that it is a handbag!) that the regulator will be safe in. In this bag I also put toiletries/magazines/medications for the plane ride...bug spray and tickets and such....this way you can at least make it through a day if your luggage gets lost....but how often can that happen? :)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cecil Berry on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 11:07 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

John, I've always used a soft sided bag for my dive gear, I put the fragile stuff in the middle and then stuff the outside with clothes and less fragile stuff (eg fins, U/W flashilight, duct tape). One thing I've heard over and over is do not mark the bags as dive equipment, this will get it stolen (worse case), or a extra baggage charge by the the airlines (best case). This leaves only my camera equipment and a change of clothes in my carry-on, I'm not particular about my mask, regulators or BCD. I don't want to lose mine but if worse comes to worse I can always rent. YMMV.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Flook on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 11:29 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

John:

Heres my two cents:

Where ever we go diving we have always used a soft sided (Rigid Frame and base) suit case. It is large and very heavy, almsot too heavy. We pack all dive equip. for two people in it. I mean everything. I is an art all in't self. My wife is always amazed. We pack fins and wet suits on the top and bottom, then the BCs, and the regs and masks in the center(Kinda like a sandwich. We also duct tape the entire cluster shut, just in case it bursts, and it also lets us know if someone has been in it. Use the good duct tape (The olive green heavy stuff not the silver stuff) and bring a roll with you. People laugh, but they usually wind up borrowing some before the trip is over.

I have always felt it is important to not use a "Dive Bag" or Dive Backpack Bag" We chuckle at the people who show up with these dive bags, becuase we have heard so may storys about these bags being ripped off. "Steal me, I have expensive stuff inside"

The down side to how we pack is that is heavy, and it's value exceeds the replacement value for lost luggage. In other words, if the airlines loose luggage permenatly, they pay only the maximmun allowed according to a set schedule which I think maxs out about $1,500.00 per bag. Not enough for one set of dive stuff let alone two.

Near 12 dive trips to date and no problems so far.

Good Luck.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Stackhouse on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 1:14 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

But, of course, half of the bags carried into Bonaire by the airlines are full of dive equipment, so anyone intent on rummaging through them would have a pretty good batting average anyway. Just as you don't have to run faster than a bear in the North Carolina mountains (just faster than at least one of your companions), I suspect the real goal is not to be too obvious, and not to make it easy.

The general feeling is that bags disappear or get rummaged in SJU or MIA, not in Bonaire. I know that our bags waited in the Bonaire airport for us to arrive for 48 hours(See "Three days to Bonaire" in the trip reports)with five of ten obviously having dive equipment, and were safely held for us. On the way back, one bag was pillaged between the aircraft and customs in San Juan.

Do remember that you should not secure your bags too tightly until after security searches at the airport!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Flook on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 1:50 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

JIm is right in both counts. Do not look make your dive stuff obvious and the stuff, I beleive, goes missing in places like Miami.

Jims last point about security inspections is one reason why you should pack additional duct tape.

We ususally bring a cooler so we can keep our lunch, beer, pop, etc. cold while out exploring or diving for th day. We duct tape it shut, and for what ever reason it is sliced open in transit every single time. However, we have never had anything go missing from the cooler.

You can pack stuff in the cooler also (Like masks)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ernie Bauer on Tuesday, January 29, 2002 - 6:20 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Among the great suggestions already I would add a few new requirements. You will likely be required to unpack your checked and carry-on bags for inspection a couple times. Don't pack too tight or it will be difficult to repack after they rummage through your gear. It seems that batteries are now a major red flag. Be sure to remove batteries from dive lights, etc. Your friendly inspector will otherwise disassemble your equipment and hand you all the parts. As far as your fragile equipment, make sure your regs are in a very small carry-on. On the turboprops that AA flies for example, they will require you to check at the gate anything over about fifteen pounds. They go by weight but decide whether or not to weigh it by the size. Our bag with regs was only 18x12x6 inches but had to be checked. It's best to carry-on your fragile dive equipment but, be prepared to explain it to security on the numerous times your likely to be searched. (They say it's random but I get selected almost every time)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glen Reem on Wednesday, January 30, 2002 - 11:29 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

'Random' includes those passegers 'fitting the likely terrorist profile'.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Sarah on Wednesday, January 30, 2002 - 1:30 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Oh yes, we have experienced the "random" check thing many, many times!

Hugh takes a pelican case and dive bag, checks them both. The pelican case contains his "expensive" equipment, but it also has a padlock on it (as does the dive bag). We've travelled this way for some time now, never had any problems.. even at Miami! I guess we're just fortunate?.:)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Freddie Hughes on Wednesday, January 30, 2002 - 1:40 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

In Dec. when we visited Bonaire we travelled Air Jamaica from JFK. There we waited on line outside to go through security. They scanned everything and then did a search of our luggage(they didn't know what a regulator was??) We were ESCORTED to the ticket counter, of which there was a sizable line of irrate people, and ticketed before everyone else. When asked why this had happened they told us we were a security risk(like we were going to take our regs out and strangle someone). Now wouldn't you like to sit next to us on the plane???

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chris Gianos on Wednesday, January 30, 2002 - 3:25 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

They lost our gear bag so I was REALLY glad we brought our masks and regs carry on.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By thomas brossard on Wednesday, January 30, 2002 - 8:17 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Man! Lot's of negative MIA sentiment here. As a South Floridian I heartily concur. If it looks valuable you don't want it going through MIA - The most corrupt and inept airport in the USA!

To the subject at hand, from first hand experience I can strongly recommned that if you have a corrective vision mask DO NOT LET IT OUT OF YOUR POSESSION! Blind diving isn't nearly as fun as diving with sight! All other diving equipment can be rented, your corrective vision mask cannot!

 


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