I realize there was a category started several days ago on this but I wanted to be sure people saw this. I find after a few days that people don't read old categories and after receiving an off line email yesterday, I feel I must address this issue.
I have also heard recently of a problem at the unnamed resort that I am going to be staying at in the next two weeks. I was very disturbed as there are no in room safes at this resort. I received an email from a credible BT member (been going to Bonaire for over 14 years at least once a year) off line detailing not only daytime thefts when no one was in the rooms, but thefts when guest were upstairs sleeping. Since I am bringing children, some who will be sleeping on a downstairs sofa I am very disturbed by the report. I also do not relish the idea of having to carry all our belongings, travelers checks, credit cards, passports, cameras etc., for the 4 of us around all the time! It won't make for a very pleasant vacation if someone always has to stay behind to guard our things! Sounds like this is a real problem that needs to dealt with. All resorts should provide in room safes or be responsible to provide on site security to prevent these thefts.
The idea that we have to hide things when we go diving is also upsetting. We are windsurfers and divers. We had hoped to be able to leave our resort in the morning ready for the day. To take both sets of gear with us so we don't have to hassel with coming back to the resort to switch gear when we switch activities.
Yes, there is vandalism everywhere but tourists are particularly vulnerable because they are out of their element and it is difficult to take the precautions they would take at home. The island has to make things as safe as possible for the tourists or there won't be any!
I guess I don't understand why an island with a population as small as Bonaire is not able to identify who the "trouble makers" are and deal with them. Has anyone considered offering a reward for information? Do you have a Crimestopper program there? IT sounds like your local authorities could use all the help they can get to stop these break ins before it gets to be such a large problem that you loose business.
I would have changed the location of where we are staying if we could have but it was too late!

Joan,
Hi From another Joan.
I too have heard the same kinds of reports about the resort I am going to be staying in. I'm coming with 3 teen agers and all their gear (cameras, CD players, MP3 players etc) that they don't seem to think they can go without. (They have to have something to listen too when they are not diving and on the long all day flights we have to take from New Mexico!) Plus we have all our gear; camera, video camera, scuba gear, watches, jewelry etc. (Sorry I don't like to wear my dive watch out in the evenings...not the look I'm going for.) I also need to bring a lap top computer as I have to do some work while there. I, too, am concerned as to how to protect these items when they are in the room and we are not. Does anyone know of any kind of lock we can get for the rooms that can be used for extra protection that will not harm the door etc. Or does any one know of a light weight heavy duty plastic or light weight metal container that we could lock and chain to a column in the room or something like that in which we could store all our valuables? We are coming this Friday, so I don't have a lot of time to get this together.

Joan,
When are you and your family going to be in Bonaire? We are there March 24-March 30. I've got a teen age girl and a youner boy. Joan

Joan (2),

When we travel under similar conditions elsewhere (pretty much always with far too much computer and camera equipment), we lock up such gear in our luggage when not in active use, and then put the luggage in places where one normally would store empty luggage (the closet, for example) to help convince potential thieves and cleaning people that it has nothing of value in it. We generally do this in any hotel (and especially motels) where we can see that there is no real security around. Came up with it because room safes in hotels we stay at are generally not large enough for all of our valuables. Never had a problem yet. For extra mental security you can even pile stuff up on top of the luggage to make it seem even more in disuse :-)

Jake

Joan
We will be leaving the day you arrive. Too bad. I've got three teen age BOYS who would love to have someone to hang out with!
I'm not sure what to do about the securtiy issue. I can leave my jewelry at home (and will feel naked without earings and other rings), but I have to bring my lap top. That was the only way I can get away at all if I can work one day! Maybe I can hide that under the matress. What do I do with the video camera etc?
I agree, there should be a safe in every room and ALSO a big lock box in the back of every pick up. It's going to be fun to find a bush to hide the keys, cameras, wallets, travelers checks, perscription sunglasses, passports, etc for all 5 of us! Better be some pretty big bushes out there.
I did hear that there's a pink bus run by one of the Dive shops that has lockers...so that might be the way we have to go...but that limits us to diving only where the bus is parked that day...unless there's more than one pink buss. Anyone know about the pink bus?

Thanks Jake for the good idea...I guess that's better than stuffing it under the matress! That might get a bit lumpy! Joan
Oops I guess I'm Joan (2)

For the dive bus, see: http://www.divebus.com

Jake

Jake
I just read
Trip report 2/24-3/4
under trip reports and read your long response to Lonnie the judge and his responses and everyone else's also. I must say I'm even more disturbed. Now I have to bring a bike chain with lock to lock up the spare tire.
Something has to be done. Had I known all of this I would never have planned my trip to Bonaire. I lock my car in every city and town I've lived in here in the states, with my cell phone, and other valuables in it. I have NEVER had a break in. That's in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, Washington, DC, Minneapolis/St Paul. I've lived and traveled overseas extensively. While I had someone try and steal a motorcycle out of our fenced and gated yard in the Philippines, I have never suffered a break in to my car trying to steal tires, shorts, sun glasses, bubble gum. I do know that these things occur in every city, but we are talking about a small island with very few people, not a big city with more than a million people with "bad areas"! Per capita, it sounds as if you've got a problem that is OUT OF CONTROL on your Island Paradise!
I pray that we have no problems while we are there, but if we do it will be our first and LAST visit to Bonaire! Maybe BT should send the Hotel Association, dive shops, rental car agencies resort owners and police Department a copy of all the comments on BT about thefts and crimes against tourists. Maybe it should be recommend to all the rental car agencies that they ID the tires on their vehicles so when they are stolen they cannot be resold. Maybe it should be required that all hotels and resorts provide a large safe...large enough to lock cameras, etc., in. (other resorts in the states and Caribbean do this) Maybe the dive resorts are going to have to get together and provide more that one pink bus (my commendations to Photo Tours who seem to be the only people on the island trying to do anything about the theft problem). Maybe the police or hotels if the police are so inept, are going to have to start a CrimeStoppers and offer rewards for the arrest and conviction of petty thieves. As the judge saidBonaire can't take for granted that tourist are going to put up with this for very long. There's lots of great diving in the Pacific where we've never had to worry about petty thievery!
Bonaire has to take ownership of this problem and stop blaming the tourists. Tourists should be able to bring cameras on a trip and yes even leave them in their car along with their clothing, shoes and sunglasses. If vehicles don't have a trunk, then the rental car agencies should be required to provide a locked storage box bolted to the floor of the cab so a tourist can leave their wallet, credit cards, ATM cards etc.
It's becoming clear that there is no safe place to leave possessions the whole time we are in Bonaire. Our room is not safe, day or night, whether we are there or not, and the car is not safe.
As the judge said:"The criminal will use every break society allow him to have under the law. Beat him at his own game, without appreciably diminishing your civil liberties, and thereby making the island safe for all."

I'm posting this on both this topic and the above mentioned topic.

Joan,

Relax. If I didn't feel that Bonaire weren't safe, I wouldn't be living here with my family. Two stolen spare tire incidents over a multi week period don't make an epidemic either. And reading things here on BonaireTalk, which (I think) is less inflammatory and more realistic than any other on-line discussion area, still doesn't necessarily give you a full perspective of how things are or aren't on Bonaire, especially with respect to crime.

There's no question that theft is a growing problem - just as was the case a couple of years ago. Then a handful of bad guys were caught, and some teenagers nabbed in the act, and things quieted down again for a year or so. Now this new handful of bad guys needs to be caught.

As far as making tourism concerns aware of what's being posted on BonaireTalk, they are. I and others forward links to threads and forward individual messages too.

If you read my previous post as you say you did, however, you would have noted that Bonaire's police aren't Bonaire's - they are the Central Government's, and their interest in the economic welfare of Bonaire is probably not very high. A private security force funded privately was discussed a few years ago when this same problem came up, but the problem diminished before the idea could be fully explored and funded, and, committees being what they are, didn't pay attention to matters which were no longer imminent and pressing (I've yet to see a truly forward thinking government or political body, however sad that is).

In terms of requiring car rental companies or hotels to install lock boxes, who's going to do that? Do we need more laws? I don't think so. That's at least one area where tourism dollars can affect change, as people tend to stay at places and rent from places that provide amenities commensurate with what those people are willing to pay. As far as Rental cars go, perhaps it might make sense to ask your Bonaire rental car vendor for a vehicle that looks more "local" instead of featuring a prominent sticker which says "HI! I'm a Rental!".

Finally, in my rant, I have to say that as a world traveler, I NEVER leave valuable things in my car when I am not right near it, and leaving a camera in a car while I'm shore diving in a remote location (or shopping at mall, or hiking in the desert, etc.) is, in my opinion, tantamount to inviting someone to take it, no matter where in the world you are. And, amazingly enough, I've never had my camera or any other valuables stolen from my vehicle on Bonaire or elsewhere, although we did have a radar detector (a cheap $60 one) stolen in a smash and grab from in front of our house in Londonderry, New Hampshire once, and Linda had her car spray painted by vandals while it was parked under the building we had our company in, also in "safe, quiet little New Hampshire".

Sorry to be so curt, but jeez - here you've gone and formed an opinion about Bonaire based on a few posts, patently ignoring the posts by people who (like myself), have never had anything stolen from their cars while diving or snorkeling on Bonaire, nor had their house/apartment/room burgled - there are a lot more of us non-victims than there are victims (and yes - no question that victims do exist, and no, it's not always the victim's fault, but traveling anywhere - in your own town, another state, or another country, is no reason to be blatantly stupid with your valuables).

Any other non-victims care to pipe in here? I need a breather.

Jake

One more thing...
By suggesting that visitors not leave expensive items in their cars during a shore dive, we are NOT trying to blame the victim. We ARE trying to prevent a future crime. In both NH situations, I was told by the police what I could have done to prevent the crime. Was I truely to blame? No. But there were things I could do to reduce my chances of being a victim again.

Joan,

I've travelled to Bonaire 7 different times and I fortunately have never had any problems with theft or vandalism. On our last trip which was in February 02', we did bring my laptop, 2 cameras, 4 dive computers, game boys, cd players and dive gear for three. If we were away from the room the cameras, laptop or dive computers were never left lying around on the kitchen table for someone to drop in and grab. I wouldn't leave anything like that out at any hotel I stay at. I lock them up in a suitcase and lock that suitcase inside another one. So far I haven't had any problems. I also didn't leave any of my gear hanging out on the balcony or patio overnight.

It takes a little extra time each day to put everything away and lock it up but so far I haven't had any problems.

Have a great trip! Hope this helps to ease your mind.

I too have noted an increase in thefts on the island over the last few years. Fortunately, none were of the violent type. I have never been a victim, but sooner or later my luck is going to run out.
Minimizing the problem is not the answer. Security guards and disposable key cards that are rekeyed for each new guest would be a good and earnest start. Room safes large enough to hold cameras & laptops is also not an unreasonable expectation.
I sincerely believe if such basic solutions continue to be ignored by hotels/resorts/etc.,
land tourism will dry up quickly. In its place will be numerous live-aboard dive boats that ply the waters of Bonaire & Curacao.

We have been to Bonaire twice, first in '98, last year in July 01 and just made our reservations for June of this year. If we felt we were in danger, we certainly would not return. In the big city of "Memphis", there is no way I would walk downtown late at night. They have survelliance cameras all over downtown, but that does not stop the crime, usually robbery and murder. In Bonaire, we felt safe walking the streets day or night.
I was at the Memphis zoo a few years ago and some vandal smashed the side window out of the van. Didn't steal anything, because I left nothing in the van.
We have been lucky and followed the "rules" and used common sense when visiting Bonaire. I still feel safer there than I do in my hometown!
As far as things being taken from rooms, we do like we do when staying at any hotel or motel in the US, as Jake said, put valuables in the suitcases and lock them. We always throw dirty clothes on top of the suitcases. No one likes to mess with dirty clothes!

This will be our 8th. trip to Bonaire, normally for 3 to 5 weeks at a time. I am so excited to get back to Bonaire I can hardly stand it! Afraid-no way! My husband and I have a routine at dive sites. He takes his driver's license, a credit card, and cash and puts it in a ziplock bag or two to take with him diving. Yes, it usually leaks, but Bonaire is use to wet money. We never lock the car doors, and we leave the windows down. The only real valuables left in the car are our sun glasses, and we hide them. Other items we leave behind are extra air tanks, rinse bottles, cheap dive bags, towels and t-shirts. We have noticed that our car has sometimes been searched by someone, but we apparently don't leave behind anything of interest to thieves. We always stash our room valuables in suitcases or elsewhere, and if we have a safe key, we hide that also. We leave ALL our jewelry home, including rings and fancy watches. Dive watches are the accepted wear anytime on Bonaire.
We have never had any problems with our lodging, and we have stayed at Buddy Dive, Sand Dollar, Dive Flamingo and Lions Dive. As far as other islands, we behave pretty much the same way as we do on Bonaire except for St. Lucia.
Back in 1996, we were robbed at knife point on St. Lucia at 9 a.m. in a so-called safe area of Castries. Now that was scary! You don't just wander around St. Lucia by yourselves. You should have a guide or travel in large groups, but that's another story for another newsgroup.
I would like to see the culprits caught, but even after that point, I will probably still be cautious wherever we go. Like I have said in other discussions, wherever we are diving, I always wish we were back on Bonaire.

If there is interest in a private security force, my husband and I would be more than willing to add an extra $10 to the Marine Park fee each year if that would help finance such a thing. I would think that most divers would be comfortable with that.

At the resort where we stayed on St. John, USVI, they had large in-room safes, large enough for my laptop plus wallets, passports and so forth. Another recent hotel stay (Miami) had a big enough safe to store my whole briefcase.

The safe in the apartment where we last stayed on bonaire was so small it would fit only a wallet and passports. The other concern with small safes is ease of stealing the whole safe!

As several have pointed out, this isn't a problem of any one island, and prevention measures certainly are worthwhile, but when travelling, part of that prevention starts with the hotel or resort. I do hope more will offer real, usable safes in the future. I also hope someday Bonaire gets control of its own police force and laws (and the will to do something with both).

While I agree w/ Mimi's proactive suggestions, I also feel that with the very low level of the problem, Bonaire is by far safer than anyplace I have ever been to! I have never felt safer or more at peace at any time than when in Bonaire. And with a very low level of precautions we can minimize our own level of risk/exposure. $10 more, of course we would all be willing if it would do the job - But is it a significant problem worthy of the often repeated discussions we've seen on this site? I don't think so. I don't leave valuables in my car when I dive anywhere in the US either. And if I do so I realize the risk I am taking. (Do you lock X-Mas presents in your car when shopping in the mall - not recommended in the States!) And, we need to take some responsibility for our own safety and protection - Most write ups of hotels state 'in room safe' - if not, we should ask and make our reservations accordingly. And if reservations are too late to change, maybe discussing concerns with the hotel management will provide some resolution or ideas for precautions.
After all is said and done... Joan, I wish you a great vacation, enjoy every minute, may you have the best of winds and quiet bubbles and lots of awesome underwater views.

After all this input I have a few things to toss into the mix. We all have a certain responsibility to protect our own property. This means not doing stupid things like leaving valuables in the car in remote locations. However, as paying guests we also have the right to expect a certain amount of protection in our rooms. If thieves feel safe entering a resort in the day time and can easily enter a room, then that resort is too lax in their security. I am not personally attached enough to any belongings to keep me from my vacation on Bonaire and I have homeowners insurance that will cover theft. However, I would personally rather pay for security up-front than pay the deductable on my insurance. Maybe any other tourists who feel the same way can pay $5.00 a day extra to the resort. The reosrt could use these funds to increase security. How hard could it be? I would think that locals would be easy to recognize on an island this small with such as small population. Or the tourists who opt in for the additonal charge and are victims of theft from their rooms could get their home owners insurance deductable reimbursed from this fund and a break on rental equipment for the remainder of their trip. Or better yet, give the vicitims a small discount on new equipment they can put on their charge cards and pay when they are reimbursed by their insurance company. Heck this would make everyone happy and improve the local economy. Notice I did not say thefts from cars is covered because that is back to common sense precautions. The only problem is marketing this idea without making it sound like Bonaire has a real crime problem, which I seriously doubt. I was on St. Thomas staying at a high dollar resort and was advised not to go outside alone after dark. A tourist was stabbed to death about 50 feet from the resort during this week at sunset. Frankly, I feel very unsafe in the USVI and I do not get the impression that anyone fears for their personal safety on Bonaire. If every resort participated in this plan and deposited all funds in a central account to earn interest and other capital gains there would probably be enough surplus to fund a local police force. Ok, enough for one day.

Here's the problem Jake,
I've been windsurfing and diving in Bonaire about once every year for the last 8 years. My last trip was last month. And yes I have been ripped off several years back. I left a small camera and my wallet under the seat where it was out of site. I locked the car. Since I did leave stuff in my, the authorities basically told me it was my own fault. That logic doesn't wash with me! If I lock my car that means for people to stay out...but as one of your previous BT'ers alluded to in Bonaire that means get a rock and break the window!
I go to Maui windsurfing and diving every other year. It's more expensive for me to Maui from the east coast then to Bonaire! Diving is better in Boanire by far! BUT in Maui I can load the van up with all my gear in the morning. Scuba and windsurfing. I head to a remote dive spot at 0800 and hop in for a dive. I lock my van. I leave my shoes, towel etc at the entry site. When I come back everything is there untouched. I then hop in the van and head out for windsurfing. Again, all my scuba stuff is locked in the van. Lots of the other windsurfers leave there vehicles hanging wide open with their stuff in it. I lock mine. All the scuba stuff and extra windsurfing stuff and my wallet under the seat, vidoe camera in the back with the other stuff, is still there 6 hours later when I leave. At night I leave most of the stuff locked in the van the whole two weeks I'm there. The van is parked in the lot outside the condo's. What I don't leave there I leave drying on the chairs on the patio of my ground floor condo! Nothing has ever been stollen from me.
Now when I come to Bonaire, I have to make constant trips back to the Sand Dollar to switch gear. I can't pack and go for the day. I can't leave a camera in the car to take shots of the Bonaire kids or the kite boarders sneaking out on Lac Bay at 0700 in the AM! I can't even leave my cooler in the unlocked car like I did last month without someone going through my lunch and taking what they want out of it. I have to hide my wallet and keys in the bushes somewhere and leave my truck unlocked! It's just a royal pain in the ass! I spend way too much time going back to the resort to empty the car and switch gear.
That's the complaint. Yes there are lots of things we can do to prvenet the crime...but how about dealing with the criminals instead of punishing the tourists?

I forgot to add...
Problem is I love windsurfing and diving on Bonaire...so until someone knocks me over the head to steal from me, I'll keep coming back....but I wish some of the people in Bonaire would realize that they are harming the economy of Bonaire by frightening tourists away.

This is Joan (2) from Albuquerque
I look forward to my upcoming trip in two days and counting. If I can ever get through all the packing! It sounds as if we are taking as much stuff as the Powers! Plus all the windsurfing stuff!
I will hide my lap top as Jake suggested, and promised to email the other Joan from the Twin Cities about all my experiences before I leave the island! I agree with Curtis, it will be a pain going back and forth to the resort to switch gear as we are hoping to combine diving and windsurfing. That's our whole reason for coming to Bonaire is to be able to partake in both sports at the same time! Between dives we hope to catch some wind! If it's too much of a pain in the you know what, then we'll just windsurf....

I would leave the lap top at home. There are several neat internet cafes downtown that are resonably priced. I can not remember the names of them, however at one of you can order up an ice cold brite and check your email!

Good letter Curt!! I agree that the authorities need to punish the criminals. Yes, the crimes right now are not life-threatening, but without something being done, the crimes could escalate, and they have already escalated some in the last ten years. I think we all agree that it shouldn't be that difficult to catch the bad guys on such a small island. It would be great to see the culprits names listed in the local paper along with what punishment they would receive. I am for organizing some sort of private security unit, if the police are not willing to take action. The more I think about it the more I would really love to be able to take a few more items along in our vehicle when we go across the island. I would certainly hate to see Bonaire become another St. Thomas where serious crime happens every night probably because of the slap them on the wrist and set them free attitude of US law. One of the reasons this topic gets hashed over so much is because it is becoming a bigger problem for tourists.

Being a non diver, I have not had the need to leave my vechicle at a remote area, and have never had a problem. However this past Feb. we did have a problem in the resort we were staying at. Someone tried to break in while we were asleep. I noticed the screen was off the back window. There was a chair leaning against the outside wall, but they couldn't get in as the window only opens 4-5 inches. There were 2 other cottages that weren't so lucky. They had left a window in the back doors open. The thieves cut the screen and reach inside and unlocked the 2 locks on the door. They took money, purses etc, what ever they saw out. This is scary as these cottages were all occupied. We are all lucky that no one woke up and confronted the thieves. The police did come down and talked to everyone involved, and they did seem compasionate. The resort did put a ad in the local paper offering a reward. I understand that a home was raided young teenagers as well as some older ones were arrested and many stolen items were found. I don't have the answers on how to safeguard our belongings. And hopefully as more and more tourists complain and report to the local authorities and the Bonaire Tourist Assoc and Hotel and restaurant assoc. - maybe then maybe we will see some results. Also sending some letters to the Bonaire reporter might help.

This has also been a hot topic here on island. A group of us discussing it thought the key would be making sure thefts get reported to the police as their record of thefts is surprisingly low. 182 for last year. The government will respond to accurate numbers we think. The key would be to be able to make the report at the resort (or dive shop or what ever) instead of the police station where you could lose half a day of vacation. A stock form would have to be created and turned in to the police by those taking it. I have no idea what would truly be involved or even if this is possible, but do think that numbers would prove the problem that we all are aware of and might prompt more intervention.

susan - Is there some reason that the hotel/resort/condo owners haven't formed their own task force (with or without government support)regarding room thefts? What are they (owners)waiting for? And why are we (tourists)protecting the identities of the offending hotels/resorts/condos?
I am no longer willing to remain silent. During my two week stay in February, there were locked door room thefts at Eden Beach and Sand Dollar. This was not hearsay. I personally spoke to the victims at both places.
I implore everyone who posts on this board to speak up. Let's help one another avoid disaster. The vacation you save, may be your own.

I agree. I am trying to find a positive way to get the correct numbers to the government so they will respond. I agree it will take a partnership of resorts/dive operations and others to make this happen. I do not know if the resort groups have been asked to make inroads nor do I know if it is appropriate for them to do so. It may take a tourism group to do this. Seems a better direction than the frustration that everyone seems to be experiencing.
Bonaire Talk is a great tool of communication but is limited to those who read and participate in the forum. I think, as you say, that may be time to get others involved.

Having done a bit more research I came upon this posting under trip reports.

"The most important things crime victims can do for Bonaire is to take the time to report the thefts no matter how minor it may seem. A t-shirt or sandels who cares but the police need to see a pattern of thefts. Unless someone looses something valuable like a camera or has a window broken, many people don't report it. If you don't want to bother with police, it would help to report it to Bonhata (hotel and tourism association). They also work with the police on these kinds of problems."

Office Address:
Kaya Gob. Nicolaas Debrot #67, Office #201, Bonaire, NA
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 358, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles
Telephone 599-717-5134 Fax 599-717-8534
Email: info@bonhata.org

Jake has also created a form that can be sent to Bonhata which is attached to the following link.

http://www.oldbonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/1022/21467.html?#POST53184

Okay, I have refrained from the crime threads so far, but here are my two cents. The idea that if all the crimes were reported, something would change doesn't fly for me. I have no doubt that the police, the government, and the tourism board all know there is a problem, whether every tshirt that has been stolen gets reported or not. Regardless of the fact that the problem is known, there has been little effort to solve the problem. What is going to make them act? I don't know. But reporting of every single crime is not it in my opinion. In my opinion, two things seem much more likely to work: (1) a significant drop in tourism (for instance, an organized boycott), or (2) some bad publicity that reaches a large audience (larger than this message board at least). Option (1) seems unlikely to happen. Option (2) is a bit more feasible. Here's a novel idea: start a website with a catchy name like www.bonairecrime.com that allows people to report incidents of criminal activity. Make the reports accessible to visitors of the site so they can read about specific crimes. Also include some email and snailmail addresses of the police, the government, the tourism board, etc. where visitors to the site can start a letter writing campaign. It doesn't necessarily have to be a "Bash Bonaire" website, just one that presents the facts. Then, stick a big full page ad for the website in one of the scuba magazines. I bet that would raise some eyebrows. Anyone want to pony up the cash for the project?

Susan - I will gladly volunteer my time & energy to work with your group in solving this problem. We need representation from tourists, resorts, dive shops, restaurants and shop owners.

One of the forseeable problems in organizing this will be people's fears (real or imagined) of retaliation. We may need to find a way to insure anonymity, in order to get every victim to file an incident report.

A couple of corrections. I did not create the BONHATA Crime Report form - BONHATA did that back in 1999 when this problem reared its head then two before a couple groups of thieves were caught. The form is still in use.

As far as "www.bonairecrime.com" goes, Greg, the domain was reserved and used as part of a crime petition to the central government to allow for police reforms back in 1999 and decommissioned after the petition drive was completed - look in the archives of the Bonaire E-News for details (www.bonaireenews.com).

You can boycott all you wish, but since Bonaire itself doesn't control its own police force (see my comments in the thread Susan mentioned above), it's unlikely to have much affect other than increasing crime as local people loose jobs.

Bad publicity - go ahead, but make sure you have valid facts and can support them. And then you have to make sure that the right people see your bad publicity, and then, that they even care. Considering that the people who make a difference in terms of policing aren't even on Bonaire, it means you have to send things to the Minister of Justice in Curacao (which was the target of the previous petition campaign as well, incidentally). Include the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles in your mail as well.

I mentioned making sure you have the facts. Well, the best way to get them is to get an idea of how much crime actually occurs on Bonaire - hearsay is not very factual, and as many people (as I've heard - no proof) don't report crimes to the police because of the occasionally aloof attitude thereof, it leaves us with creating a central repository of crime reports, and my suggestion continues to be to use BONHATA, since they represent the business on Bonaire which have the most to loose if crime starts seriously hurting tourism, and as such have the most motivation to push the central government for changes, but they can only do it with the facts in hand. No facts - no valid action.

Jake

Wow, I can see I touched a nerve. That's why I have avoided these threads. Let this be my final words on the subject. I have only visited Bonaire one time. I was not a victim of a crime. But, I was paranoid of having things stolen from the truck every time we went diving. Mind you, I only left t-shirts and sandals in the truck, and it wouldn't have been the end of the world if they had been stolen, but I was worried about the spare tire. What it all come down to for me is, I liked Bonaire. I liked it alot. But what I liked most about it was the freedom that shore diving allows. At the same time I didn't like looking over my shoulder all the time. So, will I return to Bonaire? I don't know. The only reason I would not is because of the crime problems. If I did, I would probably do boat dives only so I wouldn't have to worry with about being ripped off. And if boat diving is what I am doing, there are many other places where I can do that.

Ok, this will really be my last word:

Jake - this is a post you made to the rec.scuba newsgroup in 1997:

"Well, it appears that the thread here in rec.scuba dealing with
Bonaire crime has been noticed by the press of Bonaire. This past
Monday, Extra, the local Papiamentu newspaper, had a front page
headline hinting at a possible boycott of Bonaire starting via the
Internet. My understanding is that the local paper was made aware of
the thread by a concerned Netizen, which just goes to show that people
will listen if you just make a point of trying to let them know what
your concerns are.

In reading the article and main editorial for that day (see
translation included below), I think there has been a wake-up call
here for a number of people regarding the seriousness of the crime
problem here as regards the tourism industry that is so important to
Bonaire’s livelihood. Whether there will be any action taken by local
government to crack down on property crimes is to be seen, but I’m
encouraged by the reaction of those who have mentioned to me that they
have read the article.

I had a friend who speaks Papiamentu try and translate the article and
Editorial that discuss the issue, and here’s what was in the paper,
made as readable as possible. My apologies to those who are quoted
below - your statements probably suffered as a result of the
translation from English to Papiamentu and back to English again:

------------------------------
[Start of Article]

Bonaire Internet Boycott?
(As appeared in the October 13, 1997 issue of Extra, Bonaire’s
Papiamentu newspaper, translated, somewhat, to English)

Lately, there have been a lot of negative comments about Bonaire on
the Internet. The comments come from tourists that have visited the
island and have become victims of the crime of theft. In the last few
days, under the title "You Can Help Stop Bonaire Crime", there have
been some very interesting observations and comments. There have even
been comments that you indicate some people are thinking of boycotting
Bonaire as a tourist destination. This discussion was conducted on the
Internet under the aforementioned title. The person who started the
discussion, Gianni, has good intentions, but the reaction he got
speaks for itself. The discussion took place in the diving newsgroup
[rec.scuba]. Skip Welson, of Columbia, S.C., writes: [I’ve borrowed
from a commented copy of the message I happened to have saved]

HW "Skip" Weldon wrote in article
...
> On 3 Oct 1997 16:20:00 GMT, jthurb@aol.com (JTHURB) wrote:
>
> >In article ,
> >diverdude2@aol.com (Diverdude2) writes:
> >
> >>My wife and I together with another couple visited Bonair this last April.
> >> Everything said about crime there is true
> >
> >Why not try to change it?? Write letters to both the
> >government and the local newspaper. Tell them you will not come back and
> >why. Be polite and respectful. Put the correct postage on the envelope.
> >
> >Government of Bonaire
> >Bestuurscollege
> >Bonaire
> >Netherlands Antilles
> >
> >
> >Newspaper Extra
> >Bonaire
> >Netherlands Antilles
> >Ciao! Gianni
> >
>
> Gianni,
> I realize you're trying to help, but
> I don't care about changing Bonaire.
>
> I can get great diving, lodging and food in Cozumel, the Bahamas,
> Florida Keys or the Caymans without all the Bonaire negatives of crime
> and ALM losing my luggage and cancelling flights.
>
> In USA we call that capitalism.
> They need me. Not the reverse.
>
>
>
> HW "Skip" Weldon
> Columbia, SC
> ----------------
> All email filtered. Please respond to board.
>

I agree completely.

As a friend of mine always said:
"Vote with your dollars"
.-
.- When replying to this message
.- remove KNUJ from my e-mail address,
.- or CLICK on the following:
.- DRTaylor@worldnet.att.net

D. Taylor also got involved in the discussion on the Internet and says
that what Skip wrote about crime on Bonaire is true. In the month of
April last year he visited Bonaire with his wife. "Everything that’s
been written about crime here is true", he said in the Newsgroup.

Gianni, the person who started the discussion, said "Why not try to
change this situation? Write a letter to the government of Bonaire and
the local newspaper Extra. Tell them that you won’t come to Bonaire
anymore, and also tell them the reason why. Try to be decent and
respectful."

Fortunately, there were people who came forward in defense of Bonaire.
Someone named Keith wrote that he had visited the island on two
occasions and had never personally encountered theft or crime on
Bonaire. However, a couple staying in the same hotel with them were
victims of theft. The thieves broke into their room and made off with
their valuables, including jewelry.

Keith commented "On the island of Bonaire we met very nice people,
both on the boats and in the dive shops. There is excellent diving,
and it is less expensive than Grand Cayman, where they rob you
legally. Anytime you pay there with American dollars, they add 20% to
your account." Keith went on to say that he had been robbed in Cozumel
and Continental lost his baggage getting there, and American Airlines
had also lost his luggage once.

"We live in Chicago and thieves have broken into our house once. What
I’m trying to say is that anywhere you can become a victim of crime,
but this must not discourage honest, hardworking people from letting
governments of places where such problems exist from letting the
government know that this is a real concern. This doesn’t mean that
you have to condemn a whole country and its people for what a minority
is doing."

[End of Article]
------------------------------------
[Start of Editorial]

A Serious Situation

Bonaire is encountering a very serious situation related to crimes
committed against tourists. Day by day the situation gets worse. In
these last few days, for example, we’ve noticed a big discussion in
the diving newsgroup on the Internet under the title "You Can Help
Stop Bonaire Crime". With good reason, tourists are getting fed up
with the situation. They come to Bonaire to dive, to enjoy their
vacations, but then they encounter a situation where their belongings
are stolen. This discussion has been started, by the way, by someone
who had good intentions (Gianni) who wants to stop the wave of crime
that’s been affecting the tourists visiting Bonaire lately. This
situation is very serious and we think that something has to be done
very quickly. If we don’t the right steps involving quick and
effective action against this development, the future of Bonaire looks
very bleak. It’s not enough to just have meetings and talk about the
problem - it’s time to act before it’s too late. Nowadays, with the
Internet, this type of negative information gets around the world in
record time."

Jake -

The idea for a website dedicated to crime on Bonaire may have some flaws, but the point is bad publicity can have an impact. I was just brainstorming, it's not up to me (nor do I care to) to try to solve the problems on Bonaire. It seems to have had some impact in the case of the previous post. Did you notice any changes in 1997 after the above article was in the paper?

And, Yes, that is my final answer!

Two further obervations: (1) The crime problem is getting worse, and the frequency of crime will continue to grow as will the level of violence if dramatic intervention is not forthcomming. Petty car thefts are a growing problem, but by far the more significant aspect of crime on Bonaire is the willingness and frequency of room burglaries(breaking and entering into your habitation) both with and without victims present in the rooms. There have been many instances recently of thieves actually cutting screens and breaking into rooms WHILE PEOPLE ARE SLEEPING! Bonaire is now only a short step from seeing armed robberies and even murder of tourists. The criminals have become emboldened by a pervasive atmosphere of apathy and ineptitude by officials and police on Bonaire. Agree or disagree, but I gaurantee you, that this situation will get worse, much worse, if swift and immediate steps are not taken to detect, arrest, prosecute to the max. and punish to the max. those perpetrating all crime, even the so called petty crimes. (2) For those of us who have been comming to Bonaire for years, it is especially sad to see this pristine paradise slip away into the hands of criminals. It is even more sad to realize that fear and concern over becomming a victim of crime is an ever present part of living on or visiting Bonaire. Years ago, I never gave crime on Bonaire a thought, because it rarely happened. Today, it occupies the thoughts of many visitors to the island, either because we experience it first hand or frequently hear of it. No longer can visitors relax and not worry about crime. Now we have to plan our activities and our day and night around protecting ourselves. Life on Bonaire is no longer as carefree as it once was. Again, I ask, if this problem continues to grow unchecked, where will Bonaire be in another ten years. Will it be a place anyone wants to visit?

I've had the spare tire theft and a few peripheral items this year and I say this, it's a relatively simple thing to control if the tourist trade is important to the island. Other islands control the petty thefts and vandalism pretty well. It's not a very difficult task to do the stake outs necessary to find the punks who perform these crimes and an occasional mop-up to control.
The only thing that will make this happen is the residents and local vendors who rely on the tourists. If they don't get the message, send food stamps and hope the theives don't get those, too.

Curt
Your message is a 10-4.

I too realize we have a dual thread going in this topic and under Trip Reports (Jake, maybe you need a crime topic to make it easier to follow these threads).

Having been a recent car-theft victim (last week), where I lost a ratty old t-shirt, shorts and a half-empty used water bottle, I had a few thoughts on the subject. First, it was completely my fault...I left the stuff in the car, rather than take it with my towel and shoes down to the shore. (I'm willing to bet that soon the thiefs will take to shore raiding too -- experience from other islands shows that the thiefs just get more bold as time passes)

No matter where you travel in Caribbean, theft is an issue (visit St. Lucia or Jamaica and you'll worry about more than theft...) You can't compare it to living in the states, and you can't follow the traditional guidelines we take for granted in the states (i.e. locking car doors, assuming hotel doors are secure,etc.) Bonaire's remote shore dives sites makes it an attractive option for crafty thieves. I think in fairness to all the visitors who don't know about this website, car rental agencies should do a better job of informing anyone renting a car of the crime problem at the sites and suggest recommendations (i.e. not to lock car doors). What amazed me is that my car thief did it while picnicners sat 100 to 200 ft away and another group of divers was gearing up to enter the water. There were a good 10 people at the site and not in the water when our car alarm went off... but no one even bothered to walk over and check the car.

I'm not as concerned about the car thefts...it's rather easy to leave most everything at home and carry a waterproof bag for imporant items (like eyeglasses and keys). I'm more concerned about the recent rash of room breakins. From reading trip reports and talking with people on our return trip home, we know of nearly a half-dozen room breakins during our stay on the island -- many of these happening at night while people were asleep (and unable to hear much because of air conditioners). And several of these happened at a resort with night security on duty (Sand Dollar).

Having been in the tourism business for the 30 years, it would seem to me that the resort owners need to be at the forefront of this issue. While they may not have much influence over the law enforcement because of the unique situation on BON (see Jake's explaination re: police interest) with it's law enforement, but resort owners could:

1.) install heavy-duty locks on all the doors (sliding glass doors are the easiest entry point for B&E regarless of whether it's in Minnesota or Bonaire)

2.) install large room safes (large enough for cameras and laptops) in each room (charge extra and offer it as an option)

3.) have on-site night security (even it it doesn't thwart crime, it gives the appearance that the resort is taking crime seriously)

4.) alert guests when a crime has happened on the premises or nearby. Post a warning sign on a bulletin board, put fliers under doors reminding guests to keep valuables out of site, stored in the safe (if available), etc. Ask them to report suspicious activity. I did report to the Sand Dollar office one night that two young men where "hanging around" and I hadn't seen them before. Come to find out, they were the security guys...but whey did they hang out together? Shouldn't they be patroling opposite ends of the compound? The office staff person did seem concerned and was going to call and check on whether they were security. I was comfortable with her response to my inquiry.

5.) Train maids to not leave the doors open while they clean. Anyone who knows a maid's routine of cleaning, knows they would have 5 or more minutes to case a living room while the maid was in the back/upstairs bedroom cleaning. Our maids consistently left the door open the entire time they cleaned the condo.

6.) Have crime be a regular feature in the local newspaper...giving reports on what's happening. And, write more about the issue of crime (not just on BON, but all the islands) and what the island (police or resort owners or citizens) are doing about it...

8.) Have car rental agenices be more specific in their recommendations and explain the car theft system (and what you should do if you hear someone's alarm going off at a dive site.) We didn't even know our car had an alarm until it went off. It drove us nuts and obviously wasn't a deterant to the thief who raided our car.

Additional thoughts...
7.) Establish a citizen's crime task force that can get a better handle on the economic impact that unfettered crime might have on the island's tourism. Money is the only motivator. The group could conduct an exit survey at the airport to gather data on # of people affected by crime and its impact on their decision to return to the island.

8.) The resorts could band together to hire security at some of the more prone sites during key hours (Karpata for example has the abandoned complex, which is an easy spot for thieves to hang).


While some people (hard-core divers) will continue to come no matter what, many more may seek out island destinations that offer more "security" such as the all-inclusive resorts or "brand name" properties (i.e. Hiltons). There is a lot of parity in the resort industry on Bonaire - many good options. However, a smart resort owner would choose to leverage the issue instead of ignoring it. The resorts that go above and beyond in how they deal with security and crime once it's happened can use it as a differentiator in attracting visitors.

Crime is everywhere and can happen to anyone. I think it's the acceptance of it as a "way of life" on BON that is frustrating for visitors. And, in watching the Jamaica's, Grand Caymans and St. Lucia's of the world, it can get significantly worse -- and that would be unfortunate for everyone -- visitors and residents alike.

Amen!

This matter is very frightening. Bonaire, to me, is a place to escape the ratrace and every day horrors we live and see in our cities and even in my heavily populated area in NJ. We bring our own door bolt locks with us and install them if they are not already on the door (this only helps if you are occupying your room) but the thought of someone "raidng" my room and stealing my hard earned possessions maddens me to no end. Yes, they are only "possessions" and material things, but they are mine and I would prefer to keep them that way...mine! The breakins while rooms are occupied is totally frightening...someone is going to end up maimed or dead..be it the thief or the room occupant...that will be coming next.

I have been "pushing" Bonaire travel to quite a few people including dear friends of mine. Some of them are from the West Coast and this decision would be a big one for them due to travel and expenses...how do I "warn" them about rising crime? Might as well tell them not to go. This concerns me, as well. Should something happen to them or their belongings while on Bonaire I would feel partially responsible for their becoming a victim of crime on Bonaire. There is no such thing as "petty crime"...crime is crime. It is an outright violation and should not be tolerated at any level. I would not want to see what would happen to the "thief" if my husband were to run into someone attempting to steal anything of ours...it would not be a pretty picture. We all have our limits and theft of any sort would cross that line.

Someone on this tread had made reference to it "being my fault" when their vehicle had items removed from it while they were diving...this is not the case...the THIEF is at fault and the system is at fault for this type of activity...certainly not the victim. We can take precautions but we are not the cause of this crime spree.

I will print out the form for Bonhata and take it with me but I pray we will never have to use it. As much as we love Bonaire and her people (the honest ones!) should we become the victims of any sort of crime I do not think we would return. We would love to LIVE on Bonaire if we could, but to think that, as a tourist, I must be "on guard" at all times is very disturbing. I realize the folks who live there must be on "alert", too, but at least they have the option of having a nice guard dog on premises or an alarm system or self defense tools at hand.

Don't get me wrong...I love Bonaire and can't wait to return shortly, but having been a victim of burglaries and thefts in the past in my own residence and elsewhere, the thought of being a "victim" on Bonaire only gives me one more thing to worry about. I am a "worrier" at heart anyway....vacations are supposed to take me away from my "worries"!

Has anyone heard of any "problems" at the Divi lately? I do recall a family had a "visitor" in their room at the timeshare side in the middle of the night a few years ago...what is the situation there now?? Thanks for listening and allowing me to vent. Carole

Lots of interesting thoughts here and I'd like to address a couple.

First the notion that diving in the Bahama's, Cozumel or the Keys is somehow 'safer' than Bonaire is not a salient point (nor is it true). I live in the Keys and if you think we're crime free (100 mile from miami) you're crazy.

The idea of an organized "boycott" is intriguing becuase it would get all of the people to really take notice...Unfortunately it is also a harsh economic slap in the face to the Bonaire businesses we love.

In my estimation, the majority of Bonarians take tourist for granted and have a bit of a disdainful attitude towards us (it wasn't always this way). I don't believe the 'locals' have nearly the concern for this petty theft as visitors either, because I don't think it is affecting them...Which is why there is less outcry from the community at large. I so often get the feeling that they want my dollars but don't really want me...

While the police force is not controlled by Bonaire are the members of the police force not members of the community? Are they not brothers, neighbors and friends of local Bonarians? Certainly if the community was up in arms these individuals could have it within their power to do a better job locally despite the fact that the Central Government doesn't care. Certainly the local police have it within their power to align with tourist associations to take preventative measures...

Lastly, do diplomatic relations have no avenues here, at all? Can the the local government make no waves to Central Government or overtures to the host Government in the Netherlands? I'm only wondering here, but I can't beleive the people of Bonaire have been left to be totally, 100% subserviant to Curacao...

I'm not going to belabor the other points here Thomas, but if you believe only tourists are targeted think again. Those happen to be the only thefts getting publicity here, but locals get hit just as often if not more than tourists. Bonairean culture however, tends to suggest that people not air their dirty laundry, which is why a lot of such theft goes unreported.

Greg - Did our articles themselves make a difference on how things were done on Bonaire? Not really - they just made people here mad at Linda and myself for airing dirty laundry (ironically not the locals, but the foreigners here were the ones upset - go figure) and "blowing things out of proportion". What did make a difference at that time? The police catching a couple of groups of thieves. It's a small island, as many have pointed out, and a majority of the theft is performed by a very small number of very active people. It's just a matter of catching them, which is why filing reports (to help determine patterns, among other things) is important.

Jake

Bonaire's police officers are not usually Bonaireans and are unlikely to have family here. Yes, they live here for a year or two but are generally from other Antillean islands. The head of the police reports to the Central Government in Curacao not to the Bonairean Island government. Laws, enforcement, and punishment are determined by Curacao. Curacao has repeatedly proven they could careless about the other islands of the Antilleans except when it comes to collecting our taxes. They control the Parliment due to having the largest population and therefore the majority within the Central Government. Aruba left the Neth. Antilles for precisely the same lack of consideration. The Dutch government has made a restriction which prevents any of the remaining 5 islands from breaking off as Aruba did while still remaining part of the Dutch Kingdom.

The Bonaire government as well as our sister islands have all applied, begged for help directly to Holland with little results. Suits and petitions have all be sent to the Queen and the ministers in Holland. They were even votes in St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatia to leave the Neth. Antilles. Bonaire's referendum comes up this year.

That said, I've just heard (this morning - no less) of a new NGO (non-profit, non-government) that has formed to create a community watch system for the entire island. It has about 5 members plus some 15 volunteers currently. Their goal is to create a 24 hour watch within each community. Eventually, they would like to develop a security training program for the local people. The watch is not just against crime but a desire to foster community spirit by getting to know your neighbors and caring about them. It sounds like a great idea to me and an effort I'll gladly give my support to.

Regarding the 'publicity' angle someone suggested
(Greg?)- I also read the rec.scuba.locations newsgroup, and Bonaire periodically gets quite a bit of 'crime publicity' there. And always triggers a 'war' between the opposing factions to the extent that the innocent bystander doesnt know who to believe.
From the standpoint of someone who HASNT been to Bonaire yet, but wants to, its very difficult to judge the size of the problem - certainly the recent stories of thefts from rooms, esp at night, have concerned me more than the car theft stories. But I find it hard to judge the scale of the problem compared with the other islands I've visited ( incl St Lucia, Dominica, Cayman Brac, Grand Cayman, Antigua, Tobago)- I hadnt got access to as much info about those islands before I went, but I didnt have any security concerns on any of them (above the 'normal' ones, which for me would include locking things IN the car boot rather than leaving the car open!)
A publicity campaign via the Web would only reach a proportion of possible visitors and would only start the sort of inconclusive arguments that go on on rec.scuba.locations. The argument that tourist numbers dropping would increase the crime (because of increased unemployment) is a strong one.

Thanks for the clarification Jake, no argument will ensue from me as my knowledge is as a visitor only. I know that in the islands what may seem simple & common-sensical to us often causes us to fail in recognizing the differences. Again, no offense intended...

Thanks to Linda, as well. Although your answers paint a picture I was rather hoping not to see...I agree that any "community pride" inititive is a good thing and can (hopefully) help the community to police its own a little better, but where is the solution to the actual problem...Any solution? Is this a permanent catch-22 whereby things could just deteriorate until nobody would want to visit anymore, leaving the island with no employment, rampant crime & chaos? It seems that some safeguard has to exist...

I just read my above post & need to comment further. I don't mean to indicate that the crime exisitng on Bonaire is going to lead to the scenerio I portrayed "no employment, rampant crime & chaos", for I agree that while what is happening is troublesome it is hardly earth shattering, my concern is that from what we have learned about the "politics" on the Island could or would anything be done if truly monumental changes in behavior began to be seen? Or is the situation simply what it is and what will happen, good or bad, just going to happen because Curacao & the Netherlands simply do not care?

Linda, that's good news.

So after reading these posts,(very quickly), here are my thoughts:

Hopefully, those that have businesses on the island will want to get involved too. Surely, they don't want to find themselves out of business due to a lack of tourism, right? And with increased tourism, comes new jobs..

Community watch schemes have not always proven to be effective, but on a small island, there's more of a chance. I believe the key thing here is to not just recognize the problem, but to also find the root of the problem. Often, when people commit crimes, they do it simply to obtain some quick cash, whereas, in some cases, they enjoy the partaking of the crime too. But I feel that's a separate issue here.

Certainly, criminals should be punished, but to what extent? Just how effective can the punishment be, if the offender does not believe he/she is really doing something wrong. Perhaps this way of life has been instilled into them from an early age, in other words, they know no different. Sadly, when people start to commit crimes from a younge age, often as the person matures, small petty crimes develop into much more severe ones. So, should we be blaming the parents? Why aren't their children at school? and so on... It is essential that children are taught right from wrong.. and it's never too late to teach or learn. Perhaps the Bonaire Police and volunteers should think about setting up house calls.. pop in, say "hello", assess the situation.. talk to the youngsters, the parents, try to get a feel for what's going on in that neighbourhood.. poverty is a problem, always has been, always will be.. when money is tight, it's often easier to send out the children to make a fast buck! And that's where it all starts, and it happens all over the world, right?

Perhaps then there should be a General deterrence, punishing an offender as an example to the rest of society, whereby the residents on the island, are made fully aware of the punishment. Also, the punishement should be PROPORTIONAL to the crime. Punishment should also be quick, so that the people very quickly associate the punishment with the crime. The idea of this is to frighten others.

On a final note, I have said this before, we've never been victims of crime whilst on Bonaire, though we have been victims elsewhere. Hugh became a victim on Cozumel some years ago, he had valuables stolen, one of which was of sentimental value. I became a victim right here in the UK, I had my new car stereo stolen from outside my parents house, a very quiet, respectable area.. so, we know what it's like to be a victim. I certainly hope that things will get better for Bonaire, I for one, will not let the criminals win, just as we didn't let the terrorists win.. we didn't give up our vacation then, and we're not going to do it now. Sarah

67 Days till Bonaire! Please if cooler thefts concern you stay home, I enjoy being the only one at a dive site. Did I mention, 67 days till Bonaire!
Andy

63 days and counting for me and Joe...we will be there by hook or crook...oops...bad play on words, there! Nothing will stop us from enjoying paradise. CArole

43 days for me. I just cann't wait to arrive there and say Hi to all the (old and new) friends on the island!!!

Andrew, did I say 43 days??? YES!!!!

17 days!!!!

113 days!!

13 days

3+ hours until I go in the water here on Bonaire for a dive :-)

Jake

Cruel, Jake, positively cruel!!! May your regulator freeflow immediately.

Now, that's not funny Jake!

Jake, why don't you just rub it in good and get in front of the webcam for us!

we will expect a dive report Jake!!!!

I wonder if this makes you folks feel any better?

Returning from morning boat dives:

Makes me realize that I need a "divin' fix" real bad but alas it looks like only mud-hole diving for me for awhile. Wish we were there!

98 days and we will be diving on the "Green Flash"

ps: the guy in the sunglasses is Hugh!

I took this pic from the balcony of our room at Plaza 4 years ago..

I'll bet he didn't even dive!!! Just rubbing it in, he was. Have to put him in the Merrimac River next time he comes north.

Jake didn't dive Sunday, that is!!! I was not referring toHugh and the boat!!!!

Very impressive thread, lots of thought and concern. Many issues involved. My idea is to use cameras to catch the crooks. Too expensive? Maybe. If I was a webcam entrepreneur, though, I might float a trial balloon with some resorts. Maybe a shore diver could set one up to record their vehicle, or the hotel's doors and windows at night could be watched electronically. Anyone interested in going into business with me along these lines? I doubt whether there're many thefts at the Bonaire StreetCam location!

Bill - I've got some X-10 wireless cameras I've volunteered for this purpose already :-)

Jake

That's interesting, Jake. Hope you catch 'em red-handed. I also hope they don't steal the cameras.

Hopefully someone can do something about the petty theft problem in Bonaire. There are related postings showing up on Roadale's scuba diver bulletin board and this is not good for future tourism in Bonaire. All resorts, shops, restaurants and yes even the government needs to take some noticible action in my opinion.

Jake,
I was wondering if you could contact Mouse at SunRentals. He ordered cams from the States, but has yet to get them. In the mean time, cars in their lot are being hit every weekend and the rooms themselves are now being robbed. In fact, someone climbed into our third floor penthouse room and took Michele's favorite sweatshirt while we were having Easter brunch with you.

Gordy

Hi, Gordy,

Shoot. Really sorry to hear you guys got hit. But I hope that the sweatshirt was the only thing taken, and that this was the only negative of an otherwise fantastic trip.

We're worried about losing our snorkelling gear. We really can't afford to buy new gear (tight budget). Maybe we'll take it with us whenever we go out to eat or for a walk around town. Might look silly, but it'll prevent a tough loss.

Looking forward to your trip report (or are you still there?). Take care,

Ken