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Diving Bonaire: Rental gear- airline luggage
Bonaire Talk: Diving Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999-2005: Archives - 2001-09-01 to 2002-05-23: Rental gear- airline luggage
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Anonymous on Monday, February 11, 2002 - 10:15 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Since I goofed up and did not book my first trip to Bonaire directly, but rather through Caribbean Adventures, who required payment by check, I do not have the extra insurance on my luggage I would have had if I used my credit card. Should i rent BC's and regs from Buddy Dive, or bring rental stuff from my local dive shop, as I,ve done in the past. We're flying Air Jamaica. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Todd McBride on Monday, February 11, 2002 - 10:48 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

If you loose the rental equipment, you will still have to replace it. Plus you will have to rent it for your travel days and you will have carry the equipment. Given your options, I would rent from down there.

I personaly carry-on my reg, computer, and mask then check-in the rest of my stuff. The standard insurance should be enough to cover the stuff that I check-in (BC, wetsuit, fins, etc.)

Just make sure your bags are tagged correctly and each bag says BON.

Check with Caribbean Adventures and see if they have travel/baggage insurance.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tom Cousino on Monday, February 11, 2002 - 11:22 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I have to agree with Todd. Even though I am a part owner/manager of a dive shop which of course makes money renting dive gear. The scuba rental rates on Bonaire are very fair.

Also having had tours of rental departments at several Bonaire resorts I, if not owning my own equipment, I would not hesitate to rent from them.

The only thing I would do is to ask them to install my custom mouthpiece on the primary regulator. Not for any health concerns as better rental departments sanitize the mouthpieces anyway, just for my personal comfort.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rob & Kobi Lloyd on Wednesday, February 13, 2002 - 10:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

PLEASE do not assume that your standard home owner's policy or flight/travel insurance will cover ANY dive gear. We got shafted by ****wide Insurance Company on one of our annual return trips to Bonaire in 2000! We found out in a hard way that they "weren't on our side!"

Sadly, ALM could have cared less about the whereabouts of our luggage! We were flying via Delta from Roanoke, Virginia with connections in Atlanta and Miami. The sick thing is that ALM manged to lose one bag on the way down and one bag on the return trip home! Can you imagine? ALM finally, with a little persuasion and a Congressman's letter, agreed to pay the pidly amounts that they are bound to through the Warsaw Pact!

We have, for years, carried on what we can but there are obvious limits! With all our tech gear and UW camera outfits it's hard to not end up checking something of importance; not that it's not ALL important!

We didn't fear much about the camera as we ASSUMED that our homeowners would cover us and our stuff! WRONG!!! After our settlement from ALM was finalized (which was a pitance of what was lost/stolen) we then filed a claim with ****wide which they quickly denied! After many months of dicking around we forced them to take action by way of a court appearance. We won the case, without legal council, soley based on the language in our policy. Yea............!!!

So, again, please check your individual insurance policies and DEFINATELY check with your agent. I can't stress this enough!!! We have since taken out a seperate inland marine policy to cover the $20,000 in gear/camera goodies that we own. The coverage is not much per year and SO worth the extra peace of mind for us :)

Sorry to ramble but I know there are some out there that would not know this so it's worth checking into. I don't want anyone to have to go through what we did!!!!!!! It can ruin a good trip and then some.

Safe diving,

Rob & Kobi in Virginia :)

 


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