Most of the posts have said get a truck for getting around and doing shore dives. The only problem is we have a group of 6 adults (4 divers, 1 snorkeler and 1 beach bunny

After looking at the car rental websites, it looks like all the trucks have split front seats and only fit 5 people. Do I have any other alternative to getting a minivan (which seem to be harder to find, as well as more expensive)?

What's the law on people riding around in the truck bed?

thanks
Dawn

Dawn, the truck I rented last October from Netty had a bench seat in the front. It was a double cab with AC. Don't remember the brand/make.

I also am going to Bonaire with six adults in May. We have a four door pickup reserved and I was considering also renting a small sedan for the extra room and also for the trunk IF it would be safe to store some of our stuff in it while we were snorkeling. I understand that you shouldn't leave anything in open site in a vehicle. That is why I was wondering about the trunk of the sedan. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

James,

You should not leave anything in your vehicle that you expect to be there when you return. It is not an issue of items being in open site. Nothing should be left in the vehicle. If you leave items in your truck the trunk can be opened if the car is left unlocked. If you lock your car someone will assume there is something inside you want to keep and therefore you increase your chance of having a window broken out. You have to decide the risk you want to take but I strongly recommend never locking your car and leaving the windows partly open.

That said, we go to Bonaire multiple times a year and have had only one small problem in the past 8 years. So enjoy your trip. We can not make it back till June.

Thanks Michael,

I guess I will just have to get some kind of case for my glasses, money, credit cards, etc. We were hoping to take a cooler with us for some drinks and snacks but I guess that is out too.

Hi James, If you really "think" you need to take money or credit cards with you when snorkeling, put them in a waterproof container and keep it on your person at all times. I have quite a few different ones, some for diving and then some I use for just snorkels. Glasses, well, I just bring a pair of cheap sunglasses when going to the water. Good ones stay at home till I get back from fun in the sun. My mask is script, so that is my eyes in the water. We take a cooler with us and just hope it is still there when we get back, but a way to take care of all that is to do your snorkels in shifts and always have a beach person there watching stuff too. You have 6 of you, so shouldn't be hard, taking turns..... Just a thought. I don't use an expensive cooler, so I can always replace it if it walks, no biggie, and so far I have been lucky, it has always been there after a snorkel. Diving is a different story, I just take a water bottle, old raggy towel and everything else stays on me or hubby. Enjoy your trip.
Another thing, if you really need your glasses to see anything, like to drive and so forth and have to have them with you, well, just remember to bring an old spare pair from the house and use them when going to the beaches, salt is really hard on them, wash them with fresh water daily and keep the good pair at the place you are staying. I always bring lots of spares "just in case" I love to read and wouldn't be able to read if I didn't have my specs! I did notice there is an eyeglass store in town now last trip too. That's good to know.

dawn, you also mentioned laws about people riding in the beds of pickups. i'm not sure about the laws on bonaire but i have seen a number of people riding in the beds...hell, i've seen them on EEG Blvd near our place sitting on the site of the beds while doing about 60-70km per hour on the road. i cringe when i see that...just cuz you're on vacation doesn't mean your skull won't crack like an egg if you hit the road. and there are more and more cars on the roads there and therefore more and more crashes....be careful.

Thanks Debbie,

I will take a pair of extra/old glasses for our snorkel trips. I have never liked being totally without cash in case we need to pick up some groceries or something on the way back to our villa. It is fun all snorkeling together so we can point out interesting things to each other so we will probably take a cooler, leave it on the beach, and hope for the best. I guess I have been naive and never worried much about theft in the places we have snorkeled before,-Belize, Mexico, Grand Cayman, etc. I have read so many comments about the theft on Bonaire I may be overly concerned. Our plan is to be very careful, and have a wonderful time.