BB and I were in Bonaire last week, where we had a great time. One slight upset was the theft of our rental truck battery on Monday, while we were diving at Margate Bay. The rest of the contents of the truck (ratty t-shirt and towel, spare camera battery, other minor items) had been tossed, but the only items stolen besides the truck battery was BB's sunglasses, and a float that I had made to be used with a weight/stobe for night navigation. The sunglasses looked pretty cool, but were one of several very cheap pairs that she brought so that she could have some while getting to/from the dive sites. She had another identical pair back in our room.

We thumbed a ride to Total Car Rental at the airport, who had a mechanic with new battery take us back to Margate. All in all, it only took about 1.5 hours from the time we discovered the missing battery until we were at the next dive site. I was apprehensive that Total might charge an inflated rate for the new battery, but they did not -- $65 plus tax, and no charge for the service call.

For those who don't know it, Margate Bay is fairly far south. We were the only divers there. There are scrubby trees/bushes on both sides, so the thief could hear any traffic coming, long before he/she could be seen. I had planned to dive some more of the southern sites, but we were too put off by the theft. Even though it is great to have a dive site to yourselves, it may be wiser to be somewhere that other divers are coming and going.

Yes, there was a police report, and we gave a copy to Total Car.

Hi
Sorry to hear of your theft.

People may be interested to know that Sean Paton is looking into starting a "crime report" on his Sunday radio show Forum.

It is aired on Sundays between 12.00pm - 2.00pm on Mega Hit FM 100.1 and is in English.

People from outside of Bonaire can listen on Realplayer or Widows Media by logging onto www.megafm.com and clicking on the link.

The show is a good source of local news and gives an insight on how Bonaire ticks. Hopefully the crime report will alert people as to where the most vulnerable areas are for crime and that the Police will be able to act on it.

Is it standard to have to pay for a new battery that is stolen?
I would have thought the rental agency would cover that.

will be in Bonaire shortly and from our past experience we are often the only divers at south sites.


Nell

Read the car rental insurance statements, which can generally be found on-line. For Total, we paid an extra $10 per day for collision insurance, but this specifically did not cover theft, damage by such theft (e.g., broken windows, etc) and still had a deductible of 1000Naf or $572. If I recall correctly, ABCCarrental has another insurance (an extra $7/day or so), which then offers full coverage. Had it been a car, rather than an open-bed pickup, my VISA card would have covered all of that at zero deductible. I don't know whether one's individual car insurance would cover collision or comprehensive on a rental vehicle -- I don't carry such coverage on my own car.

Our experience has matched Neil's - we REALLY love Margate and often stay there all day, eat lunch, do three dives, snorkel in the staghorn and elkhorn, and we're often the only people there (except for the occasional off-course kite surfer!). It breaks our hearts that the thieves are down there too. Our sympathy to you, Gary - what a pain to be stranded out so far. Maybe it's time to get a blow-up doll (the type people use to cheat in ncar pool lanes), put a cap and sunglasses on him, and let him guard the truck while we're in the water...

Hey now - that might be a GREAT devise to take to market. And if you can put in a cassette player that sounds like someone humming you'd be in business.

AB offers "total" insurance for an extra daily fee above their collision damage waiver fee, and this would cover the cost of the battery, or other items that are stolen (excluding personal items).

Alternatively, if you have an AMEX card, you can sign up with AMEX beforehand for "Preferred Rental Insurance" where for about $20 - 25 per rental (depending on the type of AMEX card), you get coverage for CDW, theft, damage, etc. Includes pickup trucks. Good in most places worldwide (including Bonaire), but not all. You can then decline all the insurance options offered by the rental places. Only issue is once you sign up for this coverage, it applies to all car rentals you make with that card and all other AMEX cards in you name unless you specifically exclude the other AMEX cards, and it remains this way until you cancel it.

Do a search on BonaireTalk for AMEX Insurance and you will see more.