Theft from cars in Bonaire is way out of hand.
Local thieves wait until you go under and plunder
your car. It’s worse now than last year. The
car rental companies tell you to leave no valuables in your car and
leave it unlocked, for fear that the thieves will break glass if you
leave the doors locked. We followed that advice and had things
stolen three times (old cheap Timex watches, a couple of grubby
wet pairs of shorts, grubby T-shirts and a baseball cap — not
exactly a treasure trove). I intentionally wadded up my shorts and
T-shirt and tossed them on the car floor in the dirt. The thieves
took them anyway.
Everyone we talked to beach diving had a similar experience.
More than a few vowed not to return. One group lost two cameras
and four dive lights.
The powers that be in Bonaire need to hear the message. They
are killing the golden goose. It wouldn’t take too many busts to cut
this problem back, but the local authorities are indifferent. The
next time I go, I will buy the collision damage waiver on the rental
car and lock the doors. If someone smashes the window, the rental
car company will pay the damages. If the rental car companies
have to pay for enough broken windows, maybe they will put pressure
on the police to crack down. If there isn’t some kind of crackdown,
I worry about whether beach diving has a future in Bonaire.
— Barry Clegg, Minneapolis, MN.
Editor’s note: one reader reported that a window replacement
cost $587; with a $500 deductible you might still be out-of-pocket.