August 2007    Download the Entire Issue (PDF)

Vol. 22, No. 8     What's this?

Crime in Curacao

from the August, 2007 issue of Undercurrent  

While divers complain about theft on Bonaire, let’s not overlook Curacao. Here’s a report from Undercurrent subscriber Monty Chandler (Charlotte, NC), who dived at Habitat Curacao last March.

“At Playa Kalki, I met a couple whose rental car had just been robbed, and the thieves had also jacked up the right side and stolen both the wheels and tires. The next day at Playa Jeremi, I stopped into a snack shop for ice cream and came back out to find thieves had gotten into my truck and stolen my sunglasses and wallet. I forgot to put my stuff in the safe before heading out. I only had $5 in my wallet, but I had to spend two hours on the phone canceling credit cards.”

The experience also cost Chandler an unexpected $120 - - because his wallet also had his room keys, Habitat had to change the locks and move him to a different room. Fortunately, his wife had separate credit cards to pay the hotel bill, and Chandler was smart enough to leave most of their cash in the room safe.