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Dear Undercurrent:

I would like to take this opportunity to respond to your article "Clash of the Titans Continues" from the September 1996 issue of Undercurrent. The article on the whole was fairly comprehensive, covering the most important issues for a potential buyer. There were, however, a few mistakes in the article that I would like to clear up.

Undercurrent wrote that "(Scubapro) Mark 15 spare parts are limited and will run out." Parts in every field of manufacturing eventually become discontinued; however, parts for the MK15 are abundant and are not likely to be discontinued for years or even decades to come.

A second subheading on "Maintainability, Service, and Support" concludes with a statement that implies Scubapro does not take parts inventory and availability into account when designing new regulators. This is absolutely incorrect. Advances in engineering have allowed substantial performance increases to be implemented into newer models while utilizing many existing components.

I hope this helps clear up any misconceptions related to Scubapro products, and by the way, rubber parts are included in the warranty of SCUBAPRO regulators when the warranty is maintained and the unit is serviced by factory-authorized technicians.

Aloha.

Jerrod Kowalski
SCUBAPRO-Pacific, Operations

Dear In Depth:

As the director of tourism, I am writing in response to the letter and comments concerning Bonaire printed in your October 1996 issue. But first, let me thank Undercurrent/In Depth for providing a forum where concerns can be aired and questions answered. Then let me thank your readers for taking the time to bring their experiences to our attention.

Unfortunately, we are well aware of the petty theft problem on our island and deeply regret the impact it has on our visitors and island residents alike. To address the problem and ensure our petty crimes do not escalate, several initiatives and programs have been put in place.

1. In November of 1995, the police auxiliary (a voluntary civilian service) was created. Thus, the use of the police auxiliary effectively doubled the number of police cars on the streets.
2. In March of 1996, a new police chief was brought to the Island, making substantive changes in the allocation of resources, including an effort to change the federal law prohibiting immediate distribution of copies of police reports that was successful and will go into effect January 1997. (The inability to provide a copy of the police report may have led to the perception that no report was being filed.)
3. In November 1996, the Beach Patrol adjusted its schedule of seven days a week, eight hours a day to provide for patrols after 6:00 p.m. at the South Pier. In January, the beach patrol will receive a second car, doubling its size and range.
4. Ongoing in 1995-96, the hotels and other accommodations on the island adopted individual safety awareness and security measures.

We have no "hard crime" on Bonaire and are working very hard to help keep it that way. Anything that negatively impacts our visitors and citizens is taken very seriously. We have a long history of protecting our environment and our natural resources. We will protect our quality of life with equal vigor.

Sincerely,

Ronnie Pieters
Director of Tourism