Snorkeler Dies After Boat Trip

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 12:31 pm Post subject: Snorkeler Dies After Boat Trip

Quote:

A tourist died Wednesday after she got into difficultly during a snorkelling trip.

Witnesses on Seven Mile Beach early in the afternoon saw a crew from Red Sail Sports bringing the woman into shore for medical assistance around 1:30pm. Police said the Red Sail crew tried to save the woman by performing CPR while she was being taken in to shore.

She was rushed to hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

Red Sail Manager Rod McDowall said the woman was on a trip aboard one of the company’s catamarans. She was a passenger on one of the cruise ships visiting Grand Cayman today.

The 57–year–old woman was not immediately identified by police.

This is the second snorkeller to die on Grand Cayman in the past two weeks. On 23 February, 75–year–old Robert Stueben of Pennsylvania passed away after getting into trouble during a snorkel along Seven Mile Beach.

Editor Note: This is not an Activity Guide recommended operation.

Temporary Resident Joined: 11 Apr 2005 Posts: 329

It seems like we read more and more of these tragedies happening year after year. I am wondering if it is people doing more on vacation than they are physically fit to do? Red Sail's staff are all certified and well trained, as all water sport companies on the island need to be...it is just a shame these incidents occur when people are on holiday.

Native Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 1023 Location: Illinois

snowed in wrote:

It seems like we read more and more of these tragedies happening year after year. I am wondering if it is people doing more on vacation than they are physically fit to do? Red Sail's staff are all certified and well trained, as all water sport companies on the island need to be...it is just a shame these incidents occur when people are on holiday.

That may very well be true.....but why is it only Red Sail that seems to be having problems?
I feel so bad for the families affected. How horrible and sad.

Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 9:47 pm Post subject:

at the risk of getting a "timeout"...

Really Knees.....just Red Sail..... Really?

Native Joined: 18 Feb 2005 Posts: 2035 Location: Illinois

I've read about these 2 incidents in the news and sure does put a scare in you. So sad--to be on a wonderful trip and then losing a loved one. Wonder what is going on. Is it rough water? currents? What could be happening when you are snorkeling? And along SMB too?

I think about when I was young and used to go pretty far out snorkeling--maybe even alone---whatever was I thinking.

In Dec. my son and I went snorkeling off the Cayman Kai beach and I was trying to swim to the east against the current and got a little panicked when I couldn't make any headway---saved by my son!!!!!

Honestly I am always happy when I see my son after he goes diving too. I worry about that a bit.

Hope this is the end of the watersports tragedies for the year.

Shelly:-)

Native Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 1023 Location: Illinois

shellys wrote:

at the risk of getting a "timeout"...

Really Knees.....just Red Sail..... Really?

That is the only one I've read about......if there are others I have not heard or read about them.

I had a situation two years ago....and we were not on an excursion. If we had been I would have been very angry for not having my excursion boat help me. I know first hand the panic that you have when you have a problem.....I joked about it in my trip report......but in all honestly it scared the living h*ll out of me.

Temporary Resident Joined: 11 Apr 2005 Posts: 329

By no means is it just Red Sails and if you read the Cayman papers (or any caribbean newpaper, for that matter) deaths from water sports activities happen more frequently than anyone of us would want to believe. I believe it may be due to physical demands put on the body that some people may not be used to and do while on holiday, but I have no stats on that.

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 8:36 am Post subject:

YIKES people.......more of us are harmed or killed in our friggin' cars...or by just living and get a horrible disease that you didn't deserve and die too young.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't frighten people from enjoying swimming, snorkeling, diving...you just have to take the precautions you are taught and do what common sense tells you....your inner voice is there for a reason.

If you're not a strong swimmer, buddy up, take a dive flag when you're snorkeling, don't go out too far, ask others what the water is like or how deep it is in an unfamiliar area, wear a vest, check your equipment...and for goodness sake....go with a SMALLER boatload of people! We've been on snorkel excursions on other islands, and also with Red Sail, and have had times when the boat was SO packed with people that no one was really counting or caring who got back on board afterwards. Soto's takes maybe 15 people (not sure of their limit, but it is a "watchable" amount of people. They are recommended here for a reason.

We were in Aruba years ago, when for my first snorkel attempt with my hubby off a boat, the two crew members were way too busy flirting with the blond trophy wives of two geezers that they didn't even notice I got caught in their netting, was panicked at the waves, didn't see any darn fish and looked more like a turtle with its head bobbing out of the water than the turtles! They FINALLY noticed that I needed help when they yelled at me for swimming in between the catamaran. If hubby hadn't been there, I don't know what I would've done...but it would've been a LONG time before I snorkeled again! In St. Thomas, we were PACKED into a snorkel excursion boat and EVERYONE had to "follow the leader" in the water.....after almost getting kicked in the snorkel mask TWICE by people flapping their fins about recklessly, we just hung back.......and again.....got YELLED at. Tough.....I wasn't going to risk loosing my mask under water or getting kicked in the head by a herd!

Well.......sorry I ranted, but snorkeling is our passion and I don't want people frightened away from it.

I'll chill now and check my countdown to paradise ticker.

Celine

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 8:53 am Post subject:

Well said, Celine clapping

,

I think what you say about Red Sail being notorious for packing their boats and not really counting heads when the people get back on board is probably true....last year, when we went to Sting Ray City with Soto's, the crew told us that they pick up stranded Red Sail snorkelers ALL the time.....they were joking about how common it occurs.

As far as this latest unfortunate incident......it sounds like the trip was along the 7 Mile Beach on Wednesday. We actually had to cut our vacation short, due to a family emergency back home, and so we came home on Wednesday. We walked the beach in the morning, and the seas were still pretty rough.......must have been some tough snorkeling for anybody. A Nor'Wester had come through the day before, and Wednesday was definitely calmer, but not great. The dive boats had been down on the South Side for three days and were hoping to be diving west on Wednesday, but we didn't see any on our walk.

Even if the water was calm enough that day to go snorkeling along the 7 Mile Beach, it must have been so churned up from the day before, that there wouldn't have been much to see.....

Char

Native Joined: 18 Feb 2005 Posts: 2035 Location: Illinois

Hi Char

Sorry you had to cut your trip short--hope everything is okay now. Hope you had a wonderful time while you were there and got in lots of diving/snorkeling and had great weather, except for the northwester. I do love watching those big waves even though it puts a damper on most people's activities.

Shelly :-)

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 11:05 am Post subject:

If my kids want to snorkle in the 7 mile beach area, do they have life jackets that we can rent or should I bring our own? I am trying to pack light...(if I can)

Native Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 1023 Location: Illinois

Tracy.......snorkel vests really don't weigh much. We bought our own...and we use them. I have this thing with germs from other people's mouths from blowing air into the vests. I'm not sure how well they are sanitized.
I hope my post did not scare anyone from snorkeling. It's a great sport and with anything you need to take precautions.

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 11:58 am Post subject:

WELCOME HOME Char.......sorry it had to mean a shortened trip though, and hope everything is okay now.

Red Sail Sports......we've been on several of their excursions for snorkeling, and they pretty much book as many as they can jam on to the catamaran, up to 45 I think...but wouldn't say for sure. The ONLY snorkeling trip with them that was fun for us, was in the middle of the day, when we were at the Westin, and only about 8 people showed up....a rare occurrence indeed........same with Capt.Marvins.

Know you had a great vacation anyway.......will there be photos? hint hint

Celine

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 1:21 pm Post subject:

Hi Celine,

Actually, it wasn't really a family emergency, as such. My father-in-law died very unexpectantly, while we were down there.....so it was a very different vacation from normal. We stayed a few days after he died, but came home early to help with the funeral preparations, etc. I'll post a trip report, of sorts, later on.

Char

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 1:28 pm Post subject:

oh Char, I'm so sorry. Please extend my sympathies to your other half as well. How sad....it's never easy, is it.....whether it's been coming for sometime or unexpectedly. very sorry.
Celine

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