Texan cruise visitor dies after snorkelling trip

| 21/02/2014

(CNS): A 78-year-old man who was visiting Grand Cayman yesterday on a cruise ship died soon after he was rescued from the ocean, having lost consciousness in the water. Loyd Wayne Loudamy of Mansfield, Texas, who was a passenger aboard the Navigation of the Seas, was on a snorkelling trip with his wife and his friend at the Callie dive site in the vicinity of the Royal Watler Terminal, an RCIPS spokesperson said. He and his friend were in the water for less than 10 minutes before he got into difficulty and lost consciousness in the sea. He was lifted out of the water onto the tourist excursion vessel, where chest compressions and CPR were administered by two other snorkellers on the same trip, one of whom was a nurse here on vacation.

During the administering of the CPR, Loudamy regained consciousness for a while and the harbour patrol boat was summoned to the location to help take him to the Royal Watler Terminal, where the paramedics were waiting.

The nurse and snorkellers continued the chest compressions and CPR on the harbour patrol boat, but Loudamy lost consciousness once again. He was taken to the George Town Hospital by ambulance and at 11:58am he was pronounced dead.

Although police enquiries are continuing, there appears to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    I am just curious as to why is it that the Cayman Islands is one of the only places in the world that so many people here has died of diving deaths?  Something is just not right here.  Proper medical documents showing clearance of a indiividuals health should strickly be inforced.  Adequate changes has to be made and a persons age should seriously be look into before he or she should proceed on to dive. 

  2. Anonymous says:

    This is another perfect (and tragic) example of why an island such as ours, with an economy and history so dependent and intertwined with the ocean, needs to have a marine ambulance. We have marine police boats, but no marine ambulances? Incidents like this, or cruise ship patient transfers, or the very common diving accidents that seem to be plaguing our shores lately are calling out for better preparedness! Come on CI gov't, our waters (and the people enjoying them) need to be better patrolled, on all fronts!

  3. UHUHUH says:

    Here are some questions that could be asked in relation to so many deaths of this ilk.

    1: Was he Insured?

    2: Was he healthy?

    3: Will there be an investigation?

  4. Anonymous says:

    He most likely died of breathing in air saturated in Carbondioxide which in turn leads to the brain shutting down.  This is due to the length of the snorkel being too long and the air being breathed out (containing CO2) not being expelled completely out the snorkel. Is there a postmortem that can be done to detect CO2 levels in the blood and or brain?

    The dangers of snorkeling are scant but the snorkel needs to be a lot shorter or snorklers need to be warnd to clear their snorkel every 4 mins or so of 'stale' air.  Or i believe there has been a two way snorkel designed that rids the exhaled air in one chamber/tube and the other brings in 'fresh' air once snorkler inhales.   Dive shops renting snorkeling gear should warn their customers. 

  5. Anonymous says:

    Having known the individual in this article I would like to say that I am inspired by his persistence and ambition to live his life to the fullest and I’m almost certain that he died a happier man than most could even hope to. To insinuate that age should stop anyone from doing what makes them happy is ludicrous.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yes, I am sure that anyone who dies of drowning or a heart attack induced by age inappropriate acitivities dies happy.  That is the sort of commment that kills people.

  6. Anonymous says:

    again? is no one paying attention?

  7. The Seeker says:

    We ate going to get a black eye soon for all of the unfortunate yet consistent incidents. Watch it.

    • Diogenes says:

      Yeah – lets stop anyone over age 65, or obese, from snorkelling. That will cut the death rate.  Might have a few other unintended consequences, but hey …

      Do you seriously think that someone reading a headline saying a 78 year old died snorkelling is going to think its a safety issue for the island?  They are going to think that people who are 78 years old and indulge in strenuous activity knowingly take a risk.  By your logic we should tell older or unfit tourists not to play golf, have sex or eat too much.  Sheesh.  

       

  8. Anonymous says:

    Ok now. I think it’s time people understand that after a certain age it’s not a good idea to be swimming and breathing through a STRAW. The heart can’t take certain things. And this seems to be one of them. How many people over 50 have died this way?

    • Anonymous says:

      The question is 'how many people over 60, compared to haow many people over 60 didn't die'. Then you can make an informed decision. Like smoking.

    • Anonymous says:

      Ok now .  I think its  time that we start thinking and working on the safety and the responsibilty of our visitors that come to our islands . It seems from what is happening , in this last drownig i did not read anything  about the CAPTAIN getting in on this rescue efort !  I feel that there could be more things done in protecting against these tragics from happening . I dont know what kind of training that  1 has to do to be a charter boat captain today in the cayman islands .                      It dont sound like what i thought myself.  I am a old x charter boat captain  in cayman that took 100s of thousands  of tourist on snorkel trips that i brought them back with a smile on their face and  kept them comeing back year after year . When i was captain i put my foot down at the start of the trip and made everyone know that i am incharge today. I did not ask if they know how to snorke, i gave them all the instructions on how to staying on the surface to diveing down under the surface. Then they were able to get the conch for lunch, that was fun for them.  I said if you wear a life jacket or not, and alot more i did to make them happy and kept them comeing back . The only one i had to do CPR on was my little dog , which i did and enjoyed him for 14 years after.

    • The Seeker says:

      Surely if there is a high incidence of diving or snreling deaths of people at a certain age, then steps need to be taen. Just saying the Savy experts could enlighten the public on the numbers, gender and age factors, or will they?.