Visitor drowns at Spotts
(CNS): Just over twenty-four hours after a four-year-old child was drowned in a local pond in Northward, police reported the death of a 58-year-old tourist who drowned in the Spotts Public Beach area on Sunday. An RCIPS spokesperson said that shortly before 5:00pm today, police received a report that a man was unconscious floating on the water. He was found by a member of the public who was also at the beach. He went into the water and brought the man ashore, but found he was unresponsive to CPR. Emergency services personnel attended the location and took the man to the Cayman Islands Hospital in George Town, where he was pronounced dead.
Police stated that enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident are ongoing.
Category: Local News
There are 2 channels at Spotts beach and one large channel at the Spotts dock. Now I believe this man was found in the water off the beach. On rough days the current goes round in a circle from the large channel and pulls you down to the smaller ones to the East (just off of Mr. Kirkonnels house). If you do not know this swimmers start to panic as they they think they are getting pulled under or out to deep ocean , start struggling and fighting the current and then become exhausted and unfortunately dont make it back.
It is strange how so many people who visit here are dying from sea related activities!
My sincerest condolences to the family.
We were on the beach at the time of the tragic accident, a number of people tried to administer CPR sadly it was too late. Our condolences to your family for the loss of your uncle. I understand from your aunt that she is a very religious person, please know your family remains in our prayers at this time.
I am also a family member and find it comforting that people on the beach tried to help my dear cousin. Getting any word about what happened has been difficult from our far away home. Your prayers – the prayers of kind strangers – are so much appreciated by those of us thousands of miles away. Please continue to pray for the family as they make the difficult journey home. God bless you all.
Sincere condolences to the family of the victim involved in this latest tragedy. All the commentors who are asking why these types of water activity related accidents occur need to research just how easy it is for the human body to traverse from being safe in the water, to then move to what is known as a 'near drowning' and then on to a condition which is often times resulting in respiratory arrest due to not just soley the respiration of water, but other physiological conditions. There is nothing wrong with Cayman or its waters, nor is there anything wrong with its many water sports operators. Unless a rescuer is on hand to render immediate assistance to a person in difficulty, there remains very little crucial time for a safe recovery.
Sooo many drownings?? What on earth is going on there. every week I see new drowning reports
I think this is now the 4th visitor drowning since the new year started. Something needs attention before our entire watersports industry and reputation is affected
Our tourism and water sports industry, both are being negatively affected, due to ignorant comments posted by Caymanians/Residents. Why is it, that everything has to have a political spin? When it all falls apart we'll be wandering why, of course blaming it on the Government of the day. Need to wake up and do some serious thinking, stop the pettiness.
This man is my uncle. He was a very competent swimmer, almost lifeguard level. We are still trying to get information from his family that is in the Grand Caymans about what exactly happened.
I am so sorry for your loss. I am a member of your uncle’s church and he was truly one of the nicest and hard working people I have ever met. Always made a point to say hi to me and my husband. Praying for your entire family.
Your uncle was a member of my church. Such a nice guy, always helping others. We are so sad that this has happened. Prayers and thoughts for your entire family.
I am so sorry for this man and his family. My sincere condolences go out to all involved a tragic situation no doubt.
I don't know what to say except RIP.
Time for lifeguards?
Is there another reason/cause for all of these drownings? Are the victims suffering from something that is not known? It is becoming an every week happening, which should be investigated. It is becoming frightening to know that tourists are visiting these shores and are sadly drowned. What can we do to help?
Condolences to the family.
Folks …stop being so sinister. If someone drowns it could be because something else happened that caused them to drown, e.g. you have a heartattack, pass out … drown. Ultimately you drowned, however it was not initially a drowning. If someone is playing golf and has a heart attack it does not become a golfing accident … however because when swimming the drowing can become the secondary thing, that it what people focus on.
Stop speculating, stop throwing wild and careless statements out there and simply start extending condolences and saying prayers.
The majority of drownings at places like Spott's Landing are caused by people who are, or consider themselves to be good swimmers, but actually have no clue about rip currents in the ocean. The reef is cut there to allow boat access. All of the water coming over the reef needs somewhere to return back to the open sea, and it is pushed out through that cut.
A typical maneuver to a rip current in other places is to swim sideways to get out of the rip, but that doesn't work in a place like Spott's . There, the side current inside the reef feeds into the central rip current going out through the cut in the reef.
Best advice for Cayman's reef cut currents: just chill out like a surfer, lay on your back, and go for a brief ride out past the reef. Save your energy and your life. The current dies out quickly once past the reef, and then make your way back in to shore in some other place. You might get a bit cut up crawling over the reef, but that's only temporary and you'll heal up.
The alternative is to panic and try to swim into the current to the point of exhaustion, or a heart attack, and drown. Swimming into a rip current is no different than swimming in a backyard "endless pool".
Hands down best advice posted on this website regarding swimming related deaths. My condolences to all of the families that have recently lost loved ones in Cayman waters. Listening to the above posters advice on how to react in these circumstances saved my life 7-8 years ago when I was in a similar situation after my kayak was flipped just at the reefs break. I still have the scars to prove it from being shredded while being tossed across the reef but the worst thing to do is panic!!!
Are there any signs warning swimmers of dangerous rip currents?