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A
group of lifeguards were on
the coast and took Ms. Bryan
to the hotel.
/ Coastguard Station of
Caldera courtesy photo
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Coast Guard saves
U.S. citizen from
drowning at Jaco Beach
By the
A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Coastguard Station of Caldera
in Puntarenas reported the rescue
of a woman surnamed Bryan, 20
years old and a U.S. citizen, who
was dragged by the rip current at
Jaco Beach*
on the Pacific Coast.
The Coast Guard reports that they
received the emergency call at 2
p.m. Saturday, responded with the
SNG 32-3 Coast Guard boat.
When the coastguard arrived, the
woman was continuing to float but
was unable to swim to shore.
"Officer Isaac Rivera, without
thinking twice, threw himself into
the water to help the tourist,
avoiding the currents to drag her
to ground," said the coastguard
report.
According to the coastguard, the
woman was tired but in good
health. A group of lifeguards were
on the coast and took her to the
hotel.
According to National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration of the
U.S., a rip current, often simply
called a rip, is a specific kind
of water current which can occur
near beaches with breaking waves.
A rip is a strong, localized, and
narrow current of water which
moves directly from the shore,
cutting through the lines of
breaking waves like a river
running out to sea, and is
strongest near the surface of the
water.
Rip currents can be dangerous to
people in the water. Swimmers who
are caught in a rip current and
who do not understand what is
going on, and who may not have the
necessary water skills, may panic,
or exhaust themselves by trying to
swim directly against the flow of
water.
This year, Red Cross reported two
U.S. citizens have death drowned.
On Mach 12, the Red Cross
officials of the station of Limón
conformed the death Tuesday of a
woman U.S. citizen surnamed White,
age 60, at Grande Beach in Cahuita*.
According to the rescuers' report,
"the emergency call was received
at 11:30 a.m. about a woman who
was swimming near the beach when a
rip current, sent her out toward
the sea."
When the Red Cross paramedic staff
arrived at the beach, Ms. White
had been brought to the beach by
local rescuers. Paramedics were
only able to declare her dead of
an apparent drowning. Ms. White
was identified by a man, also
named White, who was with her on
the beach.
On February 22, the Red Cross
rescuers of the Guanacaste station
reported that they recovered the
body of a U.S. citizen, surnamed
Seymour, 71 years old, who drowned
at Negra Beach*
in Santa Cruz.
According to the rescuers report
"they received an emergency call
about a man who entered the water
at Negra Beach but who could not
be located. When they arrived at
the site, they found that some
locals had managed to get the
man's body back to the beach."
Witnesses report that Seymour had
apparently been staying at a hotel
near the beach, and had decided to
go surfing in the morning. A few
minutes after entering the sea, he
disappeared.
Raúl Montenegro, a police officer
of the Tamarindo station, said
that after receiving the emergency
call "we moved from Tamarindo
station. When we arrived at the
place, the Red Cross team was
already there. They confirmed that
the man was dead."
The police reported that they
found Seymour's identification
among his personal belongings.
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Do you think there should be
plenty of “Caution: Rip Tide”
warnings on the beaches? We would
like to know your thoughts on this
story. Send your comments
to: news@amcostarica.com
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