US visitor dies while snorkelling at Eden Rock

| 12/12/2016 | 13 Comments

(CNS): A 69-year-old man who was visiting the Cayman Islands from the United States was pulled from the water in George Town Harbour Sunday by emergency personnel, but they were unable to save him. Just after 5pm yesterday evening, a call was made to the 911 Communications Centre about a missing snorkeller, police said in a release Monday.

Officers from the marine and uniform units, the police helicopter, as well as emergency personnel were dispatched to the Eden Rock area of the harbour in George Town. The chopper crew spotted a man floating in the water off Jackson Point and marine officers on board the Niven D pulled Mark R Ambrose, from California, from the sea. Despite efforts by emergency personnel who delivered CPR, they were unable to resuscitate him.

The man is the 18th person to die in the waters around Cayman this year and likely to see 2016 enter the record books as the deadliest for the loss of life at sea.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Many of these folk feel obliged to sample the watersports while they are on holiday.
    However, many of them are out of shape and I can tell you that scuba and snorkeling can place some heightened demands on the heart.

    Let us stop being surprised about this. Life has certain rules and we ignore them at our peril.

  2. Troots says:

    I’m guessing that more than 18 people have died on land in Cayman this year, which of course means that we’d all be safer in the water.

    • Anonymous says:

      Not only that…but chances are he had a heart attack….he just happened to be in the water….

  3. Veritas says:

    The Fire Dept have just recd a very epensive made to order boat, but I understand they sent two fire engines.How could these help?, bringing the boat on a trailer would have made more sense.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yes they have a boat. And the marine unit and other units also have several boats. It really will not chqnge the outcome in a situation like this. We are talking about a few short minutes that can make the difference during an instance as this. Recognizing the emergency, calling 911, and if possible someone reaching and helping people is key. You really cannot expect someone to be sitting in a boat at every location around the island just in case something hAppens. If the government and powers that be really gave a hoot they would have LIFEGUARDS on duty round the island.

      • Janet Price says:

        It’s unfortunate that there will always be loss of life where there is water recreation. Lifeguards would help but still cannot be present 100% of the time. There would need to be hundreds of people to protect the entire island. And that would only be for public beaches. What about private property? What about swimming pools?
        Personal responsibility should always be #1. Where was the swimming partner? Was it a group? Did he go in the water alone? So many unanswered questions.
        But in my opinion, personal responsibility over government responsibility is always first.

    • Anonymous says:

      Are you really that stupid or you…. The fire service boat is there for use in case there is an incident or accident with an aircraft in the water not for that sort of search. As proving in this case what better equipment to use in this incedent than what was dispatcher and that is the police helicopter and marine boat!!!

      • Veritas says:

        If you can read, my comment questioned why send the fire engines.I will not descend to your level and call you stupid.

    • Anonymous says:

      With the fire engines come able bodies who might have been needed to assist with various things. Assisting with lifting and carrying a patient, possibly over ironshore. Driving an ambulance so both of the EMT/paramedics can work on the patient.

      IIRC the Fire Service rescue is kept on the water. Pulling it out of the water onto a trailer, moving it to a launch site nearer the incident, and relaunching may not have been the preferred response if others could do so more quickly.

      The RCIPS Marine Unit, Port Authority, DOE, private vessels, and even that new Fire Service rescue launch have been willing to help in emergencies on the water in the past. The question in each incident is who can get the right resources there first.

      But others may still be able to help in some way. I can imagine it must have been much faster and easier for the helicopter to find this man than it would have been trying to spread people out and look from shore. That overhead vantage point really is vital for something like this.

    • Anonymous says:

      They need one of those boat/bus/fire engine things. MLAs? I mean you all did such a goof job getting us a rescue helicopter.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Eden Rock or Jackson Point?

    • Anonymous says:

      Seems simple enough. Either the man entered the water at Eden Rock or perhaps that is where the call for help told responders to go. And he was found sometime later near Jackson Point.

      Sometimes there is a little bit of current. Would take some time to drift that far. Maybe he swam part way. Maybe he got into difficulty near Eden Rock and drifted that far with the current.

      • Anonymous says:

        The current was flowing south like a river on the west side on Sunday. Wouldn’t have taken long to go from Eden Rock to Jackson Point.

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