Woman dies snorkelling off Cemetery Beach
(CNS): A 72-year-old woman who was visiting the Cayman Islands from the United States died on Sunday morning during a snorkelling trip with her family off the coast of Cemetery Beach in West Bay. The RCIPS said the woman experienced difficulties in the water and was unresponsive when brought to shore. She was given CPR by people nearby before the emergency services arrived and took over.
The woman, who has not yet been identified, was taken to the George Town Hospital by ambulance, where she was pronounced dead by the attending doctor.
Police said that inquiries into the circumstances of the death are ongoing but are not believed to be suspicious.
She is the sixth person to lose their life in the water so far this year and the second visitor this month.
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Category: Local News
There needs to be general acceptance that Cemetery Beach is not a great snorkeling spot – it’s at best a waste of energy and vacation time, and at worst a killer of our valued guests. Please please please stop directing our tourists there!!!!
Dear Lady,
If you died doing what you love with your people around you, you were lucky enough. I hope you were happy and saw that glorious sunrise Sunday morning.
Thanks.
That’s how I wish to go…. Many years from now.
ROPE – Rapid Onset Pulmonary Edema – that may have been exacerbated by their recent flight.
“A Michigan woman has launched a lawsuit against multiple Hawaii authorities after her husband of 38 years died while snorkeling”.
Dr. Meilan Han, chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Michigan, explained: ‘What long-haul flights do is it has an effect on your lungs.
After three days, you are back to normal, but if you snorkel after that long flight, there is a substantial increased risk of death.’
In her lawsuit, Patti alleges that all three of the defendants had failed to educate the public about the potential dangers of ROPE.
I have never heard of that. We should research and vett it, and then push CIG to make it widely known.
They won’t, of course, because they will construe that as an admission of liability.
https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/national/michigan-family-files-suit-against-hawaii-tourism-authority-over-snorkeling-dangers-after-long-flights
“According to the Hawaii Snorkel Safety Study, the shape and design of the snorkel can caused it to have a low to high resistance to inhalation.
The higher the resistance, the higher the risk of developing Rapid Onset Pulmonary Edema, known as ROPE. That causes lungs to fill up with fluid because of negative pressure, and doesn’t allow people to take in oxygen.
It is believed to be one of the reasons why drowning by snorkeling is the number one cause of death for visitors to the islands, more than almost all other ocean activities combined.
But unlike typical drownings where people swallow water, and may thrash around in active distress, those suffering from ROPE can get short of breath, become confused, lose strength and then lose consciousness without showing signs of distress.”
These kinds of incidents are very much to be expected. The general population is so unhealthy and out of shape. Tourists (and locals) spend their entire lives on the sofa eating junk food and then go for a snorkel thinking nothing of it. However, swimming can be relatively physically demanding and if the arteries are clogged enough and the body so unused to physical activity, this can be enough to induce a heart attack. There really is nothing to see here or investigate – it is merely a reflection on the level fitness of the average seventy-something year old. Get used to it Cayman, it will keep happening.
Unless you know this lady your comments have no place in such tragic circumstances. My guess is you are a pathetic individual with nothing better to do than spout vitriol.
Agree. Ray-of-sunshine that you were replying to is completely clueless as to the woman’s physical conditioning. My Mother would call them, “often wrong, but never unsure.”
Well, let us not really see nothing or investigate when something happens to you!
It is a merely a reflection on your character.
Average seventy year old…you spend your life with your condescending insulting attitude…not lived long then yet?
Noone will get used to your attitude!
A brain can be relatively physically demanding and if the arteries are clogged enough and the brain so unused to activity, this can be enough to result in your comment.
So easy to be judgmental. I do not pretend to speak for others, but many of us in our 70s are in better shape than your 30-somethings today but we lead an active life and, if lucky, meet our demise doing something we enjoy instead of lingering in a hospital bed for days/weeks. You can have your vultures around the death bed. When I die, I hope I’m surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline–LTR; RTL!
A lady tragically died while swimming. Who do you want to blame?
PPM!
Condolences to the family of the deceased. THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS SHOULD TRIGGER SOME RESPONSE/ACTION FROM THE CIG!!!.
Yet we see nothing , hear nothing and the best goes on. Come on people something has to be done here ad now. Too many deaths of this type is cause for serious concern, investigation, conclusions and actions where necessary. It is time that this issue be given proper attention. there does not seem to be too many incidents of this nature ocurring in the rest of the Caribbean, isnt that a telling story.
People get old then they die. Not much the government can do about that.
People die when they are young!
what are you talking about
when death comes for you it doesnt matter where in the world you are, at least she died in paradise, just think about it the millions of ways a person can die wouldnt you want to go the way she did, i know i would, R.I.P