By SANCHESKA DORSETT
Tribune Staff Reporter
sdorsett@tribunemedia.net
AN American visitor to The Bahamas drowned during a diving trip off New Providence on Monday, according to police.
The incident took place shortly before 11am.
Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean said the adult visitor was snorkeling with a group of persons on Pearl Island when he lost consciousness.
“He was taken on a boat and brought back to the shore where he was examined by a doctor and pronounced dead. We are actively investigating this incident. We are in communication with the owners of the island.”
“It was a regular snorkeling trip, people go to Pearl Island on a daily basis. We will get to the bottom of it to determine what happened,” he said.
Senior ACP Dean urged Bahamians and visitors to be “careful” when swimming in deep water.
“We will use these holiday times to talk to our people, that person who is in waters who (is) swimming, please exercise extreme care and caution that if you are going into the water, if you are going swimming that you had something eat to ensure you are well equipped and physically fit for these type of exercises.”
It is recommended that people wait at least 30 minutes to one hour after eating before swimming.
“We still have to appeal to parents, please ensure your children are in your view at all times,” Senior ACP Dean said.
“Adults if you cannot swim please do not go into deep waters. Please be very careful.”
An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.
Meanwhile, police are also investigating the circumstances surrounding a shark attack that left an American woman in serious condition in hospital on Friday.
According to reports, shortly before noon, the woman was snorkelling in waters near Athol Island when the shark attacked her. She was taken to hospital where she is in serious condition.
Investigations are continuing.
Comments
LBDE 6 years, 4 months ago
Hello, the man who died was my father. He died from a massive heart attack, rather than by drowning as reported. I won't go into detail about how awful that day was, since words wouldn't suffice, and grief, even when shared, is a very singular experience. Instead, I want to say a little about the people on Pearl Island with us that day. Everyone was wonderful. I can't emphasize that enough. The people who work on the island, the snorkeling crew, the people who drove the boats, and the other vacationers. There were several people with CPR, nursing, and medical experience, and they did everything they could to try to revive him. So many others sat with my mother and me and prayed with us and held our hands and just showered us with so much love and care. That day is seared into my heart and memory, but I cannot remember the trauma without also remembering and being intensely grateful to everyone with us that day.
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