By Suelika N. Buchanan
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| St. Kitts-Nevis Coast Guard Trainees |
(Basseterre; St. Kitts): Lieutenant Kayode Sutton, Public Affairs Officer of the St. Kitts Nevis Defense Force, which the Coast Guard is a division of encourages everyone to take special precautions for the upcoming holidays.
Kittitians and Nevisians are usually known for heading to the beaches on the August Monday and Tuesday holidays.
In Nevis, many people after the J ‘Ouvert jam, cools down at Herbert’s beach and in St. Kitts those that don’t make it to the Culturama celebrations usually travel to ‘Cockleshell’ and Banana beach as well as Friars for family beach-nic.
“Once it is national events the Coast Guard will be on patrol ensuring safety for people involved in water craft as well as security patrols,” he said.
Sutton said that even though the Coast Guard is to provide rescue services they are not responsible for Life Guard services.
He made that statement when asked if the Coast Guard would consider the implementation of Life Guards around the Federation’s popular beaches.
He said that in other countries private organizations are usually the ones who organize those types of organizations.
There has also been one to many careless drownings for the year.
The first drowning was that of 17-year-old Koris 'CK' Woodley, of Sandy Point. ~~Adz:Right~~
He was also a student of the Sandy Point High School and his life perished on Sunday, March, 18 at Pinney's Beach in Nevis.
What appeared to be so careless about the drowning is that Woodley journeyed to Nevis with other members of the Boys' Brigade for a weekend camp. It was possible that many persons were around including Boy’s Brigade leaders, however, no one was able to save the young man.
Just one week after Woodley’s burial another Sandy Pointer succumb to the same drowning fate.
Jason McIntosh, 25, of Sandy Point, drowned at Majors Beach, South Friars, in St. Kitts, on March 31.
According to the Police report that was given, McIntosh participated in a walk with other members of the Antioch Baptist Church leaving his home at about 5 30 a.m.
The incident occurred sometime after 9 a.m. and Inspector Moore of the Frigate Bay Police Station told SKNVibes.com at the time that McIntosh jumped from a barge into the water and encountered difficulties.
"Persons tried to get him out of the water and administered CPR on McIntosh as well as calling the EMS but it was too late," Moore previously stated.
Recently the Federation recorded it’s third drowning on Saturday, July 28, when Arthur ‘Boldface’ Guishard of Bath Village drowned while taking a afternoon swim at Gallows Bay in Charlestown, Nevis.
Eyewitness reports indicated that during the beach visit Guishard swam out leaving his friends closer to shore. On his way back to meet his counterparts he is reported to have gone under water and came back up a few times before they noticed he didn’t come up one last time.
~~Adz:Left~~ A fishing boat that was in the area searched the area where he was last seen and the fishermen pulled him to shore only to find him unresponsive. After arriving on the scene emergency services pronounced him dead on arrival.
“When organizations are going out to beach-nics they should ensure safety precautions as well as there should be a member who is specifically keeping his eye out,” he said. “However, if a person can’t swim and there is someone struggling they are of little help to the other person.”
He emphasized that it is important for people to know how to swim.
Sutton made mention of an incident that occurred earlier this year, where there was a water sports activity being conducted and the Coast guard was present.
He said that one of the Coast Guard officers noticed that a young man was struggling in the water during a swim.
“He noticed right away before anyone else that the young man was encountering problems simply by looking at the way his hands were going compared to the others who were swimming,” Sutton said. “There were also people around and they didn’t notice perhaps not knowing what signs to look for and perhaps if that Coast Guard was not around the young man may have lost his life with many persons around.”
He continued: “People need to be vigilante.”
He said that former members of the Coast Guard usually conduct swimming classes on the weekend for a fee. He said that if anyone wants information they can call 465-8584 and someone would be able to give them the contact of the instructors.
Sutton also said that even with Fishermen who have to report to them before going out to see, sometimes they don’t have the necessary tools for going out to sea.
“Sometimes they don’t have their radios to call for help, life jackets or flash lights just in case they encounter difficulties and these are stuff that they need because if they are unable to call for help, we wouldn’t know there’s something wrong until we see the given time of their return has come and pass and they haven’t shown up,” he said. “People don’t take things seriously and it makes it harder for us to communicate with them should they encounter difficulties.”
Sutton also said that the Coast Guard and Defense Force are in need of citizens who are interested in joining the organizations and making a difference.
He said that interested persons can call 466-9279 or 466-9280 for more information.
Water Safety Tips by SKN Coast Guard
Whether you are Boating, Jet-Skiing, Fishing or Swimming one need to exercise caution. The following are some Water Safety Tips:
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Always swim in supervised areas.
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Never leave your children unsupervised around water
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Teach your children to swim, but remember that younger children shouldn’t be left unsupervised even if they know how to swim.
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Never swim alone
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Always designate someone to oversee the swimmers, so that they would be able to recognize at an early age if someone is in difficulty.
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Never use alcohol before going to swimming, if you do, you need to take in 8 ounces of water for every 8 ounces of alcohol you consume.
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Look before you leap- never dive or jump into water before knowing how deep it is or if any hidden obstacle present.
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if you encounter a RIP current, swim parallel to the shore until you pass the area, and then swim to shore at a 45-degree angle.
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Always wear a safety approved life jacket or safety vest while boating, water skiing, jet skiing or tubing.
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Have someone present who is qualify in CPR so they can respond to any emergency.
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Keep an eye out for changing weather conditions and act accordingly.
