RALPH BANWARIE and KEVON FELMINE
Hours after he got into difficulty and disappeared under water while bathing with friends, the body of 18-year-old Declan Estrada was found washed up on Penzance Beach, Rampanalgas, yesterday morning. The body was found not too far from where he drowned by a search team comprising members of Hunters Search and Rescue and some of the teens relatives who began combing the beach from as early as 6 am on Sunday before spotting the lifeless body close to the shore.
The Toco police was informed and Sgt Edwards, Cpls Bhagan and Bailey, PCs Singh, Dandrade and West responded. District Medical Officer Dr Chan Chow viewed the body and ordered its removal to the Sangre Grande Hospital mortuary, pending an autopsy at the Forensic Sciences Centre, St James, later this week.
Estrada, of Fitts Trace, Coalmine, Sangre Grande, a former student of Holly Cross College, Arima, was at a family lime when the tragedy occurred at around 3.30 pm on Saturday. Villagers immediately began searching the water for but were unsuccessful.
A search party comprising T&T Coast Guard divers, the Hunters Search and Rescue Team and fishermen from the area searched for Estrada but had to abandon those efforts as night approached.
At the family’s home at Coalmine yesterday, relatives were inconsolable. Estrada’s who could barely speak, said the teen’s mother had gone of Rampanalgas where the body was found. His father lives in the United States.
Relatives said Estrada, who would have celebrated his 19th birthday on April 17, was “the best boy in the village.
As news of the drowning spread throughout the community, a villager at a nearby shop expressed sadness at the loss: “He too young and brilliant to die. He gone too soon.”
Neighbours described Estrada as respectable, humble and always polite, especially with the elderly.
Commenting on the situation at beaches across the country in the wake of that drowing, lifeguard told Guardian Media there were no major incidents at the nine beaches around Trinidad where there are lifeguards. Throughout this long weekend, there are lifeguards patrol Maracas Bay, Las Cuevas Bay, Mayaro Beach, Manzanilla Beach, Salybia Bay, Toco Beach, Quinam Beach, Los Iros Beach and Vessigny Beach. However, Penzance is not a beach where the Lifeguard Services Division deploys its members.
The lifeguard said even at beaches where there are patrols, beachgoers should seek information about sea conditions and the areas that are safe for bathing. He said a lack of knowledge is usually the reason why people encounter difficulties at the beaches. Another factor is over consumption of alcohol.
He said river mouths are also dangerous as there is backwash which can cause people to experience problems.
“At some beaches, the current in the water can impede people’s ability to swim. That can happen, especially on beaches which are usually more dangerous. I would advise people, once they are on a beach.
The lifeguard advised that there are usually red flags and red and yellow flags. Red and yellow flags indicate that beachgoers can bathe there cautiously and that lifeguards are patrolling the area. Red flags mean it is unsafe and the lifeguard patrol zone ends there.
He said a major issue is that some people ignore lifeguards’ instructions.
“They feel they are more than the lifeguard, but the lifeguard is there for their safety,” he said.
The lifeguard said many people flocked to the beaches from Good Friday, including campers gathering on the shores and banks of rivers leading to the beaches.
“On a public holiday, more people are on beaches than usual. When schools close, we have more visitors to the beach than when it is open. Until about April 16 or 17, we will have a lot of people on the beaches,” he said.
Following this holiday weekend, patrol captains will meet with their superiors to do a post-mortem of their coverage.
Ahead of the long Easter weekend, President of the lifeguard branch of the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW) Augustus Sylvester had warned citizens to rethink their beachgoing plans since the country’s beaches are grossly undermanned and seabathers are at risk. According to Sylvester, there are about 90 lifeguards to man the ten beaches in Trinidad. He said for the service to properly function at least 150 lifeguards are needed.
Last October, in response to questions from the Opposition during a session of Parliament’s Standing Finance Committee, National Security Minuister Fitzgerald Hinds said steps were being taken to address problems with the country’s lifeguard services.
At that time he said: “Action is being taken administratively and plans are afoot to improve this service in the interest of the beachgoers, the citizens and the visitors to Trinidad and Tobago.”