Danger to swimmers!

On Sunday September 7, 2008, a glorious Sunday, 23-year-old Gloria Nedd and her boyfriend, Royston Seecharan, went to the sea-shore between Pegasus and the jetty for a swim in the Atlantic.

They were wading, holding hands, laughing and chatting, for there were few occasions when they could meet. He lived in Berbice, she in Georgetown. They were as happy as larks. ‘All’s well with the world.’

But No! What’s this? They are being dragged out to the ocean. Fear grips them. They separate as Gloria says to her friend, “You can swim. I cannot. Let’s separate.”

Gloria learnt to float at Mabura when her mother lived at Linden. So she keeps her head above water and flaps with her hands and feet. Royston tries to swim against the tide.

Little did Gloria know that she would have to keep on floating for hours. There was a man on the jetty and her hope was that he would summon help. He did. He called the Coast Guard but it is estimated that it took about three hours for her to be rescued. The waters had washed off her jeans and underwear and her bra was in danger of dropping off.

This spot is known to have dangerous currents. Frank Pollard lost his life in this vicinity many years ago. Others have nearly drowned. I asked about a permanent notice to discourage swimming or wading in the treacherous water. Someone said there was a notice, but it may have been removed.

The sands here are also treacherous. There is ‘suck sand’ which has not been in the news for some time. Years ago I had the misfortune to witness a man sinking in the ocean facing my Subryanville home. A helicopter hovered above him but there was no means of saving him.

But the Atlantic can sometimes be a friendly place. A friend who had difficulty walking after a car accident went to the edge of the ocean daily, and allowed the waters to flow over her. She recovered the use of her legs. With an enterprising team this could be a means of assisting some of those who suffer certain kinds of injuries.

I asked Moss Fraser, who is in charge of the Colgrain Swimming Pool about learning to float, and she told me that students are taught to float before they are taught to swim. I asked about her work at the pool and she sent me the following script:

“The Colgrain House Swimming Pool provides equal opportunities for everyone to become a competent swimmer.

“A wide variety of services is being offered to groups and organizations conducting aquatic activities, such as hydrotherapy sessions for injured athletes, persons suffering from arthritis, auto-accident victims, persons with disability, learn-to-swim lessons (from 2 years and over), swim programmes for schools, training in water safety and rescue, training of competitive swimmers, or those just swimming for fitness.

“A Sports Reference Library is housed in the Pool Secretariat (pool office), which greatly assists teachers and students doing research in Physical Education and Sport for their School Based Assessment (SBA) projects.

“The Colgrain Pool facility is now a major Aquatic Sport facility presently managed and maintained by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.

“This Swimming Pool built in the late ’50s by the Booker Tate Company, is one of the oldest functional Swimming Pool in Guyana which was previously managed by Guysuco, then the Privatisation Unit, before the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport took over management in August 2001.”