Please allow us to correct several inaccuracies in an article that appeared in the 25 October Cayman Net News.
We have decided not to respond in that newspaper as it is apparent that they are not interested in the truth, but only in sensationalism to sell newspapers. This is not the first time that newspaper has been criticised for unprofessional journalism and we are sure it will not be the last.
The facts surrounding the incident concerning the eel are:
The incident occurred at the reef and not at the Stingray City sandbar. In our 55 years in business, we have never heard of any moray eels being present at the Stingray City sandbar. Eels make their homes in reef areas and not out in the open ocean.
As far as Mr. Sherriff’s statement is concerned (as it was published) one only needs to look at the Net news article to see that Mr. Sherriff at one point says that they made a stop to see the eel, were told about the eel and cautioned about it and in the next statement, the article states that if he had known there was an eel present, he never would have gone there.
Mr. Sherriff says that what happened next was unclear, so we would like to clear it up for him and others. When Chester saw the eel leave the rock and come toward Mr. Sherriff’s daughter, he realised the eel was coming in a very aggressive manner and put himself between her and the eel in order to protect her.
Even though Chester was injured, he made sure everyone got back on the boat safely, being the responsible captain that he is.
Chester was not crewing the boat alone, although it was a small group on board; there was also a videographer (certified scuba diver) on the boat with Chester.
All of our crew have passed basic First Aid and CPR training courses and we have emergency equipment on board all of our boats.
The ‘new man’ on the boat referred to in the article was from another of Capt. Marvin’s boats, parked right next to Chester’s boat and from the moment they were aware of something happening, our response system was activated, meaning that we called 911 and asked whether DTF or DoE had a rescue boat nearby When we learned they did not, we dispatched our own rescue boat immediately, which got out to the area in about 10 minutes. We asked Chester if we could carry him to the rescue boat and he said he could walk, so we assisted him in walking to the rescue boat and transported Chester to the dock, with his arm wrapped, all the while being in constant contact with the 911 operator. Paramedics met us at the dock and transported Chester to the hospital. He is, by the way, recovering very well and is being hailed as a hero by the management and staff of Capt. Marvin’s for his actions that day.
The only contact that the Net News reporter made with Capt. Marvin’s after this incident was a phone call on Monday (23 October) when he said he had received an enquiry from a gentleman who was on the boat with Chester, wondering how Chester was doing.
We told the reporter that Chester was doing fine and that if this gentleman had any other questions, to contact us directly, and we would keep him apprised of Chester’s recovery. The reason for asking the gentleman to contact us directly was to make sure he had accurate information, which we did not feel he would obtain from Net News, as has now been borne out by their inaccurate, incomplete and misleading article.
Thank you for the opportunity to set the record straight on this matter.
Ronnie W. Anglin
Charles Marvin Ebanks Jr.
Capt. Marvin’s Watersports Ltd.
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