The Cayman Islands Coast Guard is conducting an investigation into the circumstances in which a 54-year-old Bodden Town man died after getting into difficulty while trying to free his grounded vessel from an East End reef.
A Coast Guard vessel was close by at the time, after responding to a distress call from the grounded boat.
The Coast Guard’s Operations and Rescue Coordination Centre had received the distress call at about 11:45pm, according to a press release. A vessel with two men on board reportedly ran onto the reef near a resort in East End, but no one was injured at that time.
The Coast Guard said they responded but could not reach the grounded vessel because of its position on the reef. They advised the men to remain onboard and wait for their boat to free itself with the rising tide.
However, one of the men got into sea, asked the Coast Guard officers for a tow line, and began swimming back to the grounded boat with the rope.
“It was observed that he appeared to get into difficulty and become immobile,” the Coast Guard press release said. “A CICG officer entered the water and assisted the man, who was now unresponsive.”
Officers brought him aboard the Coast Guard vessel and started CPR as they transported him to shore to meet emergency responders. He was taken by ambulance to the Cayman Islands Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
The Coast Guard took the second man aboard when they couldn’t free the grounded boat.
According to the release, officers are conducting a full investigation of the incident.
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Given all the circumstances, it seems a full investigation is certainly warranted.