The fast action of staff at a Grand Cayman hotel helped saved the lives of three tourists in separate incidents over the past two months.
In one case, a drowning man was fished from a swimming pool and given CPR. In another incident, an elderly tourist had to be helped out of the water and given mouth-to-mouth. And, on a third occasion, an American visitor, who had collapsed and was suffering from lack of oxygen, was revived and recovered in time to celebrate his 60th birthday at the hotel.
All of those incidents could have proved fatal but for the intervention of the Grand Cayman Marriott resort’s loss prevention team, said general manager Hermes Cuello.
The stories provide an optimistic counterpoint to worrying statistics about rising numbers of deaths in Cayman’s waters, particularly among tourists.
At least six people have died so far this year in ‘water-related deaths’.
Cayman has one of the highest drowning rates in the world, according to a data research project involving the island’s forensic pathologist, local doctors and the Royal Lifesaving Society of the Cayman Islands.
There were a total of 84 deaths in the waters around the Cayman Islands in the decade up to the end of 2021. Nearly half involved people over 60.
Cuello said hoteliers were very much aware of the threats to tourists even in relatively benign conditions.
He puts the high number of incidents down to the age demographic of many of Cayman’s tourists. But he believes training and vigilance can help ensure a safe vacation, even for people with health problems.
“Over the years in the hotels we go through these type of situations but to have three in a short space of time like this is very unusual,” he said.
“We are very proactive in making sure the staff have the training and the awareness of what can happen.
“Without intervention from this team, all these incidents could have been fatal.”
‘Training kicked in’
Latoya Mcleod, who was involved in two of the rescues, said she had just let her training kick in and focused on the job at hand. In the first instance, she was called to a neighbouring condo complex, where a man had been pulled from the pool, having collapsed and been under the water for three minutes.
Amid frantic scenes, she performed CPR and he had recovered enough to breathe on his own by the time the ambulance arrived.
Less than a month later, she was back in action again, this time delivering rescue breaths to a 90-year-old man who had got into trouble while swimming close to the hotel.
“I asked him when last he had swam and he said it had been a long time,” she said, highlighting a common issue with tourists that get into difficulties in Cayman’s waters.
Shortly after that, Rico Gotiangco was called to a ‘code blue’ by the Marriott’s pool, where a man had collapsed and was gasping for breath and losing oxygen as his skin drained of colour.
After delivering CPR, Gotiangco said he faced a tense night without sleep as he waited to hear if his efforts had been successful.
“I was very happy to get a call from my manager that he was okay. He came back to the hotel and celebrated his 60th birthday.”
For Lascelles Douglas, who was also involved in the rescue, the most satisfying thing is to see a guest he has helped come back to enjoy their holiday.
“I was involved in another rescue many years ago at another hotel and I still receive emails from the boy’s family,” he said.
Cuello said the Marriott has invested in training for its loss prevention officers to ensure they are ready for anything. The job involves everything from in-house security, recovering lost property, accident and fire prevention, and safety.
“Sometimes they are just giving someone back a phone or a wallet, but in these cases they are giving them back years of their life,” added Cuello.
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