Local news and opinion reaching the communities of nosara, samarA and Nicoya
Log in |
Return to homepage
home regional community sports entertainment surf nature health en Espa�ol English
     
Archives
December 09
January 2010
February 2010
Water Edition
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 10
October 10
November 10
December 10
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011
September 11
October 11
November 11
December 11
January 2012
February 2012
March 2012
April 2012
May 2012
June 2012
July 2012
August 2012
September 12
October 12
November 12
December 12
January 13
February 13
March 13
April 13
May 13
 
Media
Partners
  El Pais
  Inside Costa Rica
  Costa Spirit
  Q Costa Rica
  Today Costa Rica
  El Sabanero
connect
FaceBook
Twitter
 
CLASSIFIEDS
 
community
  Nosara Animal Care
   
  Nosara Info
   
Esquelita de Nosara
  Friends of Nosara
   
  Nosara Civic Association
  Nosara
Wildlife
Bathers are unprotected by lack of lifeguards on beaches

By Emiliana Garcia

“At 11:30 a.m. she came in, hugged everybody and said she wanted to go to the beach. At 1:30 p.m., she drowned". Just like that, with those words, Jim MacKenzie narrated Kattia María Umaña Chaverri's death, which took place on January 25th. The lack of warning signs on dangerous beach areas put the life of three teenagers at risk, killing their mother. (click here to see the article in the Jan 2010 archive)

MacKenzie lives in Guiones and employs Cristian Caravaca, Umaña Chaverri's husband, as a full-time nurse. Caravaca narrated, a month after his wife's death, that he "is still in shock".

Safe and Unsafe Areas Guiones

According to official statistics from the Red Cross, between 2001 and 2009, 54 deaths were caused by submersion (drowning) in Guanacaste and, during this time, they responded to 25 water-related accidents in Nosara and 25 in Samara, out of which an unknown number of deaths resulted.

AQUATIC ACCIDENTS ATTENDED BY THE RED CROSS

If we consider that in Playa Jacó, one of the main tourist destinations in the country, they had to intervene in 237 accidents, both Nosara and Samara seem to be pretty "safe" beaches.

According to surfing photographer, James Rees, during high season -December through April- Playa Guiones gets a daily average of 70 people in the water, including surfers and swimmers. Over Christmas and Holy Week, this number goes up to 200 people. Rees has photographed Guiones each morning since 2008.


Safe and Unsafe Areas Guiones

In turn, Charlie Foerester of C&C Surf School in Playa Samara, mentioned that this beach gets an average of 100 swimmers per day and, during Christmas and Holy Week, it can receive over 300 swimmers per day.

As the number of tourists grows, the chances of having accidents increase and, with the promise of a paved road between Samara and Nosara, there is every indication that a larger number of visitors will soon be a reality.

Training vs. Experience
Superficial and underground currents exist in every ocean. Several arrive to Playa Guiones, Pelada and Sámara and one must get to know them well before heading out to surf or swim (see graph "Safe and Unsafe Areas").

Among the most common causes that trigger water accidents are: excessive confidence -"I know how to swim"-, parents who are careless with their children, alcohol intake and a lack of information, such as the lack of warning signs that indicate which are the dangerous areas.

In almost every surf school in Nosara and Samara, instructors have received water rescue training and are certified in CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and first aid however, they lack the experience of lifesavers. "It is definitely necessary", explained Esteban López Paniagua, a Nosara instructor. “Having lifeguards will help us in any situation, we are constantly in the water and you can never tell when (the lifeguard's service) may be needed", he added.

Like López, instructor Didier Castillo from Sámara agrees. "Costa Rican beaches need to be watched by professional lifeguards. Even though I have experience in the ocean, I would be very happy to have somebody who will take care of a situation", Castillo mentioned.

Number of people who died by accidental death in Costa Rica
Asfixiation by submersion, Official data from Poder Judicial

The Economic Costs are a Big Obstacle
Luis Hidalgo, president of the Asociación Nacional de Guardacostas de Costa Rica (National Lifeguard Association of Costa Rica), explained that “it would be ideal to have a lifeguard stand with two lifeguards within every 200 meters but, since the whole beach does not have visitors all year long, (the area covered) should be the main area”.

According to Randall Cortez, vice president of the Nosara Tourism Chamber, the costs of having a lifeguard service are high. “I have consulted this with the Red Cross, who is the competent entity in the area (lifesaving), and they sent me an estimate that exceeded our financial capabilities”.

In Playa Tamarindo, the Asociación Pro-Mejoras (Improvement Association) hired a lifeguard service from 2007 until mid-2010. The money came from local businesses but, after the 2008 economic crisis hit most businesses harshly, the funds just stopped coming.

A lifeguard's base monthly salary is 350,000 colones and, to this amount, insurance and social benefits must be added. Accommodations and meals are not included in this salary and therefore, Hidalgo insists that the best option would be to train people who already live in the coastal communities. As an added benefit, “they are already familiar with the area's currents and geographic characteristics” added Hidalgo.

Since there are no laws that regulate lifeguard services on the country's coastal areas, Hidalgo believes that the responsibility of watching over tourists falls first on the community and its Municipalidad, and then on the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT). “They (ICT) get all the (tourism) money but do not invest a single cent in prevention”, explained Hidalgo. When asked if there are sufficient funds in order to offer lifeguard services on Costa Rican beaches, German Salas, Press Chief for the ICT, replied that such information is not currently available.

Besides some luxury hotels that have hired lifeguard services for their facilities, such as the Four Seasons Hotel, Conchal Hotel and the Barcelo hotel chain, several Municipalidades are taking the issue into their own hands. The Quepos Municipalidad, who is responsible for Manuel Antonio, has appointed three vacancies from the Policia Municipal to three lifeguards, allowing them to afford their salaries.

The number of deaths caused by submersion to which the Red Cross responded in Puntarenas (where Quepos and Jacó are located) decreased from 41 in 2008 to 32 in 2010, 9 less deaths in two years.

To this date, it is not known whether Nicoya's Municipalidad or the ICT have any plans to invest either time or money in hiring lifeguards or placing preventive signs on Nicoya's beaches, thereby avoiding future tragedies such as the one that took place on January 25th at Playa Guiones, where Kattia Umaña Chaverri lost her life.

"Do you think it is necessary to have lifeguards on the beach?"


1.


1.


2.


3.


4.


 

PLAYA GUIONES

1. Simon Hirsh, 39 and Tamara Hirsh, 37 – Tourists
Simon and Tamara Hirsh pointed out that it wouldn’t hurt to have a lifeguard, but it is not necessary. They said a warning board would be good to make people aware of the possible danger in the ocean. People should be responsible and remind themselves.

2. Jana Rihova, 33, from Czech Republic, Spends Six Months Here, Surfer
Jana Rihova compares Costa Rican beaches with the ones in the United States. She appreciates the fact that there are no restrictive beach regulations here. She also emphasized that she personally doesn’t need a lifeguard and thinks the whole beach doesn’t have to be guarded. But, she says, a part of the beach could have one.

3. Etienne Lebrun, 26, Traveler from Canada
Etienne thinks it would be great to have one at one point in the main area of the beach for safe swimming. It would be good for the families. They wouldn’t have to be in the water with their kids all the time. It would be good for the surfers, too, because there are many beginners on this beach.

4. Adriana Vila, 33, Lives in Playa Guiones
Adriana Vila commented that it would be better for the families and children to have a lifeguard on the beach.

5. Leah Biesack, 22, Here for a Month
Agreeing on the necessity of a lifeguard on the beach, Leah Biesack mentioned that many people aren’t familiar with the beach. “The ocean is not fixed. It is always changing. It is good idea to have somebody supervising”, she said.

PLAYA PELADA

6. Mike Avant, 52, Part Time Living
Mike Avant mentioned about the lifeguards of Playa Dominical and how it cut the number of drowning, adding “as there are more tourists, it is probably a good idea”. He also said that having a lifeguard on the beach can be beneficial for people who live here and have businesses.

7. Samantha Raley, 43, Lives Here Half the Year
Raley pointed out the fact that there are more children in Playa Pelada and would be a good idea to have one. “Not in Guiones. It is more of a surfer beach”, she continued.

PLAYA SAMARA

8. Didier Castillo, 29, Surf Instructor
He commented that there should always be somebody around, who is certified. After mentioning that Samara doesn’t have that many strong waves, he added “the fact that the water is shallow doesn’t mean that we don’t need a lifeguard. Costa Rican beaches need to be watched by professional lifeguards. Even though I have experience in the ocean, I would be happy to have somebody who will take care of a situation.”

9. Charlie Foerster, C&C Surf School
Charlie Foerster emphasized the lack of experience with the waves that the visitors have. He also believes that it is a good idea to have one. He said, “maybe not every day of the year but for Christmas and Semana Santa.” He also added that businesses would be willing to pay for lifeguard stands.

10. Chris Foerster, Hotel Owner
He said that Playa Samara is one of the safest beaches with “no currents” and “hardly any waves”. He also added, “I would spend the money on police station and keep that. We need police more than lifeguards.”

 
5.


6.


7.


8.


9.
 

More Regional News

Samara Bridge Collapses under Trailer's Weight
Conavi started work on a provisional route

On Wednesday April 23th, machinery arrived to prepare for closing the bridge over Buena Vista river between Bar Las Vegas and the sawmill, the main route entering Samara from Nicoya. On Thursday morning, work began on a provisional route around the bridge by Vista Verde Restaurant. Thursday afternoon, around 12:30 p.m., the bridge collapsed as a trailer loaded with heavy stone was passing over it. More >

Samara Police Roughing It in the Community Hall
Police must wait at least two more weeks before repairs are finished

Renovations to the Samara Police facility, which began on February 10th, are expected to take at least two more weeks.  In the meantime, the police have been roughing it in the community hall and a small office lent by Hotel Giada. More > 

Survivor of Cinchona Earthquake urges Samara to be prepared
Local committee appointed to organize Samara for emergencies

“Never say never,” urged Silvia Mejia Zamora in tears during a community meeting in Samara on Wednesday, March 9th. She explained that she was one of those people who thought that a disaster like an earthquake would never really happen. She was just going about her normal business doing laundry. Her husband had gone to work and her children were playing when the 6.2 earthquake hit with an epicenter 4 kilometers southeast of Cinchona. Her cousin and his children died in the earthquake. “Losing a loved one hurts a lot and seeing your house, your town destroyed hurts a lot,” she said. More >

Tsunami Alert
Population on the coast should evacuate to higher altitudes

After an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Japan and 10 meter high waves hit the country, the National Emergency Commission announced a green alarm on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. As a tsunami might hit the coast around 4 p.m., coastal residents are advised to start evacuating to higher altitudes starting from 2 p.m. More >

Union of Forces Opened A Space For Student With Wheelchairs

Early on the morning of Wednesday, March 2nd, a group of students, parents and teachers at Samara Integrated Center for Youth and Adult Education (CINDEA de Samara) armed themselves with shovels. They were united by their enthusiasm to give a better quality life to one of the students in the program. Mas >

Presidential Visit
President Chinchilla Complains in Nicoya Over Lack of Money

At almost 12:00 p.m. and under a burning sun, a long line of people that almost reached the high table assembled, holding in their hands letters and envelopes of all sizes with petitions for the President. Irene Pacheco, the President's assistant, was in charge of receiving a total of 96 petitions. More >

Interview with John Perkins, author of best-seller
“Confessions of an Economic Hit Man”

“The people are taking back our power”

While the world’s attention may be on the democracy movement in Egypt, Latin America has also experienced a major move toward democracy in the wake of diminished power of the United States, according to bestselling author John Perkins. More >

New Dike Proposal for Nosara Meets with Doubts
• Project will cost over $3 million
• New community emergency committee named for Nosara

In a behind-schedule effort to comply with a resolution issued by the constitutional court (Sala Constitucional), engineers from SENARA (Servicio Nacional de Aguas Subterráneas Riego y Avenamiento) on Thursday, February 3rd presented a proposal to build an eight-meter-wide (24 feet) dike and sections of dikes using high-quality materials to diminish the impact of the flooding of the Nosara River during heavy rains.
More >

Traffic Police Seeks to Reorganize Nicoya's City Limits
• Heavy vehicle drivers invade restricted zones

The road chaos that has prevailed for the past five years in the city of Nicoya upsets and concerns its residents, who demand a reorganization.

Missing, fallen or misplaced traffic signs, a blurry road demarcation, vehicles parked on restricted areas or taxi stops and vehicles driving the wrong way down the street are just some of the irregularities seen in Nicoya. More >

10 Myths About a Local Earthquake

Myth 1: A seismic fault is beneath the center of Nicoya.
Reality: Based on research performed up until now, there is NO seismic fault just below the center of Nicoya. However, there is a fault below Nicoya Peninsula which may affect this area. More >

Contact us: NOSARA [email protected] / PUBLICITY and ADVERTISING [email protected]
Copyright 2012© The Voice of Nosara