Drowning in Cabarete

singletravel

Active member
Oct 13, 2003
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Was on the beach yesterday, and their was a drowning around 3:00 PM. A couple swam out to far, the girl (foreigners) got back but her boyfriend disappeared. He just arrived (was from Hungary, from what I understand). The beach was in a little chaos but I left at 5:30 and still no body. The riptides were bad yesterday. 

I still don't understand why their is no life-guard station on that beach, with all the action and people in the water. 

single travel
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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My friend who knows ocean currents well, claims there's point where , once crossed, the current will take you out further.

Drowning advice usually suggests to swim parallel to shore, not directly in.(if i read it right)

My friend had to rescue a girlfriend once who crossed that tidal line....
at Playa Grande, where the currents are strong
 

Cdn_Gringo

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Apr 29, 2014
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RIP currents are not usually very wide but they can be very strong. If you find yourself moving further away from shore rather than being pushed in by the swell, don't panic, conserve your strength, swim slowly parallel to the shoreline until you exit the outbound current.

If you take the time to learn what to look for and then take the time to watch the water when you arrive at the beach and before plunging in, you can often see these currents in action or at least be able to predict where they may be. 
 

Celt202

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May 22, 2004
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[video=youtube_share;1ayHKWeMIkU]https://youtu.be/1ayHKWeMIkU[/video]

36B91C7000000578-0-image-a-1_1469877042625.jpg
 

Lobo Tropical

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Aug 21, 2010
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Was on the beach yesterday, and their was a drowning around 3:00 PM. A couple swam out to far, the girl (foreigners) got back but her boyfriend disappeared. He just arrived (was from Hungary, from what I understand). The beach was in a little chaos but I left at 5:30 and still no body. The riptides were bad yesterday. 

I still don't understand why their is no life-guard station on that beach, with all the action and people in the water. 

single travel



There is no Life Guard for the same reason that there is no competent ambulance service and below mediocre doctors on the North Coast.
Understanding the ocean and drown proofing are essential skills to be learned!
Respect the ocean and never venture beyond your competency level, and don't swim drunk.
Always err on the side of safety.
 

zoomzx11

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Jan 21, 2006
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Condolences to the family. Ouch. "Below mediocre doctors". How can I go swimming if I do not swim drunk? Sadly people do not see the danger. If they had only gone to Sosua they could have swam in a delightful protected bay and enjoyed a few drinks and a swim with no danger. Open ocean areas on the north coast are dangerous and this happens over and over. Sad and needless.
 

AlterEgo

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Jan 9, 2009
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South Coast
Happens on South coast too. Mr AE says he can't count the times he was caught in one at Guibia in SD, and came out of the water near Vesuvio restaurant. 
 

jd426

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Dec 12, 2009
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Very sad... Condolences the the Family... as the Diagram states.. its a dont panic thing, and just swim sideways or parallel to the beach..it really is that simple .. but unfortunately in a panic state, people are not thinking clear .. very sad ...
I see people train for it here in NJ , on purpose, Methodically planning it, with a boat in case something goes wrong, and practicing swimming OUT and then sideways .. Its sad, because in a river , you instinctively KNOW to not try to swim UP river, but somehow in a rip current People just panic and fight it ...
so sorry to hear this happened.
 

anng3

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Jan 12, 2007
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Condolences to the family. Ouch. "Below mediocre doctors". How can I go swimming if I do not swim drunk? Sadly people do not see the danger. If they had only gone to Sosua they could have swam in a delightful protected bay and enjoyed a few drinks and a swim with no danger. Open ocean areas on the north coast are dangerous and this happens over and over. Sad and needless.


Not necessarily true, a friend told me someone had to be rescued at Sosua Bay this week.  If it is rough, need to stay out of the water.  I am a strong swimmer, but Cabarete has strong currents so I avoid swimming there.
 

jd426

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Dec 12, 2009
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Dont kid yourself, even the little beach in Casa Marina AI will KNOCK you on your arse and tumble you like a toy ... when conditions are right.. had that experience already. Sosua generally speaking is probably one the the safest beaches around .
especially since the waves BREAK on the Reef out there ..so that knocks em down pretty good.
 

anng3

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Jan 12, 2007
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Dont kid yourself, even the little beach in Casa Marina AI will KNOCK you on your arse and tumble you like a toy ... when conditions are right.. had that experience already. Sosua generally speaking is probably one the the safest beaches around .
especially since the waves BREAK on the Reef out there ..so that knocks em down pretty good.


Absolutely right! Yesterday with the wild waves at Casa Marina there was a woman and her 3 year old daughter just walking casually in the water.  Absolutely Crazy!

A good rule of thumb is check out the flag at Casa Marina but also use good judgement.
Strong waves and drinking don't go together either.
Usually the bay is calmer than Casa Marina but not as calmer as it was last year. 
 

sanpedrogringo

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Sep 2, 2011
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From a South coast perspective, Bayahibe is comparable to Sosua, but Juan Dolio is a different story, and there have been many tragedies in JD, by both novice and experienced swimmers.
 

si225

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Dec 26, 2012
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There is a point at which you are dealing with ocean currents separate and apart from rip currents. It depends on the beach, but if you go far out enough and cross an eddy line, it is very hard to get back in. On Kite Beach for example, that Eddy line is a little past the reef.

For rip currents, they form closer to shore due to the waves coming in, but getting pushed into channels on the way out, so the outflow in those spots is stronger. They are usually visible. Anyplace that has a lot of rock formations close to shore will often have rip channels that are really bad, but can form without rocks as well.
 

GringoRubio

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Oct 15, 2015
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Drownings are a common occurrence even in Florida with lifeguards. People unaccustomed to the ocean, waves, currents, etc. go wading out only to get knocked over and drown. There were even deaths in 2 feet of water because they panicked and couldn't regain their footing. It's really sad as many are just kids seeing the ocean for the first time.

The city that I lived in put up signs at all the beach accesses describing the difficulties and added a running count of the dead. It slowed up the fatalities dramatically.

Amazing is that surfers are frequent victims. They don't know how to swim, so if the board leash doesn't hold, they end up drowning. I would think being a strong swimmer would be a prerequisite, so I'll put that one under the heading of natural selection in action.
 

ROLLOUT

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Jan 30, 2012
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Condolences to the family. Ouch. "Below mediocre doctors". How can I go swimming if I do not swim drunk? Sadly people do not see the danger. If they had only gone to Sosua they could have swam in a delightful protected bay and enjoyed a few drinks and a swim with no danger. Open ocean areas on the north coast are dangerous and this happens over and over. Sad and needless.

Quite right; but there you'd be forced to circumnavigate the occasional turd or diaper.
 

Spicedwine

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Apr 25, 2006
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This young man was swimming according to his FB friends and helped to save his girlfriend. He is presumed drowned but they are still searching hoping for a recovery.