Why don't you ask the two boys that their parents died at the falls and then flown back in body bags to flordia
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The Damajagua 27-Waterfalls Place
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Once again, the safety of the falls completely depend on what the weather has been like. No rain for a few days so that the river is low and you are in no more danger in the falls than at any waterslides you have been on. If it has been raining and the river is high, then the falls should really be closed down. The tour operators who should know better keep the guests coming though and the guides need the money too badly to say no to potential customers.
I will let others who actually knew people that died on this tour take it from here.
Windeguy,
I know you want me to jump in (no pun intended) but there are some people that you cannot argue with. It is not worth the headache as some are "obviously" much more intelligent then me and know it all.
Bob K
It is no doubt dangerous and would not be an excursion offered in the US or Canada.My 11 year old son there drowned there in January 2005. There is a whirlpool at the base of the second waterfall thats sucks you under and keeps you under. My 13 yr old felt it pull him under but was able to kick out of it. Longer legs to push off the rock wall. When I was screaming to the guides that my son did not surface, they were all yelling at each other and ran away. Long story, but go to Remembering Adam Vitaterna if you want the details and testimonials from others who have had near drownings and broken bones.
It was heavy rains and we could not go past Falls # 2. It was that bad. The first river crossing was waist high. What did we know, everyone prior to that recommended this tour.
What made me sick to my stomach is they continued to sell the tour the day after my son died and were still advertising it as safe for children, and anyone , even if they can't swim. I posed as a tourist and have my interviews on tape. I had to twist one guides arm to come out and say in front of a group of tourists, that a boy had drowned. First he said it was only an injury, then with more prodding, he made up a story that the boy drowned because he ran off on his own without the guides and wasn't listening. Another family the day after thanked me because they were going to buy the tour and were told it was safe for their 6,8,10 year olds.
Later , I was told by some Dominicans that there were prior deaths at these waterfalls, and unfortunately recently with the married couple that died as their sons watched on.
Glad I bought the insurance though, that help pay for his hospital bill to send him to the morgue.
Thanks to the lawyer who met us at the hospital. Don't know him, but he was quick to intercept me and take me to the police station to fill a false police report. They were speaking spanish, so I could not understand that they decided to call it an "accident" , because he said otherwise if I mentioned it was during the tour I would have to stay overnight at the plice station for questioning. Later the autopsy report said my son died while out on a swim with his father at the Damajagua watefalls.
Cover up cover up cover up.
Even with the safety improvements and better guide training that was implemented after my sons death, it was still not good enough to save the recent married couple who drowned.
Who's next?
How can anyone recommend this tour?
I had fun , I survived, therefore I will recommend?
It was heavy rains and we could not go past Falls # 2. It was that bad. The first river crossing was waist high. What did we know, everyone prior to that recommended this tour.
What made me sick to my stomach is they continued to sell the tour the day after my son died and were still advertising it as safe for children, and anyone , even if they can't swim. I posed as a tourist and have my interviews on tape. I had to twist one guides arm to come out and say in front of a group of tourists, that a boy had drowned. First he said it was only an injury, then with more prodding, he made up a story that the boy drowned because he ran off on his own without the guides and wasn't listening. Another family the day after thanked me because they were going to buy the tour and were told it was safe for their 6,8,10 year olds.
Later , I was told by some Dominicans that there were prior deaths at these waterfalls, and unfortunately recently with the married couple that died as their sons watched on.
Glad I bought the insurance though, that help pay for his hospital bill to send him to the morgue.
Thanks to the lawyer who met us at the hospital. Don't know him, but he was quick to intercept me and take me to the police station to fill a false police report. They were speaking spanish, so I could not understand that they decided to call it an "accident" , because he said otherwise if I mentioned it was during the tour I would have to stay overnight at the plice station for questioning. Later the autopsy report said my son died while out on a swim with his father at the Damajagua watefalls.
Cover up cover up cover up.
Even with the safety improvements and better guide training that was implemented after my sons death, it was still not good enough to save the recent married couple who drowned.
Who's next?
How can anyone recommend this tour?
I had fun , I survived, therefore I will recommend?
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Personally, would I never visit this waterfalls, even that I am a good swimmer and not to bad shape and that it could be very fun and something you wlll never forget.
But it seems like profit or make money is more important than safety.
If they say that everybody can take this trip, very young or very old, bad swimmer and in bad shape. And even when it has been a lot of rain an the waterfall is more like double so difficult and dangerous.They still send tourists into this waterfalls. It also seems like the guides are not correctly or properly trained to handle situation when somebody goes under and don't come up again
Even that you have a life jacket and a helm, found I it little strange that they don't have some kind of a rope system as mountain climbers. If all was connected to a rope and went under and didn't come up again, should it be not to difficult to pull that person up again with ropes.
In USA and many other western countries are we use to that everything you do , from roller coaster to wild mark life has very high safety system, like a air plane that are not allowed to fly even if it a very small no important problem.
Our western system is like that if it happen and accident and you can blame the responsible, would either family or the government be sued and must pay a lot of money .
And when they open up for business as usual the next day after a young boy die in this fall , in a period with a lot of rain and try to denied or lie about this tragic death and still recommend that young children should do this falls.
That say a lot of how the put profit before safety and how little respect they have for somebody that has lost their child the day before.
When they still do this waterfalls as before , will it happen deadly accidents again, event that it would be one fatal accident for each 10.000 person that do this waterfall. Would you take such a risk ?
If people stay away from this waterfall because it is to dangerous, will they at last improve the safety and maybe not do this trip in days with heavy rain and then the risk for accident are nearly doubled . To this happen would I stay away form this waterfall, I will not in one way support a dangerous activity, that one day will end up in death for a another person. Statistical will that happen one day again, since they still operate under the same conditions as when another has drown in this waterfalls, but money is often more important than life, and special if you don't have to pay a fine and can do business as usual next day after one person days in this waterfall.
Only bad luck and if I still get my money , no problem for me, that is how they think and act.
But it seems like profit or make money is more important than safety.
If they say that everybody can take this trip, very young or very old, bad swimmer and in bad shape. And even when it has been a lot of rain an the waterfall is more like double so difficult and dangerous.They still send tourists into this waterfalls. It also seems like the guides are not correctly or properly trained to handle situation when somebody goes under and don't come up again
Even that you have a life jacket and a helm, found I it little strange that they don't have some kind of a rope system as mountain climbers. If all was connected to a rope and went under and didn't come up again, should it be not to difficult to pull that person up again with ropes.
In USA and many other western countries are we use to that everything you do , from roller coaster to wild mark life has very high safety system, like a air plane that are not allowed to fly even if it a very small no important problem.
Our western system is like that if it happen and accident and you can blame the responsible, would either family or the government be sued and must pay a lot of money .
And when they open up for business as usual the next day after a young boy die in this fall , in a period with a lot of rain and try to denied or lie about this tragic death and still recommend that young children should do this falls.
That say a lot of how the put profit before safety and how little respect they have for somebody that has lost their child the day before.
When they still do this waterfalls as before , will it happen deadly accidents again, event that it would be one fatal accident for each 10.000 person that do this waterfall. Would you take such a risk ?
If people stay away from this waterfall because it is to dangerous, will they at last improve the safety and maybe not do this trip in days with heavy rain and then the risk for accident are nearly doubled . To this happen would I stay away form this waterfall, I will not in one way support a dangerous activity, that one day will end up in death for a another person. Statistical will that happen one day again, since they still operate under the same conditions as when another has drown in this waterfalls, but money is often more important than life, and special if you don't have to pay a fine and can do business as usual next day after one person days in this waterfall.
Only bad luck and if I still get my money , no problem for me, that is how they think and act.
I still strongly think and agree, they should install a "rope system" it wouldnt be expensive, and would make it a whole lot safer.
I did the waterfalls tour last week, all went well, but here are a couple of observations;
1. No 'pep talk' before hand, to explain the climbing, strength of water flow, what to do in difficulties, etc.
2. No sign of any first aid kits, stretchers, etc, at the waterfall site (they may have been there but I did not see any)
I ended up with a couple of bleeding cuts on my leg and nose from the rock slides, and a big bruise on my knee.
I enjoyed the experience, but looking back, more info and awareness should have been passed onto the party, before tackling this
1. No 'pep talk' before hand, to explain the climbing, strength of water flow, what to do in difficulties, etc.
2. No sign of any first aid kits, stretchers, etc, at the waterfall site (they may have been there but I did not see any)
I ended up with a couple of bleeding cuts on my leg and nose from the rock slides, and a big bruise on my knee.
I enjoyed the experience, but looking back, more info and awareness should have been passed onto the party, before tackling this
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