There are no ‘safe’ beaches anywhere in the world, there are no safe Costa Rica beaches. A human being can drown in a few inches of water…

As of 8th September 2015 in Costa Rica 87 people (the local population and all expat drownings) have drowned on our beaches, rivers, swimming pools and lakes.

According to the U.S. Lifesaving Association, drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional death in the United States, and the second leading cause of death for people ages 5 to 44. For children ages 1 to 2, drowning is the leading cause of injury death.

• • On 20th June 2015 the Costa Rican National Coast Guard Service on Saturday recovered the body of a 52-year-old U.S. tourist Douglas White who drowned while swimming off Flamingo Beach.

• • On the 6th June 2015 a 30 year old Police Officer from Rhode Island Richard Jean-Georges disappeared in the waters near Jaco and his body was found three days later.

• • On the 1st June 2015 celebrating his birthday U.S. citizen James Warner drowned while swimming off a yacht close to Coco Island.
  • On January 26th, a 70-year-old woman Andrea Bell and a 2-year-old girl from Canada Jasmine Rodríguez Olching drowned at Playa Hermosa, in the northwestern province of Guanacaste.

• • In January 2015 Amanda Hellman from Madison, Wisconsin was caught in an undercurrent and drowned while on a whitewater rafting trip with her new husband down the Sarapiquí River.

• • Three tourists, one each from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, died on Jan. 9 when the Pura Vida Princess catamaran capsized off the central Pacific coast, with more than 100 people on board.

• • On January 26th a Montreal (Canada) tourist Andree Hamel aged 70 died while trying to save her grandniece Jasmine Rodriguez Olshansky aged 2 who also died.

• • On the 19th of November 2014 a 72-year old Canadian tourist Dennis Dacuik drowned at Playa Tamarindo.

• • On March 3rd, 2014 a Canadian man identified as Marceau Gaitán, 57, drowned in Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste.

• • On the 29th July 2013 Erwin Schmcz, a 40 year old Italian tourist went swimming in the waters off Manuel Antonio after eating lunch and drowned.

• • On 10th July 2013 a “much-loved couple” from Danbury, CT in the U.S. Ruth Rowe and Bruce Loev drowned tragically after they were swept out to sea on their honeymoon in Costa Rica.

• • On the 26th April 2013 a 60 year old American pilot William Schuman drowned at Playa Matapalo in Puntarenas, his Venezuelan wife Carmen Elena Chávez was also taken to hospital in Quepos in a “delicate” condition.

• • On the 9th April 2013 a 42 year old Canadian citizen drowned at Playa Negra in Puerto Viejo on the Southern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.

• • On 21st January 2013 U.S. citizen Michael McKinsckly from Colorado died in the waters off Esterillos beach in Parrita, Costa Rica. It is even more tragic to read that the 65 year old man chose not to pay attention to the lifeguard who warned him the water was muy peligroso – very dangerous!

• • On Friday 4th January 2013 fifty year old, U.S. citizen Brian Sommer drowned at Santa Teresa de Cobáno in Puntarenas.

• • At 8.30am on 29 December 2012 in Punta Uva in Cahuita on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica, 39 year old U.S. citizen Brian Maltez from San Antonio, TX disappeared after being knocked over by a wave.

• • On the 15th August 2012, it is suspected that 45 year old U.S. citizen Alfred Kobe Storay died of a heart attack whilst caught up strong waves on Playa Sombrero which is 15 kilometers south east of Puerto Jiménez de Golfito.

• • In May 2012 Ravi Thakurdeen aged 19 from Newburgh, NY drowned at Playa Tortuga on the Osa Peninsula.

• • In February 2012 a man from New York wrote to a local newspaper in Costa Rica about how he and his girlfriend “were caught in a riptide and swept out to sea. We managed to hold hands in the turbulent currents while being dragged far out to deep waters. We lost all hope of survival.” The next sentence of the letter might explain why it went wrong: “Eileen did not know how to swim, and I was totally exhausted from keeping her afloat. We both knew that death was certain.” This young couple survived thanks to: “… two surfers and an off-duty lifeguard, who risked their lives to save us, total strangers. They swam like dolphins, and with unbelievable knowledge of the currents were able to save us.”

Maybe I’m thinking too much but it strikes me as being somewhat imprudent to go swimming with someone who “did not know how to swim.”

• • On 17th June 2011 U.S. citizen Chuck Malspeis died from drowning, while snorkeling in Costa Rica while on his honeymoon.

• • In early May 2011 three students from Columbus, OH were spending their last day in Costa Rica at the beach and were swept out to sea. Kai Steven Lamar and Caity Noelle Jones aged 17 plus James Erick Smith aged 16 died in a riptide.

• • On the 5th January 2011 the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Erik Downes, a junior at Oglethorpe University, was reported missing after he was caught in a riptide off the coast of Costa Rica Tuesday, university officials said Wednesday.

• • On the 4th October 2009 James Campbell aged 40 from North Carolina, USA drowned in Esterillos. The Costa Rica Red Cross and coastguards are also searching for his 80 year old father who is presumed dead.

• • In May 2009 “A Boston man drowned Sunday while vacationing in Costa Rica, and his younger brother is missing in the Pacific Ocean and presumed dead…”

• • On 18th May 2009 authorities in Costa Rica continue their search for a recent University of South Florida graduate (Aly Zain Lakdawala) who was swept away in a Pacific Ocean rip tide on Saturday.

• A Pennsylvania attorney died tragically in a riptide on a Costa Rica beach after successfully rescuing his two children (aged 10 and 11)

Beaches in Costa Rica often have riptides too…

According to the U.S. Lifesaving Association here are the Top Ten Tips:

1. Swim Near A Lifeguard (which are not common on Costa Rica beaches)
2. Learn To Swim (and know your limitations)
3. Never Swim Alone
4. Don’t Fight The Current (you will not win this fight)
5. Swim Sober (alcohol & swimming is a bad combination)
6. Leash Your Board
7. Don’t Float Where You Can’t Swim
8. Life Jackets = Boating Safety
9. Don’t Dive Headfirst, Protect Your Neck
10. At Home, You Are The Lifeguard

You can look at the water and sometimes see if there is a riptide. If the water is discoloured in certain areas, or if you see a lot of foam in the area, that may be a riptide.

Also look for areas of reduced wave heights in the surf zone and depressions in the beach running perpendicular to shore.

So in addition to the rules above, what else do we need to remember with riptides?

• Rule #1: Children should never be left unattended on the beach.
• Rule #2: Do not panic! Try to breathe normally and stay as calm as possible.
• Rule #3: Do not struggle against the current or try to swim to shore. This could quickly lead to exhaustion which will probably prevent you from successfully swimming back to shore…
• Rule #4: Try to calmly swim parallel to the shore, across the current. Most of the time a riptide is quite narrow so sometimes it is not that difficult ‘if’ you remain calm.
• Rule #5: For whatever reason, if you cannot swim out of the riptide, try floating on your back and let the riptide take you away from shore until you are beyond the pull of the current then calmly swim back to shore.

If swimming long distances, it’s wise to swim parallel to the shore, try and find out about the local tides, take extra care near cliffs, never, ever dive into unknown waters and make sure your children are slathered in sun screen.

Dangerous Beaches in Costa Rica

It’s important to remember that any beach can become dangerous depending on the weather conditions and it doesn’t matter how a strong a swimmer you think you are…

The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) has put up bilingual English/Spanish signs on 31 beaches to warn swimmers about dangerous currents so please safely enjoy your fun in the Costa Rican surf and sun.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.