Tragedy Strikes the Central Pacific of Costa Rica

This past week brought tragedy to the little fishing village of Esterillos Oeste and offered a sobering reminder of how powerful the ocean can be.

Two gentlemen we had gotten to know on their previous trip this past year, returned for a short stay and were staying in our guest cottage. Jim who was 45 and his 80 year old father Dick both drowned last Sunday here in Esterillos Oeste.

No one really knows what happened for sure. The local surfers told us the currents were stronger than usual that morning. Most everyone figures the father perhaps waded out too far and got knocked down by a wave and panicked. At that point perhaps the son went in to help and they both got pulled out.

It was a sobering day in our little town but it was awesome to see the community come together to help. Jim was found just an hour after they left our house at 7:00 AM. Jim was found right out in front of the Lowtide Lounge, one of the favorite little bars and restaurants here in the village. Jim’s father Dick, was not found until around 5:30 in the evening.

People bought tanks of gas for the local fisherman to help search and many locals came with their ATV’s and motor cycles to help search up and down the beach. Other friends helped Kate and I during the day.

People should know that the US Embassy was awesome throughout this tragedy.

Even though it was Sunday, the Embassy answered at their emergency number on the second ring and helped walk us through what to do next. We had to contact Jim’s wife Tammy in North Carolina. That and subsequent calls throughout the day to Tammy and the family were not easy.

Please keep Tammy, their 6 year old son and 15 year old daughter, and the rest of their family in your thoughts and prayers. It’s hard to even imagine having to receive the call she received.

This really is a reminder to all of us how powerful the ocean really is. We always tell people you have to have a real healthy respect for it. Drowning is the number one cause of death among tourist in Costa Rica. There was another drowning the following day just a few kilometers away in Hermosa.

It is essential that people understand rip currents and exactly what they can do and how to recognize and react if you are caught in one. Many people mistakenly call them rip tides. They are actually rip currents. The tide is constant. It’s the currents that can develop into a “rip”.

Some great information from weather.com can be found at http://www.weather.com/activities/recreation/boatandbeach/ripcurrents_avoid.html

Another good site, especially for parents to view with their kids is, http://www.howstuffworks.com/rip-current.ht

A friend of ours wrote us the following this past week:

“Our heartfelt thoughts are with your friend’s family and with you! Surreal to imagine such a tragedy with my beloved bronze mermaid watching, helpless but blessing the unspeakably sad moment. That sea has brought such love and devotion and happy fellowship to us over the years, guess this reminds us all of her sheer power and intensity, her virtue and her violence. This strikes a tender heart-chord for me, as I have struggled with (and for the most part resolved) my fear/love for ocean depths as I’ve watched my only son make his “home” in the clutches of her massive swell for more than half his young life. We now have a profoundly meaningful and living memory of your friends forever as part of our Costa Rican home. Be well.”

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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.