Conditions were too rough for snorkellers says catamaran owner

While the search is on for three missing persons aboard a private plane and five men on a fishing vessel, a man who disappeared Thursday while snorkelling in Shark Ray Alley off Caye Caulker is still missing. And today it is looking more and more like weather was a factor. Unfortunately, due to bad weather conditions search parties were prevented from looking for John Dresp’s body. However, the owner of another catamaran that was in the same area told News Five that contrary to what Discovery Divers claims, conditions were far from ideal for swimmers that day.

Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
The search for American citizen and retired teacher sixty-eight year old John Dresp has been postponed due to rough seas and rainy weather. The Dresp family fears that their loved one may have been overcome by strong currents and drowned shortly after he and party of fifty-seven guests departed the Norwegian Dream cruise ship for a snorkel tour at Shark Ray Alley off Caye Caulker. The tourist boarded The Belize Pride, a catamaran, owned by Discovery Divers Limited. How Dresp managed to disappear in the presence of people including the boats eight-member crew, all licensed and experienced tour guides including a dive instructor, remains a mystery. But reports by both family members and another tour operation suggest that weather may have contributed to the tragedy.

Bill McKenzie, Managing Dir., Belize Paradise Limited
?It was just one of the decisions you have to make and it just seems like it was unsafe and I was concerned whether someone could loose someone or have a heart attack or start to drift away. It was just too dangerous to continue operating.?

Bill McKenzie is the Managing Director of Belize Paradise Limited. McKenzie says on that Wednesday morning his company was contracted by the Norwegian Cruise Line to conduct one of the tours at the marine park. On board ?The Belize Fantasy? were one hundred and twenty-one tourists and eleven crew members. The group arrived at the site around ten-thirty. A total of thirty-five passengers got into the water, but only ten minutes into the tour, McKenzie says he received a call from the boat?s supervisor informing him that the weather conditions were bad and he had no choice but to end the trip because it was no longer safe to continue.

Bill McKenzie
?We monitor the weather constantly and we got a report about ten o?clock that the wind picking up and starting to gusts to maybe fifteen, twenty miles an hour. They got to the site, they started radioing that the conditions were bad, there were swells, there was a current, and I got on the radio with the supervisor of the boat and I simply made the decision that it was just too unsafe to continue the tour. I ordered the boat to pull all the people back in and leave the site area and within a half hour after that the gusts were picking up to over twenty-five.?

According to the National Meteorological Service, a small craft caution was in effect and that sea conditions were forecasted to be moderate becoming locally rough with wind gusts between ten to twenty knots. According to Manager of Caye Caulker Marine Reserve Victor Alegria, who was patrolling the area at the time, there was a strong north easterly wind blowing.

In a press release, Discovery Divers Limited states that their catamaran arrived at the location around eleven that morning and it was not until fifty minutes later that they were informed by Winifred Dresp that her brother-in-law was missing. While the family say that was the official time they informed the crew, they first became concerned around eleven-twenty. And because at that time they started enquiring about his whereabouts they say everyone knew about their concerns and the possibility that one of the guests could not be found. Additionally, Dresp maintains that ?Belize Pride? arrived at the site at ten forty-five but that they received a safety briefing for ten to fifteen minutes before getting into the water. The family maintains it was negligence that led to their loved one?s disappearance. Normally the water at Shark Ray Alley is between four to six feet deep, however, there are reports that on that day conditions were far from ideal.

Donald Dresp, Brother of Missing man
?It was not four to six feet deep! It was so deep that I panicked. And I panicked to that extent because I?m not a good swimmer and I can?t stand water in my eyes because they turn all pink. And I did panic and the current took me way, way down the line.?

?What I want to know is, yesterday was Wednesday and I want to know how many excursions went out and how many were cancelled because of the bad currents.?

The family also maintains that the boat?s crew did not check the equipment and did not take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of the passengers.

Bill McKenzie
?Anything that happens in Belize to any tourists affects all of us and it hurts the business for everybody, so we really all have to be extra careful.?

McKenzie says the Norwegian Cruise Line is seriously concerned over the incident and that following the incident they contacted him to verify that his company conducts safety procedures. Those procedures start off by making sure all passengers wear a life vest before entering the water. The floating devices and other equipment are checked.

Bill McKenzie
?We put a number of people in kayaks in the water first as a surrounding perimeter to keep the people under control and they are also there in case anybody gets into trouble that they can immediately assist them. As well, behind the boat we let out buoys on lifelines that are about fifty or a hundred feet long with large buoys and safety rings. So that if someone does get in the water and they can?t swim there?s a rope for them to hold on. We also have people posted on every exit, helping them in the water, checking their equipment, making sure they are okay. And additionally, we put on the top of the boat lookouts so that they can constantly monitor the group of people and keep an eye on them. And then when we do gather them up, we bring the people in, the kayaks are the last ones to bring them in and then we do a last count before we leave any site.?

Meanwhile, the Dresp say they will not leave Belize until their loved one is found.

According to the Belize Tourism Board, the matter is under investigation.