Senior Reporter
sascha.wilson@guardian.co.tt
Harry Sumair, a 69-year-old retiree, used to make weekly visits to Flower Pot Beach in Plaisance Park to hang out with his friends.
Sadly, around 4.30 pm on Wednesday he went into the sea and disappeared. Up to late yesterday, he had not been found.
The incident has left Sumair’s family and friends in shock as they said he was a good swimmer. One of his friends, who returned to the beach yesterday, said they were childhood friends and grew up in Springvale, Claxton Bay.
“We are feeling so down. He is a retiree, a very jolly person. Yesterday he had us going. This is a sad, sad, sad thing that has happened. This is a loss to our village.”
He explained that they were all retirees who met at the beach once a week to relax, eat and take a swim.
“He was liming by the seats and he got something to eat, then got up to bathe in the water,” the friend recalled.
He said they saw Sumair walk into the water but after a while, they did not see him again.
“We saw a guy about 50-60 feet away and at first we thought it was him. I walked out to the man and asked him where was the next guy, meaning Harry and he said he didn’t see anybody. After a while of searching but not seeing him I walked out back to the beach and called the E999,” he said.
Captain Vallence Rambharat of the Hunters Search and Rescue Team, who conducted foot patrols with his team along the shoreline yesterday, said they received a distress call from the Marabella Police Station after 5 pm. When they got to the beach they searched until 11 pm together with the Fire Service, Police and Paria Sea Patrol.
Although the sea appeared calm, he said: “One of our members went out in the sea and noticed that there is a depression about 30-40 feet out. It could be that he drifted out a bit and went out into the depression. So that is one of the theories.
“We need to be aware that there are depressions in the sea bed and the sea bed will change over time due to long-shore currents that run parallel to the shoreline.”
Sumair’s brother said he could swim but rarely ventured into deep waters.
Investigations are continuing.
“Most times he will not even bathe. Most of the time when he goes with us he would not bathe. So I am surprised that he did here,” he said
He mentioned that his brother had diabetes but was otherwise healthy. His wife was also at the beach.
Investigations are continuing.