Search continues for Amali Mayers

A simple mistake while diving allegedly led to the disappearance of 16-year-old Amali Mayers, who went missing at sea on Friday.

A friend, who was one of three other people with Amali when he disappeared while free diving off the coast at Tent Bay, Bathsheba, St Joseph after 12 p.m., told Barbados TODAY he believed that the qualified scuba diver and registered fisherman encountered difficulties while in the water.

As he joined scores that gathered at Tent Bay to watch members of the Police Marine Unit, Barbados Coast Guard and other private qualified divers conducting searches at sea in the general area, the young man said they started the trip with the intention to fish.

But, he said that when they caught nothing after a while, they made the decision to dive.

“We suit up … and then we jump off the boat and dive. We saw barracudas and we were really attacking the barracudas. Then I got tired. We had the boat anchored in about 60 feet of water and the anchor was hook and I went for the anchor first and undo the anchor down at the bottom and then I came back up.

“…we were in probably about 80 plus foot of water and the guys say some big barracudas here. And we got excited and one of the guys went down and shot a big one and then them came up and show Amali and then he came back to the boat and change his back up rope because it was too short,” he said.

He said that Amali made another dive after spotting a barracuda and that was the last time he saw him.

“He was my friend from the time I move up here. We fish together, dive together, made a lot of things together. So, it hurting me real bad right now. I went back out and we were doing some dive to see if we could find him but it was too deep.

“But by I dive a lot and I know how it happens, I said that he caught a shallow water blackout. I believe he didn’t take a proper breath up on the surface. He saw a fish and get anxious and he went down and tried to push it but on his way back up he blacked out. That is basically how I feel it happen,” he said.

Amali’s father, who residents said is a well-known fisherman, was on a fishing trip when he got a call informing him of his only child’s disappearance. Residents said within a matter of hours he was back home.

This morning, he looked on as the search parties tried to find his son.

When Barbados TODAY visited Amali’s Beach Mount, Bathsheba, home, his teary eyed mother, who sat helplessly on her patio was being comforted by loved ones.

She confirmed that she is Amali’s mother, but indicated that it was difficult to speak at the time.

Amali – a  student of the Alleyne School – played in the school band.

Fisherman, James Lorde, said he too was feeling extremely sad considering that he had a conversation with Amali just minutes before the young men got on the boat and started their journey.

Lorde said he asked Amali, who is also famous for producing some of the best fish guns, about making one of the fishing equipment for him.

“He show me a real nice fish gun that he made. So, he told me he would talk to me later because now he going diving. He bring the boat in, the men load on the coolers on it and he put the gas can there and load up the boat with gas.

“When them done load up the boat with gas, to go through the channel the boat cut out. So when the boat cut out, he drift down cross the shore there so and them drop the anchor pulling it all the time and then it start back,” Lorde said.

Lorde recalled that after the boat cut out about three times, the youngsters spent minutes trying to get it to start.

He said as he watched them, he thought about telling them “lil men call off the day man”.

“It was a sign how that boat was cutting out. And I tell he uncle man that is a sign you know, them shouldn’t go nowhere. But I tell myself them ain’t going doing nothing wrong, them going doing something constructive looking for fish.

“I tell myself that them is good divers and if them go out there and the boat don’t start back at least them could swim shore. So that is the least of the worries. And then I tell them uncle I going up the road I will see he later,” Lorde said

Also gathered at the scene sharing in the pain of Amali’s loved ones was Attorney General and Member of Parliament for St Joseph Dale Marshall who said he has been close friends with the teenager’s parents for many years.

Marshall described Amali as a brilliant young man who is a great sportsman, musician and future leader.

The representative said the tragedy is one that is devastating for the entire community.

He said he was heartened that the young man’s friends and neighbours rushed to Tent Bay in their numbers to join in on the search effort.

Looking on as search parties headed into the water, Marshall said that while he was aware that many are hoping for a positive outcome, at this point he think there is a stark realization that a life has been lost.

The search continues on Sunday. (AH)