Oistins holds on to hope in search for missing duo

Fisherfolk at the Oistins fish market are keeping hope alive that their colleagues who disappeared at sea since Saturday will be found safe and sound.

Coast Guard vessels and aircraft have conducted sweeps of the open ocean as the search for the two missing fishermen has entered a critical window, hampered by treacherous sea conditions and a lack of communication.

The identities of the men were not available from the authorities.

George Steven Cox, a veteran Oistins fisherman, noted that the duo departed last Saturday morning with plans to return by Sunday. The trip was intended to be a brief one-and-a-half-day excursion, partly due to one of the men having commitments with a class at the Fisheries Division.

George Steven Cox, veteran Oistins Fisherman. (Photo Credit: Ricardo Roberts)

But Cox revealed that the men had been warned about the worsening conditions before they set sail.

“The current was kind of fast… moving at three to four knots,” Cox explained, noting that the rapid flow likely swept any potential debris far from the initial fishing area. “It was so rough that many small boats couldn’t go out. Even if they had flipped over in the night, the small boats weren’t in the area to find anything.”

Neil “Cougar” Bourne, president of the Oistins Fisherfolk Association, emphasised the difficulty of the operation given the vastness of the search area and the unpredictable nature of the Caribbean Sea.

“You’re in an open ocean; you aren’t in a pond where you can see from side to side,” Bourne said. “No one knows exactly where they went. It was their decision [where to fish], and that makes it hard to go and search an ocean looking for two men.”

He expressed concern over the lack of mobile phone contact, noting that if the boat were merely drifting, communication might still be possible. He added that the “unusual weather” over the past month has served as a grim reminder of the risks inherent to the profession.

“As fishermen, you’ve got to learn to respect the sea,” Bourne said. “We’ve got the family in our prayers and are hoping for the best, but as you see, the days are running out.”

Community-led search efforts are expected to ramp up as weather conditions improve.

While some larger vessels have already headed out, Cox anticipates that a fleet of six or seven smaller boats will mobilise to join the search once the swells subside in the coming days. 

(RR)