Sad incident in the Caribbean
I wondered if anyone had seen this or knew the photographer?
The Daily Herald
St. Maarten
6 March 2009
Nature photographer drowns off Zeelandia
ST. EUSTATIUS--A 58-year-old man drowned in the big waves off Zeelandia Beach on Thursday around 11:00am. Miroslav Zumrik of Slovakia was one of five international professional wildlife photographers visiting St. Eustatius this week photographing land-based flora and fauna for the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA).
All members of the International Federation of Wildlife Photographers, they are here as part of a project called SHAPE, or Photography for St. Eustatius. Zumrik and the other photographers had been on the island since Tuesday.
The photographers were on Zeelandia Beach around 5:30am Thursday. St. Eustatius Marine Park/St. Eustatius National Parks Stenapa Manager Nicole Esteban said they had been there to take photos of the area, not to swim. She said they had climbed Gliboa Hill, where they had photographed nature in that area.
Esteban said Zumrik had wanted to take a swim. The others warned him not to, because the waves were very high, but he still ventured into the water. After a while his colleagues noticed something was amiss. They tried to get him out of the water to administer first aid, but the waves took his body back out to sea.
Eventually, the lifeless body was taken onto a surfboard because the alerted Sea Rescue boat could not come near the shore. The Marine Park boat and the police were also involved in retrieving the body.
Zumrik’s body was taken to Charles A. Woodley pier, where Lt. Governor Hyden Gittens, Commissioner Roy Hooker, and Prosecutor Jacques van der Horde had gathered. Dr. Barbue inspected the body and officially pronounced death.
Police Inspector Roberto Hodge said there were no indications of foul play. He said Zumrik’s wife and children had been informed of the tragic event.
Arrangements will be made to transfer his body to Slovakia. The body remains at the St. Eustatius School of Medicine morgue for the time being.
Spokesman for the group of photographers Henkjan Kievit explained that the group was to take thousands of photos while visiting Miriam Schmidt Botanical Garden, Gilboa Hill, the Quill rim, White Wall, and other sites. Of these, about 150 by each photographer will be chosen for free use by DCNA.
SHAPE will sell the photographs in Europe as a source of funds for further photography expeditions and to promote awareness of the diversity of wildlife in the islands. Last year, the group went to Bonaire; this year visits were planned to St. Maarten and Statia.
Zumrik specialised in photos of animals and birds. The group further included Henkjan Kievit of the Netherlands, who specialises in landscapes; Rostislav Stach of the Czech Republic, who photographs birds and other animals; Christian Konig of France, whose favourites are bats, shrews, and rodents; and Marjolijn Lopes Cardoso of the Netherlands, who enjoys doing macroscopic images of insects and small plants.
Esteban, who arranged the group’s activities, had told The Daily Herald the day before the tragic accident that she was very glad to have professional terrestrial photographers visit the island. Although Stenapa and DCNA have many good underwater photographs, they do not have enough photos of land-based plants and animals.
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