As the South Fork continues to mourn the death of 12-year-old Cesar Albarracin Guncay, the sixth grader from Sag Harbor who drowned at the end of May on a class trip to the Poconos, our thoughts linger on water safety.
There have — both tragically and shockingly — been other South Fork deaths on the water since last fall: Four people died on Shinnecock Bay after capsizing in kayaks. In early May, two men who left the Ponquogue pier failed to return, drowning in the icy spring waters; in November, two other men died in similar circumstances. These facts should frighten boaters into action. Clearly, there is something amiss in the mores and accepted norms of the South Fork’s culture of casual boating.
It is law in New York State that anyone operating a canoe, kayak, or any other pleasure boat under 21 feet must wear a personal flotation device during the cold-water season, from Nov. 1 through May 1. The National Weather Service says cold shock can be severe even in 50 to 60-degree territory. In other words, this means that swimming, self-rescue, and even controlled breathing would have been difficult very, very quickly for the men who died, even those in May. The lesson here is unmistakable: Keep a personal flotation device at hand regardless of the season. Just do it.
This week came better news on the topic of water safety: The planned indoor swimming pool at East Hampton High School, recently approved by district voters, will be named for John Ryan Sr. For anyone who doesn’t know (and we can’t imagine that would be many), Mr. Ryan is the water-safety hero who — as the patriarch of town lifeguards — has trained generations of youth in ocean-and-bay swimming and rescue.
That the new swim complex will be named for this hero and exemplar of community volunteerism is fitting indeed. The John J. Ryan Sr. Aquatic Center will go a long way toward every member of our community achieving equity in water safety, ensuring that all children — not just the privileged — learn to swim and to practice good sense in, on, and around the water.