Well...today seems to be a special kind of day! As if the moving mooring ball this morning wasn't enough excitement for the day we just encountered our first rescue at sea...successfully I may add up front, so nobody needs to get unduly worried. Also please note (for those who do not know me) that I am a doctor's assistant by profession, so I know what to do in an emergency...most of the time anyways. This is how it all went down: My sweetie and I were relaxing in the cockpit when I heard somebody screaming somewhere in the water...this is not an unusual thing here at Tamarindo Grande beach where mostly young people come to hang out for the day. Young people because there is no transportation to this beach, in other words one has to walk from Flamenco beach for about three quarters of a mile uphill and downhill on a narrow path through some thick vegetation at times...you get the drift...
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| where it happened |
So I heard the scream and didn't really pay too much attention to it, but then it started again...and I saw a woman in the water behind ORION and a man walking on the rocks talking to her. "Fair enough", I thought to myself the guy is with her! Then the woman in the water screamed again followed by whimpering sounds and when the guy waved to me with his arms crossing over his head I knew they were in trouble! My sweetie went in the dinghy to see if he could be of help. I saw him toss a life jacket to the woman in the water...she took it, but a minute later let go of it (!)...obviously in pain. That's when I put on my mask and snorkel and fins and jumped in the water. When I reached her she gasped that her shoulder was dislocated...Rick threw me another life jacket and I told her to hold on to it with one hand so that I could pull her behind me towards the beach. She was very brave, did what I told her and with combined efforts we made it to the coral reef that surrounds the beach area, somehow got a pair of swim shoes on her feet, so she did not get cuts all over from having to stand up to walk a few feet to the beach...uff! Rick had put the dinghy ashore and met us at the edge of the water. We were able to get her to a sandy area in the water where she could relax a little bit without having to move the dislocated shoulder.
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| where we took her |
Her name is Jen and her boyfriend is Dev...I kept her talking, because she was near fainting from the pain and the shock. Jen has a history of dislocated shoulders, so she did not panick but knew she needed help badly. Rick went back to ORION to bring our cell phones, some water, and Ibuprofen for her pain.
I asked them what happened...they told me that they were both snorkeling by the small reef around the corner (located not far from where we are moored with ORION) when they saw a lot of sea urchins...so according to Dev he climbed over some rocks to get out of the water, then turned around to help Jen come out by holding onto her hands and pulling her arms towards him...pop...the left shoulder came out of its socket! She fell back into the water...and that's when we entered the picture!
Okay...back on the beach we had her sit in shallow water, but the waves were coming in toppling her around...I decided that we needed to move her to stable ground and into some shade, because she clearly was showing signs of shock! Luckily two young women and a young man came to help us...the two women were medical students from the States...they agreed with "my treatment" and helped us move Jen onto the beach, where we sat her down in a shadowy area under a bush, her back propped up by some huge backpacks provided by the three that came to help. I am so sorry that I forgot their names, but I know they will forgive me...and I will not be mad if they don't remember mine!
When Rick returned with water and pain meds we gave it to her and kept her talking...she was very pale and her eyes started rolling...it was time to lower her head and elevate her legs to get the blood circulation going. We managed to do this alright, and she improved considerably. Jen is a very brave woman...she was in excruciating pain, but she did her best under the circumstances to stay positive, and of course we all made her laugh with silly stories...we all worked well together as a team :) Meanwhile Rick called 911 and was able to explain the situation and how to get to "the scene of the crime"...the latter is not an easy task...scroll back to the end of the first paragraph and you will understand! He walked to Flamenco beach to meet the ambulance and the police car that was supposed to arrive within a short time...yap my sweetie is not quite so young agewise anymore, but he can still walk "for about three quarters of a mile uphill and downhill on a narrow path through some thick vegetation at times"...better than most young ones :)
Back at the beach we had stabilized Jen's arm to her upper body with my dive shirt and she was resting now with her head low and her legs elevated by the backpacks...low and behold some 15 or so minutes later we heard what sounded like a four-wheeler approaching...and it was (!)...a policeman and a paramedic arrived in an all terrain vehicle and drove right onto the beach to our impromptu sick bay :) Soon thereafter Rick joined us as well, having walked back from Flamenco beach.
Everything went very smooth from here on...the paramedic brought a sling and put it around Jen's arm...and sweet Jen remembered to give me back my dive shirt...God bless her! Jen boarded the vehicle under extreme pain, and Dev was allowed to hop onto the back to accompany her to the hospital. As we all shouted our good byes and well wishes to her and Dev...they shouted back their good byes and thank yous to us and Jen put everybody to shame by remembering each and everybody's name...certainly no brain damage at all :)
In conclusion...all's well that ends well...mmmhhh...I already said that once today...We wish Jen a speedy recovery and hope that her ordeal is over by now. We are glad we could help and that there were others who helped also...that's what life is all about...doing good deeds one day at a time! God bless!
