Non Diving Incident

[Aquabear]

Good day. Below is an excerpt from a trip report I posted from Puerto Rico. My reason for putting it here is only to WARN people of the extreme hazard hidden at this beautiful beach. Please heed my warning and learn from my mistake. I didn't observe before walking but regardless DO NOT GO ON THE ROCKS! Thank you for reading and please remember this warning.




Monday Nov 23 2009 about 4pm. Playa Jobos (beach) Here’s where all hell broke loose. The lava rock jetty in front of the beach is deadly not dangerous. A small sign before the rocks says Peligroso but that’s an understatement. DO NOT GO OUT ONTO THESE ROCKS THE WAVES ARE VERY DECEIVING. My wife and I started walking carefully on the spearhead sharp rocks when after a minute being there a huge over the rocks wave hit us. It knocked her down about 4’ with some bumps, bruises and one long laceration but she said the wave took 20-25’ hitting every rock along the way. The people on the beach all said they thought I was dead. They were wrong but they were the best good Samaritans you would want in an emergency situation. Thankfully some knew first aid, some military training in medical emergencies they saved me from bleeding to death. Thank you strangers on the beach and thanks to that little eboy and mom for their prayers. End result, over 200 stitches, 40 staples, deep torn muscle tissue in thigh, 1.5”x7” laceration down to the bone on left shin sprained shin with torn tendons, 3 fractures in left hand/thumb plus dislocated middle finger in left hand. Look at the pics to really see it all. Had to be Med Evac due to serevity of condition to Stony Brook University Trauma center back home in NY. It was that or San Juan, I’d rather be closer to home. Thankfully my wife is an Insurance Consultant so the $40,000 medevac was covered by Ins.

Now still recovering at home. Hospital bed on main floor, daily home nursing, whirlpool wound treatment, multiple surgeons Ortho, Plastics, Trauma it’s all a mouthful but I’m alive!

[zaberman1]

Holy Crap!

I'm glad your alight and I might have done the same thing on the rocks. Geez, good thing those samaritans were there. Take it easy, clean the wound, and hopefully you will be back in the water in no time.

PS, I always thought peligroso was just a form of really spicy salsa...;)

[Rick Murchison]

Holy Great Zot!
Peligroso indeed...
I reckon they meant it, eh?
Rick

[AfterDark]

LUCKY!! Water and waves are deceiving! Glad your ok!

[Jim Lapenta]

Note to stay away from there when I'm in Puerto Rico doing checkout dives with a student next month! Holy crap, that is some serious stuff. Thanks again for this info.

[Aquabear]

Healing up well. Vitamins, Herbs, Oxycodone, Robaxin and great food from wife and family. I'm lucky I got a great support team;).
It was bad but keeping positive and smiling!

For this incident, in the wise words of one Bart Simpson !Aye Carumba!:rofl3:

[Drew Sailbum]

Aye Carumba! and a few more choice words.

¡Diabólico rallador! ¡Trituradora de carne! ¡Disfibradora catastrófica!

Te mejores pronto.

[bsee65]

Was it a rogue wave, or did you just miss the fact that the rocks were already wet and that previous waves were breaking over the jetty periodically? Either way it sucks, but in one case, it was more preventable. I am guessing that for you to get out far enough to get hit by a wave that hard, they couldn't have been consistent.

I regularly fish on jetties in my area and always spend a little time scoping out a new place before going out. Where's the high water mark? Are there signs that others have been out there? What's the surf look like? Are the rocks stable and do they look like they'd provide decent footing? If everything checks out, then I'll stroll out and drop a line.

[DandyDon]

On the north west coast is it? My daughter and I were driving along the north shore there 17 years ago when I saw a deserted beach, lagoon, and a huge rock sticking up on the other side of the lagoon - seems like it was 50 ft tall, altho my memory is questionable. We were thinking about wading over to the rock and climbing it when a huge wave came over it in time to change our minds. So glad we weren't on top of that thing.

Then, I learned that all rental cars are front end drive so leaving the rear wheels on pavement with front on sand is not the same as in a pickup. Took a few nice locals and a jeep to get me out and they refused money.

[gypsyjim]

I visited Playa Jobos in the 70's when my Mom and Dad were living in PR. Wicked sharp volcanic rocks there, and some spectacular waves. As a teenager I had a lot of fun daring that "risk", but no one got hurt, just serious adrenalin rush!

Sorry you got so torn up. We were warned it could happen anytime, I guess we were just lucky! Sux to get hospitalized anytime, but on vacation....dam! And PR hospitals are not where I'd chose to spend any time, as I recall from my Mom's experiences there!

[Aquabear]

DandyDon, you hit it! North coast, deserted beach, large rock, yep it was Jobos beach, aka "The beach of Death", like a bad SciFi movie name.
Except I survived at the end of the movie!:D

I had a similar experI had locals help me too years ago and they refused money too, maybe it was the same guys?!

[Aquabear]

Gypsijim, ur dam right. PR hosp are NOT where u want to be. In San Juan ok(been there) but outside of SJ it's like a third world country. They helped stitch me up- thanks ER doc, Special surgeon from outside hosp got me artifical skin - Thanks Ortho - but low marks on cleanliness and others I do not want to mention.

[DandyDon]

DandyDon, you hit it! North coast, deserted beach, large rock, yep it was Jobos beach, aka "The beach of Death", like a bad SciFi movie name.
Except I survived at the end of the movie!:D

I had a similar experI had locals help me too years ago and they refused money too, maybe it was the same guys?!
Seemed like all of the Puerto Ricans I met were rather nice folks. We did not go into San Juan at all; stayed a Hyatt on a coupon but left every day to explore. Stopped by a local bakery away from any tourist areas where the lady apologized for her English; I told her it was far better than my Spanish - no problem. Went on a cave tour, etc.

Glad you were well covered for the medi-evac, one of the main reasons I always do trip insurane leaving the country, and glad your wife is recovering well.

[diver 85]

To the OP--glad you are 'OK'...IMO next time head on to one of the Virgin Islands or better yet down to one of the Lesser Antilles....Good luck in your recovery process....

[Belmont]

Saw a similar situation on the Atlantic side of Barbados. A beach, rocks and intermittent waves the likes that would trash in no time then carry your remains out to sea for the bottom feeders. :shocked2:

[Aquabear]

Belmont,
Bottom feeders???.... ohhhhhhh you mean attorneys :rofl3:

[Nylorac]

OUCH! Many thanks for sharing - it is so important to share where not to go and what not to do - thanks again!

[Aquabear]

Thanks for your support Nylorac.
I was spared from paying the ultimate price to tell the story and warn others and even show them the outcome with the pics my wife took of me in the ER. If I can help just one person avoid a bad experience I have done my job. Others before me on that beach were not so lucky.
Thanks amigo!

[DandyDon]

OUCH! Many thanks for sharing - it is so important to share where not to go and what not to do - thanks again!
Not to try to give Aquabear a hard time here, but just to offer a couple of cautions...

Edit: My mistake; see below. [-]When you see a sign saying "DO NOT GO OUT ONTO THESE ROCKS THE WAVES ARE VERY DECEIVING," don't. That he was on a Spanish speaking island suggests that the warning might have been more informative before translation perhaps, but follow the suggestion and don't.[/-]

If you see rocks on the beach, accept that waves wash away the sand and you probly don't want to be there when it happens - and their arrivals can be very surprising if you're not educated on the factors and local situation. Avoid rocky areas.

[Aquabear]

Actually DandyDon, Unfortunately the only sign says one word "Peligroso" (danger)thats it. No reference to anything else.
We and lots of other locals have been on those rocks before without a thought at all to that ever happening.
My only afterthought was if I had observed for at least 5 minutes the water then I would have seen the wave sets and their height and would have stayed away.
My wife and I take active vacations and always do multiple levels of risk analysis prior to any activity- camping in the desert, hiking, mountain climbing in ice, SCUBA, kayaking to name a few. We come back fine every time.
This time we did not and we paid a hard price for it but NOT because we didnt heed an indepth warning or that it was in spanish. I speak,read and write in spanish.

[Teamcasa]

This place?
k_I3RCH1XwY

[DandyDon]

Actually DandyDon, Unfortunately the only sign says one word "Peligroso" (danger)thats it. No reference to anything else.
We and lots of other locals have been on those rocks before without a thought at all to that ever happening.
My only afterthought was if I had observed for at least 5 minutes the water then I would have seen the wave sets and their height and would have stayed away.
My wife and I take active vacations and always do multiple levels of risk analysis prior to any activity- camping in the desert, hiking, mountain climbing in ice, SCUBA, kayaking to name a few. We come back fine every time.
This time we did not and we paid a hard price for it but NOT because we didnt heed an indepth warning or that it was in spanish. I speak,read and write in spanish.
I'd misread your first post; sorry - edited my last one some. Was it you or your wife that took the severe injuries. Still not sure. Whichever, glad y'all made it and the injured one recovering.

[bsee65]

DandyDon, I believe the wife took a short fall of a few feet and got some good cuts, but he was washed across twenty feet of rocks and severely injured. At least, that was the way I parsed the original post after a couple reads.

[joystershell]

Just looked at the pics. They are both extremely lucky to have survived this incident.

[Aquabear]

Teamcasa, yeah that area filmed is near where we were but not the same exact spot. sadly brings flashbacks for me.
bsee65 - correct I took the brunt of the damage- which I am happy to do for my wife. She has some cuts and bruised knees but no stitches or any major damage. I got 90% of damages, stitches about 200 plus 40 staples and the rest you can see on the pics. BUT, I am healing fast, lots of wound therapy soon phys thpy.

[DandyDon]

Ok, gotcha - and yeah, I'm sure you'd rather take the hits than see your wife take them. Glad she wasn't badly hurt and that you survived to receive excellent care. I was also confused where the pics were? In your SB gallerly - got it! ScubaBoard Gallery - Aquabear Gallery (http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showgallery.php/ppuser/92629/cat/500) Ouch ouch ouch!

[Aquabear]

In case we dont chat til after, to all of you dandydon, teamcasa,bsee65,joystershell and everyone replying or reading, I hope these holidays bring you love, joy,happiness,health and money. I pass this along as someone out there wants me around a little longer to remind everyone about embracing and appreciating the great things they have in life no matter how bog or small they are- hey it could always be worse ---alot worse.
Happy Holidays to you all!:D