Conditions creating tall and powerful waves are expected to intensify again on Wednesday along the northwestern Pacific coast and in the Caribbean province of Limón, the University of Costa Rica's Center for Research in Marine Sciences and Limnology (CIMAR) reported.
Two Canadian tourists identified by the Red Cross in Puntarenas as Andrea Bell, 70, and 2-year-old Jasmine Rodríguez Olching drowned on Monday afternoon at Playa Hermosa, a northern Pacific beach in Cóbano, on Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula.
Strong winds with intensities of up to 26 knots from the northeast will create strong wave conditions in several coastal areas in Costa Rica, particularly in the northern Pacific, the University of Costa Rica's Center for Research in Ocean Sciences and Limnology reports.
Costa Rica’s Red Cross reported that 79 people died by accidents and other violent causes in the first 19 days of this month. That exceeds by 27 the number of deaths registered in the same period last year, when the Red Cross reported 52 deaths.
That beautiful Thursday morning quickly turned to tragedy when the Pura Vida Princess capsized, drowning three tourists and leaving more than 100 passengers and crew fighting rough seas off the coast of Punta Leona. As the Coast Guard tried to muster a response, nearby fishermen and other private boats were responsible for rescuing many of the survivors.
The Prosecutor’s Office and the Judicial Investigation Police have opened an investigation into the causes of the Pura Vida Princess catamaran accident to determine whether or not the ship’s captain was negligent, Tatiana Vargas, spokeswoman for the Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to The Tico Times.
Early Thursday morning, 99 vacationers boarded the Pura Vida Princess, a 100-foot catamaran, in Playa Herradura on Costa Rica's central Pacific coast for an all inclusive day trip to Tortuga Island. Roughly 30 minutes later, at about 8:40 a.m., the ship issued a distress call and quickly sank in high winds and rough sea off the coast of the beach town of Punta Leona. Three passengers died.
The National Meteorological Institute issued an alert Thursday warning of winds that could reach between 70 and 100 kph in the Central Valley and the Northern Pacific, where the vessel sunk several miles off the coast of Punta Leona.
The U.S. man was taking a walk when he apparently lost his balance and fell into a rock formation in the water below, where he sustained several injuries across his body, according to a statement from the Public Security Ministry.
A Costa Rican boat rescued a 63-year-old tourist from the United States in a mysterious accident at sea in southern Costa Rica last Friday, the Public Security Ministry reported.
