Special Report: Tourists to be targeted in water safety campaigns
Tourists, especially cruise ship passengers, will be the prime target of “robust public campaigns” this year aimed at reducing the number of drownings.
The Ministry of Health told The Royal Gazette that visitors accounted for more than half the drowning deaths in Bermuda over the past decade and that “several key initiatives” would be rolled out, “including enhanced public education and stronger collaboration with tourism partners”.
Its plan follows the deaths of two cruise ship passengers in separate incidents months apart on Horseshoe Bay Beach in 2024 and the introduction last year of consultant lifeguards from overseas to provide year-round service at that location.
The family of Hyon Duk Shin, 49, one of the men who drowned in 2024, are suing Norwegian Cruise Line for allegedly failing to warn about dangerous rip tides and currents, the absence of lifeguards at Horseshoe and previous drownings.
The health ministry said there were 30 open-water/maritime drowning deaths between 2015 and 2024, according to its analysis of mortality surveillance records, with 57 per cent of those related to visitors, 33 per cent residents and 10 per cent guest workers.
The statistics do not include swimming pool and bathtub drownings but do cover watercraft-related incidents.
The majority of the fatalities ― 73 per cent ― were male and the median age of victims was 56.5 years.
In a statement, the ministry said that the number of deaths ranged from one to five per year, “reflecting a small population and low event numbers”.
It added: “Bermuda has recorded relatively few drowning deaths over the past decade, yet each loss reminds us of the importance of prevention.
“The Ministry of Health, working closely with the Water Safety Council, has made drowning prevention a priority.
“Over the past year, the council, supported by the epidemiology and surveillance unit, has carefully reviewed local data to better understand risks and shape targeted interventions.
“This work has highlighted important differences between incidents involving residents and visitors, reinforcing the need for visitor-specific safety measures, particularly for cruise ship passengers.”
The statement said that the Water Safety Council would launch a website to “provide a central hub for water safety information and guidance, ensuring resources are easily accessible to all”.
It added: “At the same time, Bermuda is taking practical steps to strengthen coastal safety.
“Year-round lifeguard services are now in place at Horseshoe Bay Beach.
“Once the seasonal programme resumes, these lifeguards will support the wider network of beaches traditionally covered during peak months.
“This approach forms part of a wider strategy to enhance beach safety, support local teams and strengthen the resilience of lifeguard operations throughout the year.”
Other measures include partnerships between the Water Safety Council, tourism operators, community groups and lifeguards for “expanding first aid readiness and developing robust public campaigns”.
The ministry said: “By also drawing on global best practices, we are creating a road map that aligns with proven international strategies.”
The health ministry’s epidemiologist recently participated in a World Health Organisation session that shared global tools for drowning prevention.
Its statement said that access to those resources represented an “important step towards strengthening safety and saving lives worldwide”.
It added: “Together, the Ministry of Health, the Water Safety Council and our partners across government, tourism and community organisations remain united in ensuring that Bermuda’s waters can be enjoyed safely by all.”
A Bermuda Tourism Authority spokeswoman said: “The safety of all those who enjoy Bermuda's beaches remains a paramount concern.
“While water safety and lifeguard operations fall under the Government's remit, the BTA has provided consultative support to inform these critical initiatives.”
She said the year-round lifeguard cover and awareness programmes were welcome and reflected a “shared commitment to reducing tragic incidents in our waters”.
The spokeswoman added: “The BTA will continue to support government-led water safety initiatives as appropriate, while maintaining our focus on promoting Bermuda as a destination that prioritises the wellbeing of all beachgoers.”
The WHO puts the global drowning death rate at 3.8 per 100,000 people.
The health ministry noted: “Ten-year trend data provided as year-to-year fluctuations should not be interpreted as trends, given the small numbers in annual counts.
“Data are based on death certification and ICD-10 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision) coding.
“Comparisons with other jurisdictions or larger populations should be interpreted cautiously due to differences in population size, exposure to water environments and surveillance practices.”
After reporting on the lawsuit of Mr Shin’s family, the Gazette submitted a public access to information request to the Ministry of Tourism, Transport, Culture and Sport for contracts between Bermuda and NCL, including any concerning beach locations the company promotes to its passengers.
The ministry rejected the request on the grounds that the records contained information given to a public authority by a third party in confidence.
It confirmed that the Cruise Ship Berthing and Operating Agreement “does not specifically mention beaches or beach locations”.
A Pati request to the Department of Parks for lifeguard staffing records, as well as communications between the public authority and NCL about safety concerns at beaches, was unsuccessful.
The department did not find any records of the latter and said searching for the former would take too long.
The exact number of drownings per year in Bermuda is hard to pinpoint, owing to differences in the way public bodies collate and categorise the information.
The Government cites 30 drowning deaths between 2015 and 2024, based on open water/maritime incidents, but not swimming pool or bathtub fatalities. It says that 57 per cent were visitors.
A recent public access to information disclosure from the Bermuda Police Service, meanwhile, listed 28 people, aged between 21 and 86, as having drowned around the island between 2015 and 2025, with 18 of them visiting from abroad.
The data was shared in response to a request from The Royal Gazette for drownings at Bermuda beaches over the past ten years.
The disclosure included a swimming pool fatality but not a 2024 drowning at Elbow Beach or two open water drownings which happened in 2017 and 2022. The Gazette has sought clarity from the BPS on the information.
The police data lists the names and ages of victims since 2015, whether they were a visitor or resident and the location of the drowning.
The names given were Kevin Keeley, Wilmis Moreno, Stephen Sachman, Anthony Eve, Diogenes Carpio, Ashwin Bhandarkar, Paul Myers, Thomas Kyser, Stuart Rothfield, Frank D’Angelo, Thomas Power, Yvonne Altes, Wyman Minks, Jacolbe Fleming, Kathleen Emam, Kristian Baboolal, Deidra Tidwell-Ratchford, Marie Severe, Marguerite Outerbridge, Niel Jones, Lori Ponish, Kenyatta Dottin, Calvin Thomas, Amanda Chibwe, Eugene Simmons, Hyon Duk Shin, Jamie Lambros and Charles Crisson.
According to the disclosure, Horseshoe Bay Beach was the site of five drownings, with three at Cambridge Beaches, two at Hawkins Island and two at Dockyard. The other fatalities listed were at various places [see map], although one location was not shared.
The disclosure categorised 18 victims as visitors, including seven cruise ship passengers, and ten as residents, including four locals.
Two of the 28 victims were in their 20s, four were in their 30s, five were in their 40s, seven were in their 50s, six were in their 60s and four were in their 80s.
Of those, 20 were men and eight were women.
The Bermuda Judiciary annual report features a coroner’s report, which often lists drownings as a separate line item but sometimes includes them in a general category of unnatural deaths. The Gazette has sought clarity on those statistics from the senior magistrate and coroner.
The most recent report, for 2024, lists eight drownings in 2022, five in 2023 and four in 2024.
None of the drowning deaths from the past decade has resulted in a fact-finding public inquest on the island, as reported by the Gazette in August.
The Attorney-General has since appointed a bipartisan working group to review the Coroners Act 1938.
• To see the BPS disclosure on drowning deaths, see Related Media
You must be Registered or to post comment or to vote.
