07/20/2009
NYC Man Drowns off Cherry Grove, Fire Island
Rahul Bhola, 22, of Flushing, Queens, drowned on Saturday off Cherry Grove, Fire Island (a popular gay resort area off Long Island in New York), Newsday reports:
"[Bhola] was swimming near Cherry Grove at 5 p.m. Saturday when he was pulled away from shore by a strong current, Suffolk Police said. There were no lifeguards in the area and it is not known if Bhola could swim, police said. A man Bhola had been swimming with unsuccessfully attempted to save him. A search team was organized by lifeguards from Sailors Haven, a community about half a mile away, and members of the Cherry Grove Fire Department."
Bhola was airlifted to a hospital on Long Island where he was pronounced dead.
A Towleroad reader writes: "I was right there on the beach and noticed what was going on when everyone was standing on the dune looking into the ocean – I think they were looking because everyone else was...The life guards were called and they ran went into the water, but were too late and a bit in the wrong place – they were looking far off the shore, but he was actually much closer. A bystander saw the man washing up on the beach and ran in, but freaked out when he saw the body. A woman on the beach must have been a doctor because she assisted. Another man I saw walking down the beach alone before this happened seemed to know the victim because he was extremely distraught seeing them performing CPR and a really nice woman from the Fire/Rescue Squad took him away and got him on the ferry. She spent a lot of time with him."
Just a reminder to all those out there visiting the beach this summer. Don't swim alone and be extra careful in rough surf.Posted 1:08 PM EST by Andy Towle in Fire Island, New York, News | Permalink
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If you're ever caught in a current pulling you out to sea, swim parallel to the beach -- NOT against the current.
Posted by: Marc in Chicago | Jul 20, 2009 2:32:06 PM
Chilling- this is right near my house. Some years back, one of my neighbors urged me to jump in and pull out a guy who was drifting pretty far out. (Turns out he'd been drinking and his knee had locked. Drinking + ocean swimming DO NOT MIX! No reason to think that was the case here) She handed me a rope with a little buoy attached. I had no idea how this was supposed to help, but I stuffed it in my speedo and swam out to him. Once I got out to him, I realized the simple genius of this little item: I handed him the buoy end, and was able to tug him back to shore, without the risk of being pulled down by him. The lifeguards got there well after we got him out of the water, and they were pretty curt with me. They're on record as discouraging civilians from attempting to save others. But I think all the oceanfront houses should keep a lifesaver buoy around.
Posted by: dc10001 | Jul 20, 2009 4:22:33 PM
Gaah! Swim to the side! Don't fight the current, swim *out* of it by swimming parallel to the shore. Currents are relatively narrow, like a small river; you'll still be far from shore, but you'll have the energy to swim back.
Posted by: NaughtyLola | Jul 20, 2009 7:36:40 PM
I live in Cherry Grove. I saw this happen. There should be more warning signs alerting day trippers to the dangers of rip tides, and we should have buoys and life lines om the walks like they do in the Pines. This young man did not need to die. Property Owners Assn Liability concerns be damned...one young man is dead...I'd rather he was still alive and the Assn was dead.
Posted by: Jim Kelly | Jul 20, 2009 8:48:42 PM
The water got very rough in the afternoon on Saturday. We went in for a last swim about the same time as the drowning happened. The waves were big and very close together - I came up for air after being knocked down and was immediately dumped by the next crashing on top of me. We decided it was getting way too dangerous and time to get out.
By the time we packed up and headed back to the boardwalk we heard the siren and came across the people responding.
It is scary to think how quick this could happen; you have to respect the ocean.
It was a sad ending to a beautiful day.
RIP, Rahul.
Posted by: Boytjie | Jul 21, 2009 11:26:49 AM