The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

A TOUR boat operator said yesterday tourists and visitors assume risk when they snorkel, adding despite increased shark incidents the industry will survive.

As he agreed it should be mandatory that every boat has basic medical equipment and medication, Stafford Missick, owner of 4 Winds Tours, said many appreciate that once they enter the water there are ramifications attached to swimming among wild animals.

He, along with two other tour companies, said while attacks appear to be happening more frequently there had been no fall off in revenue.

This comes as the family of the American woman killed in a shark attack while swimming off Rose Island in June has claimed the tour company had no basic medical supplies and did nothing to attempt to save the college student's life.

Californian Jordan Lindsey, 21, was savaged by sharks while swimming with her mother near Rose Island on June 26.

Relatives blasted tour company, Sandy Toes Bahamas, in a statement released on Tuesday, detailing the ordeal and allegations of inadequate emergency response.

Yesterday Mr Missick, a tour boat operator for the last eight years, told The Tribune: "Business has been as usual with its peaks and lows but no significant drop for the most part.

"I personally don't think (the negative press will affect us). I've seen situations where families they come here for years - five, 10, 15 years - and they have been incident free. They aren't allowing this one (fatal) incident to deter them. They are also looking at it from an angle of there is no control over those animals out there. They just write it off as a one-off and they are saying it's not really going to deter them from revisiting the Bahamas or continuing to snorkel."

He added: "When you are in the boat you have more control but once you get in that water they understand the ramifications. You practice the best safety measures that you can but outside of that we have no control over those animals. I think most people kind of appreciate that as well."

Asked if he saw this is an opportunity for the government to clamp down on protocols for the industry he said: "When it comes to that it should be made mandatory that each boat has some kind of first aid kit. Now granted with that situation that would not have sufficed, but at least at the very minimum they have that sort of first aid kit and they know how to do CPR and that sort of thing.

"Basic medical supplies (and) anything to help a small surface wound to stop the bleeding until they can get further medical attention.

"From what I've seen most of the boats have it. But you have those that sometimes take chances and that's the reason why I am saying they make the ones who are upholding that standard look bad and it's few and far apart in my opinion for those who may not be operating above board."

Belinda Russell, a manager at Reef Tours in Grand Bahama, said considering business is always slow for the company due to the island's depressed economy, she said their situation hasn't gotten any worse because of the shark incidents.

And none of their guests have even mentioned it, she said.

Coast Line Adventures in Nassau also said it had been business as usual.