“This was beyond irresponsible and inconsiderate, this was reckless and negligent,” Coast Guard Capt. Thomas Sparks. “This was an exorbitant and totally unnecessary expenditure of taxpayers’ hard-earned money.”
James H. Bell was reported missing over the weekend, prompting the Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, and the CNMI Department of Public Safety to launch a rescue operation that lasted for 15 hours.
Bell set out for an ocean adventure “without filing a float plan, using any support crew, or taking any reasonable precautions whatsoever,” according to a press release from the Coast Guard.
Even after the rescuers arrived, Bell continued swimming, Coast Guard officials said.
“The search and rescue response cost approximately $25,000 and kept units busy and potentially unable to respond quickly to genuine emergencies,” the Coast Guard press release said.
The aborted stunt prompted the Coast Guard yesterday to issue a new warning about the “obvious dangers and considerations associated with swimming the Saipan-Tinian channel or any major shipping lane without taking proper precautions.”
Coast Guard officials warned swimmers that they are at risk from commercial and recreational traffic, fatigue and dehydration, and rescuers may be placed in harm’s way for situations that could have been avoided.
The Coast Guard also advised swimmers to prepare a plan with friends and use appropriate support crew, including an escort vessel when embarking on an open-ocean swim.
