Public beaches temporarily closed

The Department of Public Safety began enforcing yesterday the closure of Sugar Dock to swimmers and others who go to the popular beach site for recreation, as it mulled several plans to curb the high number of drowning victims on its waters.

DPS commissioner Edward Camacho said police vehicles were patrolling Sugar Dock, with policemen strongly urging the public to refrain from recreational activities on the beach, while preventive measures are being put in place to avert another potential death in the area.

With storm Chaba approaching the Marianas, Camacho said yesterday that all public beaches are temporary closed to the public. Without an approved supplemental legislation, though, Camacho said the department lacks the teeth to enforce the ban by issuing violators with citation tickets.

The department’s Boating Safety Division and the Coastal Resources Management Office would meet on Aug. 27 to discuss plans to put up signages, among others, at the Sugar Dock.

“I’m looking at detailing lifeguards there,” Camacho said.

He said the DPS is coordinating with the Workforce Investment Agency, so that the latter could train lifeguards who would be detailed at the beach. He said lifeguards would be compensated at par with the federal minimum wage plus other incentives.

The DPS also met with the Marianas Visitors Authority to plan the formation of a lifeguard association, which would pool volunteer lifeguards who will guard other tourist-heavy beach sites on Saipan.

He said there is a need for volunteer lifeguards, amid a personnel shortage at the DPS.

Camacho said he would like to implement a “no lifeguard, no watersports” policy on Saipan beaches. Businesses that use the beaches for their clients are encouraged to provide their own lifeguards, said Camacho, who added that public safety should be a community concern.

“Anybody who has a watersport business should take the lead to provide safety measures for customers—and that should include a lifeguard,” the DPS commissioner said.

As police patrolled the Sugar Dock yesterday, Camacho said fishing boats were still allowed to sail, saying that the ban only applies to swimmers, boogieboarders, and others who want to engage in watersports activities.

Camacho said family members of those who drowned at the Sugar Dock had requested for the beach site’s closure. Camacho said there are at least nine persons who have drowned in the area.

From June to August this year alone, Sugar Dock’s waters claimed five lives, the latest of which was a Caucasian man who went snorkeling beyond the reefline earlier this week.

Before this, three Chinese women drowned the night before Typhoon Tingting made landfall on Saipan. A Chamorro man also passed away after drowning at Sugar Dock’s waters.

Camacho said the seafloor at the Sugar Dock has varying depth, making it dangerous for swimmers.