DOC commissioner rescues 2 stranded surfers

Department of Corrections Commissioner Lino S. Tenorio, together with a retired U.S. Army reservist, rescued two stranded surfers outside the reef line of Sugar Dock Saturday late afternoon.

Rescued were Nicolas Swaim, 31, and Kristina Springer, 27. Both were only exhausted and refused to be taken to the hospital.

The two were the 24th and 25th persons that Tenorio has rescued from the waters of Saipan in over 20 incidents stemming all way back to when he first became a police officer in 1980.

Department of Public Safety spokesperson Lei Ogumoro said that on Saturday at 5:53pm, DPS received a report that two stranded swimmers were rescued outside the channel of Sugar Dock.

Ogumoro said that based on preliminary investigation, Tenorio notified the police that he had picked up two surfers who were stranded near the reef line.

Boating Safety officers learned that the surfers—Swaim and Springer—were outside the reef line but when they decided to return to shore, strong waves and rip currents prevented them from doing so.

The two stayed close to the reef line for almost an hour when Tenorio, who was on his boat, spotted the two and rescued them.

Ogumoro said both surfers were advised to take extra precautions when surfing, especially during dangerous water conditions.

In a telephone interview with Saipan Tribune yesterday, Tenorio said he is just happy that he was at the right place at the right time.

Tenorio said the two victims, who were holding on to their surf boards, were actually taken out by the rough current.

“They were caught by surprise because the current was just super strong for them. They tried and tried to paddle away from exiting the channel. But unfortunately they were just taken out,” the DOC commissioner said.

Tenorio recalled that he and retired U.S. Army reservist Rey Crisostomo were on their way back to shore from fishing when they saw the stranded surfers.

Tenorio and Crisostomo went bottom fishing that morning at the Esmeralda Reef, which is about 33 miles southwest of Saipan.

Tenorio said at 3pm they decided to go back to the shore as the water was becoming treacherously rough.

He said they were entering the Sugar Channel at 5:45pm when they saw the stranded surfers waving outside the main channel.

“They were like really in a state of panic, like calling for attention,” he said.

Tenorio drove the boat next to the victims and Crisostomo immediately helped them get into the vessel.

“Big waves were coming every second. So we had to take the chance. They seemed pretty exhausted at the time,” he said.

As soon as they brought the two inside the boat, Tenorio said he immediately contacted DPS.

Last year, Tenorio and a companion also rescued five locals who were stranded at the same location and almost at the same time.

He said that when he was a police officer, he was involved in rescue operations about 10 to 15 times, but mostly when he was off-duty.

When he retired from DPS, Tenorio rescued more persons from the waters about 10 times.

He said most of these incidents happened at the Sugar Dock channel.