Heatwave spikes drownings as beach clean‑up numbers rise

The Costa Mar Reef Monitoring Network reported that volunteers removed 1,842 kilograms of plastic from Playa Coral and neighboring Playa Brisa during the week of 17‑23 August. Nutrient‑runoff measurements at the same sites fell by 14 percent, a modest improvement attributed to recent mangrove replanting. Those figures, released by the Marine Ministry in Puerto Azul, are the highest weekly totals recorded since the program began in 2019.

That same period saw the region’s temperature gauge at the Puerto Azul Weather Station climb to an unprecedented 34.7 °C, the hottest reading since records began in 1995. The heatwave, driven by a stationary high‑pressure system over the Caribbean, has pushed sea‑surface temperatures three degrees above normal, prompting early coral bleaching alerts from the reef network. Local businesses warned that the sweltering conditions could deter the usual influx of eco‑tourists.

Meanwhile, the Marine Ministry confirmed 12 drownings along the coast between 15 and 23 August, a 150 % increase over the same interval last year. Most victims were inexperienced swimmers pulled into strong rip currents that intensified under the heat‑softened sandbars. “We are seeing more people underestimate the danger when the water feels warm,” said the Ministry’s spokesperson, Ana López, during a press briefing on Tuesday.

The surge has prompted Governor Solomon Adeyemi to call an emergency session of the Costa Mar Regional Assembly for 30 August, where officials will debate tighter beach‑safety protocols and additional funding for coastal clean‑up crews. The assembly’s deliberations could influence the federal fisheries quota review slated for September. Our next pages examine the proposed measures and the voices of those most affected.