A 29-year-old woman’s birthday celebrations could have ended tragically this morning after she decided to go for an early morning swim in rough seas.

Shortly after 3.20 am today, Thursday 28 March, police received a report that an intoxicated woman had gone for a swim in George Town Harbour.  Her  friend who saw her enter the water immediately raised the alarm.

Police officers attended the waterfront and could see that the woman was about 100yds from shore. She refused to return to the shore when instructed to do so by the officers, who then lost sight of her in the rough seas.

The Marine Unit vessel Tornado and the Air Operations Unit were deployed to the scene and began searching for the missing swimmer.

About 5.50 am officers located the women who was clinging to a raft approximately 150yds from shore. An officer from the Marine Unit dived onto the rough seas and pulled the woman from the raft onto the Tornado. She was conscious but extremely cold. She was taken to the Lobster Pot dock where a waiting ambulance transported  her to the Cayman Islands Hospital in George Town for treatment.

Sergeant Richard Scott, of the Joint Marine Unit, has issued a warning to others who may consider swimming after consuming alcohol. “ Swimming and alcohol are a dangerous combination. Overnight the seas were rough which made this search and rescue all the more difficult. Thankfully this young woman was found and is now being treated in hospital, but her actions could so easily have resulted in the RCIPS reporting a tragedy this morning rather than a successful search and rescue operation.”