Rescued fishermen – “The water was really rough” – fisherman

…vessel located but rough seas, tangled seine prevent recovery

Days after four fishermen survived a harrowing ordeal at sea when their drift seine boat sank in the Atlantic Ocean, members of the crew said that they have been unable to recover the submerged vessel, engine and fishing seine despite locating the boat on Wednesday.
Ganesh (only name given), a 60-year-old fisherman of Rosignol Village, West Bank Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), said the crew returned to sea in hopes of salvaging the vessel, but rough conditions and the tangled seine made recovery impossible.
“I’ve been finding the boat, but now the seine and the boat wrap up so you can’t pull them,” the veteran fisherman explained.
According to the fisherman, only the front portion of the vessel remained partially visible while the remainder stayed submerged beneath the water.
“The boat raise, only the front of the boat raise, and when you pull on the boat, the boat duck down,” he said.

Ganesh explained that the vessel began taking in water while the crew was hauling in the seine during fishing operations offshore.
“When we started picking up the seine, the boat end up taking water,” he recalled.
The crew attempted to pump the water from the vessel using onboard pumps, but worsening conditions forced them to abandon efforts to save the boat.
The fisherman said the men tied together containers, life rings and life jackets to create flotation support while drifting in rough waters.
One member of the crew reportedly could not swim.
Ganesh said the crew remained together in the water for several hours before managing to attract the attention of a passing vessel.
“All four of us get together all the time,” he said.
He recalled that after approximately one and a half hours drifting, another boat finally responded to their signals before the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard later arrived and took them to safety.
The fisherman admitted that the crew feared the worst as the rough Atlantic waters continued pounding around them.
“The water was really rough,” he said.
Ganesh added that had nightfall caught them while still stranded in the water, the outcome could have been far worse.
“If the night fall and catch us, it would have been something else,” he said.
The veteran fisherman, who said he has spent approximately 35 years working as a boat captain, described the incident as the first experience of its kind in his career.
“First time,” he stated.
The crew also lost fish, ice and other supplies while trying to stay afloat after the vessel sank.
According to Ganesh, the engine, fishing seine and other equipment remain underwater, resulting in millions of dollars in losses.
“Everything gone down in the water,” he lamented.
Despite the traumatic experience, the fishermen said they still intend to return offshore in hopes of eventually recovering the vessel and equipment.
“Yeah, we going back out,” Ganesh said.